Features:

  • Its first ever release in North America, Ys: Memories of Celeta will take players on a new adventure in never before seen locales within the Ys universe
  • Eclipsing all previous entries in the Ys series in both size and content, the overworld map metes out battle and exploration in equal measure
  • A robust mapping system with customizable waypoints and clear, detailed icons aid the journey through this mysterious new land
  • The party battle system from Ys Seven makes its triumphant return, but with a host of upgrades such as enhanced flash-guarding, fully configurable party AI and unique abilities for party members to streamline encounters for fast and furious battle
  • Boss Rush makes a comeback, pitting Adol solo against implacable foes or allowing for full-on party combat, to keep the challenge going well after the main story has been completed
  • Its first ever release in North America, Ys: Memories of Celeta will take players on a new adventure in never before seen locales within the Ys universe
  • Eclipsing all previous entries in the Ys series in both size and content, the over world map metes out battle and exploration in equal measure
  • A robust mapping system with customizable waypoints and clear, detailed icons aid the journey through this mysterious new land
  • The party battle system from Ys Seven makes its triumphant return, but with a host of upgrades such as enhanced flash-guarding, fully configurable party AI and unique abilities for party members to streamline encounters for fast and furious battle
  • Boss Rush makes a comeback, pitting Adol solo against implacable foes or allowing for full-on party combat, to keep the challenge going well after the main story has been completed
Best action JRPG on PSVita

Story is ok, it is not the main drive for me to progress in the game. The combat, music, sense of exploration...on the other hand, keeps me moving. It's very simple. I can appreciate games that can bring out a lot of fun while keeping things relatively simple. As I grow older with less time to play games, I appreciate not having to speak to every NPC to squeeze some hidden quests out of town NPCs...In this game all the quest is on a Quest Board, you just gotta revisit (via the handy teleportation system in the game) each town after certain story points to see if any new Quests are added. Takes around 30~40 hours to complete on Hard. Do not recommend playing on Nightmare on first playthrough (you can do it for NewGame+), as it'll take you even longer. Don't forget: Hold O during cutscenes and dialogues to fast forward everything. It can be frustrating going through certain dialogue and cutscenes when you retry certain boss battles. The Silver Anniversary Edition is pretty cute. Falcom and Xseed do good work.

