The first two Ys games succeeded in large part due to their speed and momentum, a delicate balancing act created by the combination of fast and simple combat and a banger soundtrack. The Oath in Felghana understands this and absolutely recaptures their spirit in one of the best games this series has ever produced.
Felghana takes the solid bones of The Ark of Napishtim and polishes them to a mirror sheen: the combat and movement are faster and more fluid, with the removal of consumable items and a power-up + hit counter system creating a greater sense of momentum; boss fights are challenging, but cleverly designed and satisfying; the music is some of the best this series has ever seen. It’s a game with a laser-focus, nearly all combat and movement once you get into a dungeon, and that focus pays off in a game with few missteps.
But Felghana is also a master-class in how to remake a video game. Wanderers from Ys is much reviled, an experiment undone by its wonky combat and terrible use of vertical space. Felghana preserves what worked…but it’s also surprisingly faithful to what didn’t. It absolutely retains the verticality of the original game, its emphasis on platforming, with some room layoutsbeing practically identical re-creations. In doing so, it preserves the original’s identity, taking its failed ideas and re-visiting, re-contextualizing, and re-executing them to make them sing in a way they never did before.