Nihon Falcom released some new details and screenshots for the upcoming Ys X Nordics, the newest entry in the Ys series that’ll celebrate its 35th anniversary.
The new details introduce the characters Adol Christin, Carja Varta illustrated and designed by toi8 who also worked on Chain Chronicle, Maoyuu Maou Yuusha, Tokyo Mirage Sessions, and more! Ys X Nordics also detailed the game’s key Cross Action battle system, which lets players switch the combat style between controlling a single character, to controlling two characters at once. Ys X Nordics also released a new visual featuring both characters.
Ys X Nordics arrives in 2023 in Japan for the PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.
▍Ys X Nordics Main Characters
■ Adol Christin – CV: Yuki Kaji
Age: 17
Weapon: One-Handed Sword
An adventurer with flowing red hair and eyes full of hope and curiosity, This young man has written over 100 entries in an adventure journal for posterity, and at 17 he set his sights on the world when he left Esteria and headed towards the land of Celceta for a new adventure.
■ Carja Varta – CV: (Unannounced)
Age: 17
Weapon: Hatchet and Shield
The only daughter of the leader of the Varta Navy, Grimmson. Feared by many residents of Karnack as the pirate princess, her beautiful demeanor is offset by her rough and brutal fighting style, and gang of hooligans she leads on pirate activities.
▍Ys X: Nordics Cross Action Battle System
Ys X Nordics feature a Cross Action battle system, which essentially boils down to two control methods during combat, letting you take control of either Adol or Carja, or together as a duo! This mode of combat can be changed at the press of a button, so lets see the key differences between the two!
■Solo Mode
In solo mode, you’ll command either Adol or Carja, with your partner being controlled by an Ai. You can also switch to controlling your other character at any time during combat.
During this mode you’ll have a full range of control with your character, letting you step, dash, and maneuver around enemies while unleashing deadly attacks. You can also trigger a cut-in attack if your partner is close by, you double up on an enemy while still being able to outmaneuver them and mitigate damage.
While fighting you can also quickly evade the enemy’s “speed attacks” which are indicated by a blue shine before they strike, this dodge is performed automatically with Solo Mode’s dash ability and you can then counter then after performing a dodge.
■Combination Mode
If you want to bring in the pain, you can link up both characters in combination mode to deal more damage, as both characters will attack at the same time. The downside being since they’re linking up their actions, their movement is more limited and have to walk slower to keep up with each other.
To make up for the reduced movement, you can instead use a Guard action to repel enemy blows. As you block attacks, the pair’s revenge gauge will increase, letting both characters unleash a devastating revenge attack the higher it goes, giving the enemies some much-needed payback!
In this mode, you can also perform a just guard by blocking right before you get attacked, which is particularly useful against enemies that use a power attack, indicated by a red shine. This will stagger them for some time, leaving them open for huge damage! Build up your revenge gauge and counter the enemy’s power attacks for huge damage numbers!