BATTLE SYSTEM INTERACTION ORIGINALITY STORY MUSIC & SOUND VISUALS CHALLENGE Moderate COMPLETION TIME 15-25hrs OVERALL 3.5/5 Rating definitions

Ys III starts off as many a good RPG have, with a dramatic and urgent cutscene that leaves the audience eager to proceed with the adventure. Unfortunately, much of this game comes across as forced and it takes an effort to really get into. Also, the game is so fast paced, the average joe will have strain to keep focused on whats going on and still manage to drink in the story element.

To put it frankly, the battle system in Ys III is only ok. The encounters all occur in a 2D, active world, and if you scroll off of a screen far enough, the enemies reappear, and this can be annoying. Also, the fighting with all enemies in general is tricky, and more involves a 'try and fail' method to memorizing what an enemy/boss does than being a skilled gamer. Some of the regular enemies--not to mention later bosses--are ridiculously tough and can kill you in a few hits even if you have Adol built to the max. The game also has some issues with collision detection in that, when you are slashing with Adol's sword, sometimes it will pass through an enemy without doing anything. It also bears mentioning that all battles in the game are Active time, no turns are involved, and you can evade ALL enemies except for bosses. The biggest downside to the battle system is the lack of complexity, the way you fight and the things you do at the start never change through the entire game.

Everyone knows that in today's gaming world, and in the world of RPG fans especially, the music and visuals presented to the player can largely make or break the experience. While the visual effects are nothing spectacular, you can't really expect much more from the graphic capabilities of that era. However, the music is very well directed and written into the game, and could arguably be the best part of the entire title. Given the 16-bit audio of this period, the music still has the amazing ability to make the player feel the mood of the situation, whether it be the heartbreak of loss of the spine chill of a murky dungeon.

Nothing like driving the name home

Is this game difficult? In a word, the answer is no, but truthfully it is far more complex than that. This game involves more annoyance than difficulty, and things like the faulty impact rendering can make you want to slam your controller into the TV as you watch yourself die yet again without being touched by the enemy. But once you get the hang of how the gameplay works, it becomes easy and repeatable, and doesn't take very long to get to the end of the game. However, due to the lack of 'true' difficulty and complexion, the replay value of this game is fairly low. Once you beat it, it will likely gather dust for a decade before you think of it again.

The interface is nothing remarkable, neither in good aspects or bad. Its most remarkable aspect is its simplicity, and 5 minutes familarizing yourself with it and you will practically be an expert, with the only challenge coming later in the game when you have to learn how to properly switch gear mid-fight to get through a battle with a boss. The jumping slash with the sword can be a little tricky, but it also only takes minute to get the hang of it.

This isn't where I parked my car...

One of the largest drawbacks to this title is the fact that it is not very original, and the story seems to be something a high school english student wrote for a creative paper. Its very entertaining and nicely done, but it lacks that dazzle factor you can find in the Final Fantasies and a few other legendary RPG's. The game is very reminiscent of Zelda II for the old NES system, so it is largely dissappointing when you focus on that aspect. The gameplay is by far the more important factor in this game than the underlying story.

Ok, so I have gone on and on about the areas the game is largely mediocre in. But the most amazing thing about the whole experience is that if you look at each individual characteristic of the game, it darn near sucks. But somehow, when you craft them all together into the finished piece, the game becomes very enjoyable, and also can be a fun challenge, but also easy to stay up with even if you have to take some time off from playing. There are better titles out there, but this one is at least worth a try.