Ys Chronicles II review

Unless you’re quite the JRPG expert - and I really do mean expert - Ys Chronicles II has probably skipped past you, despite its late 1980s origins and its re-release on the PSP a few years back.

That’s ok. While Ys Chronicles II is solidly dependable, it’s also not going to wow your socks off or anything like that.

Yes, it kind of is. There’s the usual story of an unassuming hero from a small village rising up to save the world. It's a reasonably entertaining story, but don’t expect to be gripped by it. It’s the running around that you’ll like most.

Ys Chronicles II isn’t your usual turn based JRPG. Instead, it’s got an action focus so you'll run at your enemies to attack them. There’s no buttons to hit. You just grind up against them to hit them - which is a little weird, but it works.

It’s like a roguelike, but faster because it’s not turn based. You can look out for the enemy to strike back, and back off at the right moment too.

Ys Chronicles II is actually quite tricky early on with only a few hits wiping you out, but on the plus side, there are regular checkpoints.

That’s because it is at times. There’s no great strategy to fighting it out here, and just running around can be awkward occasionally.

It's quite fun though, and there’s plenty to sink your teeth into when it comes to exploring new areas.

Ys Chronicles II isn’t going to stick in your memory, but it’s fairly well priced for what it offers, which instantly makes it more endearing.

If you don’t want to spend hours poking around menus and figuring out tactics, Ys Chronicles II is a pleasant enough light RPG.