Ys IV: Mask of the Sun / Ys IV: Dawn of Ys / Ys: Mask of the Sun – A New Theory
Ys IV: Mask of the Sun title for the Super Famicom
There's a strange story attached to these Japan-only releases
One thing that you should know about Falcom, if you haven't guessed by what had happened with Ys III, is that they'd sometimes license an outside developer to create the game around the scenario they had designed. It would be as if Square-Enix had come up with the scenario for the next Final Fantasy, but licensed Bioware to handle the actual development for it. The results can be hit or miss depending on who is putting the game together, but the scenario can also tend to play out somewhat differently as Tonkin House and Hudson Soft had demonstrated with Ys IV.
Who is Tonkin House? I'm not sure myself. There's not a lot of information on just what they do, other than that they work with PC software, edutainment, and are something of a game developer. They were also responsible for Mask of the Sun which came out for the SNES (Super Famicom in Japan) in 1993.
Hudson Soft, of Bomberman and Bonk fame, was responsible for Dawn of Ys which came out for the TG-16 (PC Engine in Japan), also in 1993. They were a company I knew, so I only guessed that their version of Ys IV would be the one that fans would appreciate most if only because they would at least know more about game development than the other guys. But as I found out, that wasn't quite the case.
In both scenarios, it's been two years since the events of Ys II (and takes place before Ys III...confused yet?). Adol discovers a message in a bottle asking for help from someone in the land of Celceta and never one to turn down a request, sets off to find who sent it and why. After being thrown in prison by the Romun Empire after escorting a trader, he discovers that they also have designs on Celceta and hope to annex it with the help of three powerful mages.
Although it looks like Mask is pretty much accepted as part of the canon, a poster on Ancient Land of Ys' forums had pointed out that the Japanese Wikipedia on the subject that Dawn had at one point been considered as part of the main scenario until later when Mask of the Sun was given the honors. But it hasn't stopped a lively, but friendly debate among fans as to which version they prefer for their own reasons.
Dawn's exemplary music, voiced characters, extended ending, and visual look takes advantage of the PC Engine's CD format with quite a bit of extra content that Hudson Soft took liberties with. Others prefer Mask of the Sun's closer tie to Falcom's vision and to the anime OVA based on the series.
But both games returned to the “bump combat” of the first two, tossing away the side-scrolling action of Ys III (but providing little explanation for why Adol became the fastest swordsman in the land later on). While I didn't mind the side-scrolling action of Ys III, I wasn't too put off by the return of bump combat once I got the hang of it again.
The usual menagerie of wicked bosses, powerful magic, regenerating HP outside of dungeons, and legions of nasty monsters are mixed in with the large dungeons and expansive story. From when you hit the town of Promarock to exploring the maze of Iris Tower, the soundtrack also keeps pace with the action with several memorable pieces.
One thing that was interesting about Ys IV: Mask of the Sun is that it also features one of the increasingly rare moments when Adol actually has something to say on his own, notably towards the end when he takes a leap of faith. Or when he and one of the head bad guys have a verbal showdown revealing all before the main event.
Ys IV: Mask of the Sun - A New Theory - for the PS2
Taito's licensed remake of Ys IV is similar to that which they did with Ys III incorporating an isometric, third-person look centered on Adol and speaking parts for its characters. As to whether it is actually solid enough to earn fans' respect, reactions have been less than enthusiastic from what I've been able to gather.
Media:
Ys IV Mask of the Sun – A New Theory – (PS2)