Everything I wanted on the PS Vita

Intro: Y’s: Memories of Celceta is an action role-playing game that can also just be classified as a Japanese role playing game. It was released on the PlayStation Vita on September 27, 2012 in Japan and November 26, 2013 in North America. It was developed by Nihon Falcom Corporation, who is known for several popular series including Y’s in Japan. The Y’s series has a strange history of releases, including re-releases even by other developers. Memories of Celceta is the third game to be considered Y’s IV, but it is actually the first time it was developed by the original Y’s developer Nihon Falcom Corp. I had wanted a PlayStation Vita really bad ever since it was first released almost two years ago. The only thing holding me back was that I was not sold on there being enough “good” games for me to get it. That all changed earlier this year when I saw the trailer for Memories of Celceta. I am not sure what it was about the trailer that was so appealing to me, but I knew I had to get a Vita before it was released. I quickly bought one and had patiently been awaiting the release of Memories of Celceta since this summer. But would I really enjoy a role playing game on a handheld device, especially one in a series that I had never even played before? I had no idea. Story: The basis of the story for Y’s is one most of us are familiar with: the protagonist has amnesia and is trying to find what the hell happened to him. You might be thinking something like, “here we go again!” But honestly it was pulled off phenomenally. You play as Adol Christin, a red haired young man with amnesia. The story starts out as you stumble into a city not knowing where you are or who you are. Eventually you meet a friend and are tasked with completing the map of the Great Forest of Celceta, a forest that no one has ever entered and returned from. Like I said, the overall amnesia premise is very familiar as I have played many games that started the same way. Y’s: Memories of Celceta stood out. You meet some interesting characters along your journey as you explore the forest and discover memories from Adol’s past. Adol’s memories will keep you guessing on how he actually lost his memory and what part he had to play in the overall conflict that is going on in the world at the time. I was kept guessing throughout most of this 25 hour game, and most of the time I was completely wrong. That says something for someone who prides himself on being a story driven gamer that has played 100’s of games. Presentation: The graphics for Y’s: Memories of Celceta does not push the limit of the Vita by any means, but this does not mean that it suffered. For a role playing game on a handheld, it was exactly what I would expect it to be. The character models were a little blurry/pixilated when standing still or in cutscenes, but most of the time the action is going so fast that you will not even have time to notice it. In cutscenes I found myself reading the dialogue and paying attention to the animated avatar next to the text more than I was looking at the character models; so again, you won’t even notice. The menu was very polished and easy to use: both with or without using the touch screen. The music was very catchy which is exactly what I have come to expect of a Japanese role playing game. It was fast paced which really suited the action packed gameplay mechanics. I don’t believe I have played a JRPG made in the past 8-10 years that didn’t have a good sound track. Gameplay: Battles are extremely fast paced, with most of them taking no more than 2-3 seconds. They are all real time on the battlefield as it does not have to go to its own separate battle screen like other traditional Japanese role playing games. You have a normal attack button, a skill attack list you can use by holding the right trigger and hitting a face button, and a special move you can use by hitting the left trigger once you have built up enough experience for it. These quick battles made the game feel action packed from the get-go. I never felt bored running through dungeons or long maze-like paths because there were always new monsters around that I could kill really quickly. At the end of each dungeon you will will run into the a "boss battle" with a monster that is normally 10 times your size. These battles will typically take you many times longer than the normal battles do because they have much more health, but are still not very difficult as you can spam attacks and skill moves. Y’s: Memories of Celceta has a party based battle system. You will have up to six characters in your party at one time, but can only put three of them in your active party to help you battle. The interesting part about this party system is that your other two active party members will run around the battle with you acting on their own. If you run by some enemies they may run right up to them and engage them in battle, or if you run by a harvest point they may run up and start to harvest it for you. Speaking of harvest points, these along with treasure chests are spread all over the world for you to collect. Memories of Celceta has quite the deep loot and crafting system, so you will want to try and collect as much of everything as possible. Even if you decide to only sell it in the end, you can make a bunch for upgrades. Another addition to the game that will make you want to explore everything is the world map system. Since the story is based on you trying to complete the map of the Great Forest, you will want to go down each and every path. Every time you pull up the world map it will have an updated percentage of how much of the map you have discovered. This was one of those things I was checking on constantly because I was interested to see how much I discovered each time I went into a new area. As with many JRPGs, Y's: Memories of Celceta has a new game plus mode. This mode will allow you to carry over all of your weapons, levels, stats, and discovery data to a brand new game. This is especially helpful for those who want to try to play on the hardest difficulty their second playthrough. I have always loved new game plus modes like this because they give me an extra incentive to go back and play them again later. The Verdict: 9.0 out of 10 Everything about Y’s: Memories of Celceta made it an exceedingly fun game for the PlayStation Vita. It is not the typical really long Japanese role playing game, which came as a surprise to me. This, however, didn’t hold it back in the least. The fast paced battle system and the crazy story made it seem like it was a much longer game. At the beginning I was skeptical about the amnesia story, but by the time I finished the game I realized it was one of the better stories I have played in recent history. It has nothing that will affect you psychologically or emotionally like The Last of Us, but it is still a really damn good story. Anytime a game is as fun to play as this one, there will most likely be high replayability. This is one of those games that I will definitely be playing again in the future. I am glad this game came out on Vita instead of the PlayStation 3 because the Vita needs as many strong titles as it can get to sell more units. I just hope Y’s sells enough for them to continue making them and bringing them over to the west! Go buy this game; you won’t regret it.

Nice edition, but what is with these cheap boxes for everything?

I'm just so sick of cheap packaging in general. I would call the box material thick PAPER rather than cardboard. I'm disappointed. It looks like it started to tear at the "hinge" before I even opened it, and one of the flaps that tucks in was already bent as well. And of course why wouldn't it be, since this expensive anniversary box set is made out of paper? Is it really that costly to provide a thick cardboard box material, like the boxes just lying around everywhere in recycle bins??? Like the shipping box it arrived in for insance? The brown cardboard shipping box it came in is 100 times the thickness and quality than what this box set is made out of! Why is this crap acceptable now!? What did they save, like a cent total on materials?? I paid 8 thousand cents for this box and I expect some beefy frign cardboard!

