Ys X: Proud Nordics Review

Ys X: Proud Nordics

Developed By: Nihon Falcom

Published By: NIS America

Date of Release: February 20, 2026

Price: $69.99

From the time I was in my preteen years I've always been quite a fan of the Ys role playing game series. When I was 8 I played Ys Books I and II on the TurboCD at my friends house, and quickly became hooked on the interesting bump-action RPG gameplay and crazy hair metal riffs of the soundtrack. Shortly afterwards I played Ys III on every platform I could get ahold of it on, and kept going from there, playing sequels and prequels and remasters galore. Now here we are 36 years later with the definitive version of the tenth installment of the series. What an insane ride it's been! Ys X: Proud Nordics is essentially halfway between an extended remaster and directors cut of the original Ys X: Nordics, and definitely has a lot going for it.

Despite being the latest game in the series, Ys Nordics is set just a short time after the events of Ys II, and stars a young Adol and Dogi as they set out for adventure outside Esteria. The ship they're on quickly runs afoul of some local pirates, and things get wild from there on out. The writing and voice acting is as usual top notch, and even Adol himself gets a few rare lines in the opening dialog. The story is wonderfully deep, and absolutely dripping with the series trademark lore. As for the graphics they are definitely up to modern standards, and if you have a powerful system you can really push the fidelity beyond what the series has been seen before. The soundtrack is also excellent, with the usual alottment of epic battle tracks and glorious field themes.

The gameplay in Proud Nordics flows excellently, being a mix of the systems introduced in the latest games. We've come so far from the clunky bump combat of the originals here. The combo attacks are satisfying to pull off, and as usual the bosses are amazing to fight. And then there's the ship combat which is incredibly intuitive and fun. All in all the combat in Ys Nordics is the real deal, and should definitely satisfy fans who have followed the series until now, all the while being very accessible to newcomers. Ys X: Proud Nordics is as of now the best way to experience this chapter of the Ys series, and everyone even remotely interested in Ys should check it out.