Finally got Ys IX a couple days ago and I'm loving it so far.
Compared to VIII's more metroidvania-esque style, it feels more like an open-world game (Or at least, what I presume an open-world game would be like); The emphasis is less on combat and filling out the map and more on the movement options and searching the buildings of Balduq for secrets. While I kinda prefer the map-filling emphasis - And the more prominent music, as Ys IX's exploration often has more atmospheric tracks - It's still immense fun being able to run around and zip across the map with the Monstrum Gifts. It's especially nice because Ys VIII's Adventuring Gear was limited to slots, while Ys IX's Gifts and double jump are always available once you get the corresponding Monstrum.
Since you're in a populated city and not a deserted island, Ys IX trades in the fishing minigame and the castaways in favor of graffiti messages and Azure Petals. I kinda miss seeing all the different fish species, but I can see why that might be an issue in a bustling city. On the bright side, you can also transform into a Monstrum in public despite them being considered outlaws and run into people while you're dashing around, which is an endless source of laughs. The Beast Raids and Hunts are turned into the Grimwald Nox events, which gate progression with magic barriers and require you to fill up the gauge to play them. That being said, if you're like me and you complete all the sidequests while beating up any enemies you find, it's not at all intrusive. Though, as mentioned below, it feels like the combat just blazes by compared to Ys VIII.
Combat kinda takes a backseat here in favor of the exploration. In Balduq, it's limited to little pockets, and so the bulk of the action is limited to the dungeons. Generally you're spending more time in the city than the dungeons, but the Gifts are just so free so it's kinda hard to notice. That said, it feels like the enemies in IX are noticeably less tanky than in VIII, and the Skills require a lot more SP, but they also feel a fair bit stronger as well. Overall, you're just gonna be exploring a lot more than you're gonna be fighting. It's kind of a shame, but given that feeling of freedom and power the Monstrum powers give you, it's far from a deal-breaker.
The writing and cutscenes feel more engaging than VIII's. Maybe it's the increased interactions that come from being in the city and not a deserted island. Or maybe it's just the comedy of Hawk's unrepentant sociopathic antics and everyone's reactions to them. It's especially funny if you get his voice clip ("Who gives a crap?") when finding a landmark... Such as, y'know,
Memorial Tree. Perfectly-timed voice clips aside, the cutscenes feel a lot less stiff and reliant on just talking with occasional movements. Movements are more dynamic and consistent, and in chapter three we actually get a quick but pretty well-done fight scene. Overall, the story just grabs me more.
The music feels like a notable downgrade. Not that it's
bad, but the tunes don't really jump out as much. Granted, the overworld is mostly just ambient tunes since there isn't much fighting, but still. Apparently Falcom's recent music is a big source or debate in the fandom, Singa's compositions especially. I'm not
that upset about it, but yeah, comparing the old songs to what we have now I feel like modern Falcom's guitars are a bit off. It's kinda tricky to describe it, but they sound a bit rougher, less clean, more obviously synthesized. Again, not that I
dislike the newer songs, but the mid-2000's/early 2010's just have a crisper, cleaner sound to them overall.
That said, even if I feel Ys IX has one of the weaker soundtracks compared to Ys' history, there's definitely some bangers in here. Sticking to just the songs I've gotten to (Midway through chapter four, for context)...
And that's my thoughts so far. I'll start adding more as I go on (Maybe).