Diablo II and Zelda have a baby

Graphics: They're okay but nothing really special what I do like though is the creativity in the design of the game creatures and world. To be honest the feel almost like PS2 graphics at times which is still impressive for the Vita but come on I've seen Uncharted on this baby and I know it can do better than that. Gameplay: There is an extensive crafting system in this game and just to note this game on hard is HARD. If you have not mastered counter's, dodges, and the like expect be destroyed by the first boss. Increase the power of your weapons mix and make materials you name it and it's there. Your AI companions are actually handled very well and handle themselves very well even on the most difficult mode. Enemies or Bosses cannot outright kill them but once their health drops to 1 they do not fight any longer. The character you control however dies when enough damage is done. The battle system is very reminiscent of Diablo mixed with the Legend of Zelda if that makes any sense at all, and it is open world with multiple towns to explore and visit. You can also choose which paths or parts of the story to do first. Want to go to the lake and do that story part then the tree? Go for it. The game allows you to progress at your own pace without letting you feel like your leveling means jack. Dungeons are a bit taken from Legend of Zelda where you often must find keys/items to progress through the dungeon. I absolutely love this. You can also increase the skill points of certain attacks depending on how much you use them. There are a lot of side quests and some of them can be downright tricky to absolutely hilarious. Story: The story is a basic "I lost my memory" syndrome but considering this game came out wayyyyyyy before this became a norm in JRPG's you can really tell where so many games took their ideas from. The first hour of story goes like this, "you're basically a cartographer who is the only person ever to return from the woods but you of course lost your memory in the process. The army assigns you and your friend to return to the forest to chart it for them and you do it willingly to regain some of your memory." That's basically the jest of it. Music: The music in this game is amazing. Rock and roll tunes mixed with haunting melodies truly gives an amazing presence to the game as well as it's dungeons and forests. Sound effects hit hard to let you know when you've doge or block countered correctly. rustling of grass underfoot or the various enemy battle cries is just outstanding. Controls: The game handles very well. The controls feel very tight and I always feel that my death is my own fault not because a button is stupidly placed or unresponsive. Again the system is similar to Diablo tap the screen to use potion from your belt use the joypad to move and buttons to roll, dodge, attack, or block. Seems simple but there is a lot of depth to it especially when you start learning spells. Collector's Edition: This collectors edition is amazing. It comes with a real cloth map, the main characters journal, and music that encompasses ALL of Ys not just this one, and more! This is honestly the best 60 bucks I've put down for any CE game. Closing comments: Why are you still reading this? Oh cause you think Vita has no games, well darn it go get one and make this game your first purchase. With all new content added to the Vita as well as being remastered this is the definitive Ys Celceta game. I'm actually surprised that I never heard of this series till now and will look forward to old and new releases of this series with much anticipation. Get it now! a solid 4.5/5

Must buy for any vita owner looking for an action/rpg fix.

Falcom is quickly becoming my go to developer for my action rpg fix. I'm pushing 40, so i grew up on the likes of Zelda Link to the Past and Final Fantasy 6. I had not seriously played games for many many years until I discovered Falcom's Trails of Cold Steel and fell in love with it and started giving more of their games some time. Ys Memories of Celceta is a perfect blend of Zelda's action combat, Metroid's exploration, with light RPG Elements. You, as Adol Christin, start off in a town with no memories and not knowing who you are and what you're doing there. You soon run into an old associate Duren who tells you of the military's plan to pay explorers to explore a mysterious forest. While addressing a problem in the town, adol recovers his memories of exploring the forest before so he thinks that by venturing in there again he may regain more of his lost memories. The plot mostly involves exploring the forest, meeting other interesting characters with their own issues and motivations, and eventually stumbling upon a hidden mystery amond the forest dwellers. During your exploration you can go to towns and find side missions to accomplish along your way to earn gold, experience or items. Combat is simple and fast. Third person hacking and slashing while swapping between up to three playable characters while trying to figure out the best way to defeat monsters and impressive bosses that will test your reflexes on higher difficulties. Overall a very good game on all levels, graphics are very good for a vita game with colorful environments and a GREAT soundtrack. It's not my favorite Ys game, but definitely in the top 3. A must buy for any vita owner, especially as it is still reasonably priced.

When I learned about this game, I knew I ...

When I learned about this game, I knew I had to get a Vita for it. And I did, spending nearly 400 USD, not including the cost of the game itself, just to be ready. I naturally got the LE to go along with the rest of my Ys PSP LEs. To this day, I do not regret this purchase. Even with it coming to Steam, I wouldn't have done things differently.

