最近的角色扮演游戏非常困难,完成它们需要很多耐心。所以最终我们开始怀疑:这真的“好玩”吗?
因此,通过《伊苏》,我们开始着手开发一种背道而驰的游戏,这种游戏容易上手、容易玩,而不是面向硬核 RPG 狂人。
Recent RPGs have been very difficult, and it takes a lot of willpower to finish them. So eventually we came to have our doubts: was this really 'fun'?
With Ys, therefore, we set out to create the opposite kind of game, something that would be accessible, easy to play, and not geared toward hardcore RPG maniacs.
Masaya Hashimoto,
《伊苏》的程式兼设计师Masaya Hashimoto,
Ys' programmer and designer
多年来,Falcom 对这两款游戏进行了几次修改,其中最重要的是从 1998 开始,推出了面向 Windows 95 的《永远的伊苏(Ys Eternal)》,其中包括第一款游戏的扩展世界地图、重新设计的 SVGA 图形、新音乐和更流畅的控制。这些游戏后来被移植到 PSP 和现代 PC 上,然后由 XSeed 将其本地化为英语。除了那些喜欢 TurboGrafx-16 版本的 90 年代摇滚合成器配乐的人之外,这些都被广泛认为是最终版本。
多年来,《伊苏》系列已成为 Falcom 的旗舰系列。前两部《伊苏》游戏讲述了一个完整的故事,所以《伊苏 3:来自伊苏的冒险者(Ys III: Wanderers from Ys, 1989)》切换到侧向滚动角度,并将剧情更改为完全无关的背景。
在此之后,Falcom 经历了严重的人员短缺,导致第四款游戏被授权给了两家公司,用了两个截然不同的标题。其中一个是 Super Famicom,另一个是 PC Engine。
Falcom revised these two games several times over the years, the most significant starting in 1998 with the Ys Eternal games for Windows 95, which included an expanded world map for the first game, remade SVGA graphics, new music, and smoother controls. These were later ported to the PSP and to modern PCs, then localised into English courtesy of XSeed. Outside of those who prefer the 90s-era rock synth soundtrack of the TurboGrafx-16 version, these are widely viewed as the definitive releases.
The Ys series has become Falcom's flagship franchise over the years. While the first two Ys games tell a complete story, Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (1989) switches to a side-scrolling perspective and changes the setting to an entirely unrelated scenario. After this point, Falcom experienced a significant staff shortage, resulting in the fourth game getting licensed out to two companies for two very different titles, one for the Super Famicom, the other for the PC Engine.
《伊苏 5(1995)》是由 Falcom 内部开发的,虽然只是为超级任天堂开发的,它试图通过用标准的《塞尔达》式攻击按钮取代“撞击”系统来实现系列的现代化。
该系列以《伊苏 6:那比斯汀的方舟(Ys VI:Napishtim Ark, 2003)》重返 PC,这是系列的重生之作。它将背景图形切换为 3D(但保留了 2D 精灵)。接下来的两款游戏都使用了这个引擎:《伊苏:菲尔迦纳的誓约(Ys: The Oath in Felghana)》,重制了《伊苏 3》,而《伊苏:起源(Ys Origin)》则是与前两款游戏有许多故事情节联系的前传。随后,Falcom 将开发工作转回掌机平台,推出了《伊苏 7(Ys VII, 2009)》和《伊苏:塞尔塞塔的树海(Ys: Memories of Celceta)》(《伊苏 4》的重制版)。
尽管《伊苏》是日本历史上最重要的 CRPG 之一,但它从未像《最终幻想》甚至《勇者斗恶龙》那样在全球范围内获得普及并大受欢迎。这是一个遗憾,因为这个系列充满了快节奏的动作和在遥远的土地上的冒险,还有一些游戏史上最好的音乐。
Ys V (1995) was developed in-house by Falcom, though only for the Super Famicom, which attempted to modernise the series by replacing the “bump” system with a standard Zelda-style attack button.
The series returned to PCs with Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim (2003), which was something of a series rebirth, switching the background graphics to 3D (but keeping the 2D sprites). This engine was used for the next two games: Oath in Felghana, a remake of Ys III, and Ys Origin, a prequel with many storyline ties to the first two games. Falcom then shifted development back to handheld platforms, with Ys VII (2009) and Ys: Memories of Celceta (a remake of Ys IV).
Despite being one of the most important CRPGs in Japanese history, Ys never quite reached worldwide popularity in the way of Final Fantasy or even Dragon Quest. A shame, for the series is full of fast-paced action and adventures in faraway lands, with some of the best music in the history of gaming.