Ys IX: Monstrum Nox port review - Adol Christin's excellent prison break adventure

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox was originally released during the PS4 era, bringing something interesting to the JRPG genre. Having the bulk of a game set in one city isn’t done often, and it did this without becoming tedious. Fast forward to 2023, and the title has now come to the PlayStation 5 platform. While I think this is easily the best version of Ys IX, some other features could have been added, or some extra attention could have been paid to it.

That said, even if you didn’t try Ys VIII, the sequel Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is still absolutely worth a play-through. If you already own the game on PlayStation 4, it might not be worth investing in, unfortunately. Here’s what I think of the latest entry of the Ys franchise.

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox isn’t new, but it is a satisfying JRPG experience

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is a direct sequel to the previous entry into the series, and this time, Adol Christin winds up in Balduq Prison City. This game feels like it could be a filler arc for an anime series, but not a terrible one, at least. You’ll spend the majority of the game exploring the city, but thankfully, you do it with outstanding movement tech abilities. It reminded me of Assassin’s Creed and Batman with the leaping, gliding, and wall running.

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While avoiding story spoilers, Adol winds up being cursed by a mysterious figure that turns him into a Monstrum. Although, if gaining a fantastic costume, cool red hair, and incredible combat abilities is a curse, then sign me right up. Jokes apart, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox has Adol joining up with characters that have met a similar fate - a variety of wild, interesting Monstrums.

Setting a JRPG in one major location doesn't occur often, so this helped Ys IX: Monstrum Nox stand out. Though the story was pretty predictable, I found myself deeply invested in the citizens' narrative in Balduq Prison City.

It’s not the deepest JRPG I’ve ever played, but it didn’t have to be. I imagine players who have played all the latest Ys games will get more out of it, but unfortunately, I missed out on Ys VIII.

There are lots of callbacks to Adol Christin’s previous adventures during his prison interrogation, and it, frankly, made me laugh pretty hard. One of the better parts of Ys IX: Monstrum Nox for me was the writing. It’s clever and felt pretty realistic.

Combat still felt fantastic in Ys IX: Monstrum Nox’s port

The combat was also satisfying in this NIS America/Falcom JRPG. It reminded me of the old PS2 days, dashing and teleporting while using fantastic attack skills. Easily, this was my favorite part of the game.

Instead of fighting in the streets, most battles occurred in an alternate realm (Miasma Vortex), so the regular people could just live normally. You also have a tower defense game to enjoy, but it’s not as deep as a normal MOBA might be. You have portals that show up with enemies spawning and trying to reach a certain point on the map.

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox players need to deal with these, but you can also make defenses in case you’re overwhelmed. You don’t get a say-so where they go, but it’s still useful. While I loved this stuff, I have to say it’s incredibly easy.

Even on the default difficulty, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is quite simple. I recall hearing that the game struggled when too much was going on in the Switch/PS4 versions. I didn’t especially notice that on the PS5 version, though. It played smoothly for me, apart from a few troubles.

A solid port, but there were some issues to address

Some problems from the PS4 version persist, like that of the draw distance. This isn’t the worst thing and is not a deal breaker at all. One major positive is that it has reliable 60 FPS gameplay, meaning no more weird slowdowns to experience.

It comes with all the original game’s cosmetic DLC, making the price viable. It’s also cheaper than the PS4 version, so if you don’t have the PlayStation 4 version, this is the one you want to have. Sadly, I did not see the ability to port your save over. That would have been nice.

The visuals and voice acting were also solid in Ys IX: Monstrum Nox. It features some of my favorite lines I’ve heard in a game. This all looked and sounded solid, despite still being a PlayStation 4 game. The graphics haven’t been noticeably updated, but the visuals are smooth and satisfying.

In Conclusion

While Ys IX: Monstrum Nox isn’t the greatest port I’ve ever seen, it’s far from the worst. It’s an excellent game, and if you somehow missed out on this PS4 classic, it’s worth picking up now. You don’t need to play the previous games, but it helps with some in-game context.

I’ve genuinely enjoyed playing it, as it’s an RPG that I’ve wanted to pick up and play for quite a few years now. The character designs are solid, the combat is outstanding, and the story of the revolution is worth experiencing.

Exploring Balduq Prison City is a lot of fun, and the side quests, while short, are fantastic. The PlayStation 5 version of Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is absolutely the definitive version of this JRPG.