Ys Origin
is a 2006 action role-playing game by Nihon Falcom. It was first released for Windows in Japan with an English release by Xseed Games in 2012. Dotemu later released the game for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in 2017, for Xbox One in 2018, and for Nintendo Switch in 2020. Ys Origin is a prequel to the previous nine installments of the Ys video game series. It takes place 700 years before the events of Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished, and tells much of the backstory of Ys, Darm Tower, the Black Pearl, the twin goddesses, and the six priests. The game has three playable characters: Yunica Tovah, Hugo Fact, and Toal Fact. By completing the game with each of the characters, the player sees more dimensions to the story. Each player character has a distinctive story, combat style and skillset. Ys Origin is the first game in the Ys series in which Adol Christin is not the protagonist. The game also differs in some respect as it is a straightforward dungeon crawl, taking place entirely within a single location. Gameplay Ys Origin features three characters with various fighting styles. Yunica is able to wield axes and greatswords with ease.