Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA Review by Todd Lewis

This game is not a chore to play. It’s quick to pick up and hack and slash fun. You run around slashing or shooting at monsters while exciting metal music plays in the background with pretty visuals all around. You can also theoretically beat the game without ever taking damage! That’s pretty impressive and I appreciate a game that can pull a combat system like that off well. Countering and dodging grants you bonuses and it’s very satisfying to pull them off. You also have Dana who gives you a different style of play with some puzzles and some slower paced gameplay, which is welcome. The only thing that brings this game down a bit is that it can get repetitive. There’s only one thing to do and it’s hack and slash with just a teeny bit of exploration and some Zelda like item collecting. Very very good game. I’m a big fan.