Amazing game. Ys is an action RPG similar to ...

Amazing game. Ys is an action RPG similar to games like Legend of Mana or Terranigma. The older YS games, you literally just ran into your enemies, but the more recent ones starting from 2001 or so are more similar to terranigma or Legend of Mana. I may be wrong here, I'm not SUPER into the whole history of Ys. I've played most of them since the Ark of Napishtim on PS2. They are ALL amazing games. My favorite ARPG series as of right now. If you like killing countless enemies while having AMAZING boss battles where skill and patience actually matter, this game is for you. Story is there, but it's not winning any awards or anything.

Great Fun!

This is exactly what I wanted for my vita. I'm about 30 hours of gameplay in (70% map discovered). Overall this is a pretty addictive and straightforward Dungeon Crawler/JRPG. The story is nothing to praise, but I have found the gameplay really enjoyable and perfect for those periods I am waiting around or commuting. The level design is really gorgeous with shading and time of day cycles as your progress in the forests. I think it is worth nothing, as I did not understand this before purchase: -gameplay consists of a large map that needs to be explored, sections of the map are loaded in as levels which is where you have live combat with all sorts of beasts (not turn based and not exactly a large open world, just a very expansive series of paths, if that makes sense.). -As you advance along you will get more team members in your squad. -You can save at any point during the gameplay (also a nice touch for mobile use).

This game is an actual full, fun, and exciting game that I still can't put down a week later. Not a crappy port!

This is the most fun game on Vita yet! I love action adventure games, RPG's, FPS's, you name it. This game seems to be the largest most involved, and most fun game out on Vita yet. Most of the others that I have and have played really seem to be lacking, as if the developer figured since it was for a handheld they didn't need to try or to make a full game. Ys: Memories of Celceta (don't ask me to type that again please) has intuitive controls, easy fluid game motion, and pretty nice visuals. They really didn't overdo the graphics like in Killzone Mercenaries, but they completely made up for it in really fun gameplay. The game map is huge, the battles are incredibly fun, and I find all my other hobbies just kind of waiting for me to get tired of this game. Good luck exercise! I got this game last week and I've been playing it pretty steadily for many hours each day. Don't judge me! Oh and I meant to mention the music in the game gets me pumped. Dueling guitars with J-pop beats are a classic awesome JRPG must and they didn't disappoint. For any PS Vita owner who is wondering when the actual fun games are gonna get here, here is one of the ones you're looking for. Oh and the extras may not be a necessity to anyone other than a fan, but they are fun. The three CD music set is nice because the music from the Ys games is awesome. The hanging wall map is a welcome addition to anybody's nerd cave, and the compass is........well the cd's and the wall map are sweet. Final thoughts, if you own a vita and you want a full experience out of it, either buy this version or the standard version of Ys: Memories of Celceta. I won't say this about many vita games as most of them are dumbed down, but this game is well made and really fun.

A surprisingly good game. I've only dabbled in one earlier Ys ...

A surprisingly good game. I've only dabbled in one earlier Ys game, and that one didn't quite catch me in the way this one did. The story is rather flat, simply from being well trodden territory in the genre, but the characters are decent and there are some funny moments. The world is broken up into small instanced areas that are connected linearly. It's not open world in any sense, but it's still a pretty well developed game world. The combat is somewhat simplistic, but the controls are very well set up and there is a little bit of strategy involved here and there. Gear upgrades are available, but it's pretty minor to the overall game. New chapter, new store. Earn the credits, buy the items, wait for the next chapter. I would have preferred a little more granular control in this area, but it certainly isn't a huge detriment (not worth a star in any event). If you like RPG's, don't mind not having a sprawling open world, or control over the minutia of gear, then this should be a satisfying purchase. I'm 15 hours into it and am more than pleased with it, even having not finished it yet. Side Note: I feel like you could call this a "AA" game, rather than a "AAA" game, but that is perfect in my eyes. Sony doesn't see AAA games as tenable in the given Vita market, and I don't think they are needed (certainly nice, but we don't need Killzone level monetary investment for good games). If they could focus on sprinkling games like this and Freedom Wars in with all of the other indie and multiplatform releases, I believe the Vita would be in a much better place. I wish they would look at Nintendo's approach and create/court games of the AA production value, as that is what makes up a very large portion of the 3DS library, and I love the variety I can find on my 3DS.

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