s: The Ark of Napishtim is a long-running franchise that is as familiar to Japanese gamers as it is a mystery to those playing in the United States. This is the series' sixth installment, but the first to reach this side of the Pacific in over 10 years. As in the series' previous installments, Ys: The Ark of Napishtim features the sword-slinging, monster-bashing skills of Adol Christin, a red-haired hero who can't seem to stay out of trouble.
Published by Konami, Ys: The Ark of Napishtim finds Mister Christin stranded on a strange desert island, without a height-challenged little man to tell him when "da plane" is on the way. Instead, Adol discovers a band of Eresians (humans to you and I), a pair of princesses, and more monsters to slay that you can flick your controller's thumbstick at.
Ys: The Ark of Napishtim is standard, real-time, monster-mashing, action role-playing game fare. Adol Christian works his way through an almost endless stream of missions, gaining experience, boosting the power in his weapons, beating the bosses, and advancing to the next level. There are no additional party members, and no significant tactics—although the type of attack, and elemental energy, Adol uses does matter—to master. Multiplayer? I don't think so, but there is enough to the single-player campaign to entertain most gamers for weeks.
Nothing new, nothing bad
There's really nothing new here, but that isn't a bad thing Ys: The Ark of Napishtim takes advantage of the PlayStation 2's features to produce a polished, enjoyable game. The characters are well animated, the environments are sufficiently cool-looking, and the bosses have some breathtakingly cool attacks. Attacks that shake the ground, transform objects and just seem, well ... cool. On the flip side of the spell, the voice acting is spotty at best. Some actors and actresses do a commendable job, whereas others make you cringe whenever you see their character approach.
Ambiance—both good and bad—aside, the game is absorbing ... amazingly so. After all, the sword-slinging stuff has been done many times in the past, but it is somehow addictively fun to kill the bad guys, level Adol up, run into town to rest and re-equip and then venture out once again. Creative, new, innovative? Nope. But fun? You bet.
And of course that is the best way to measure any game. Is it fun? Ys: The Ark of Napishtim's combination of engaging story, sharp visuals and addictive combat make it a game that is not only fun, but engrossingly so. It may not win game of the year, but it's certainly worth playing.
Nothing new here, but then again there is nothing wrong with that. Put in the ROM, crank on your PlayStation 2, and get comfortable. This is one game that begs to be played for hours on end.
—Mark
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