A shipwreck, an unknown beach, and suddenly the urge to never leave.

The profile of Ys VIII tells a very consistent story. On the desert island question, it sits ahead of 98% of games, and on rediscovery, same thing, right at the top. Early votes suggest a game you would take with you without hesitating and would love to start fresh all over again. Fun follows close behind, ahead of 92% of titles, and it is the sturdiest criterion here in terms of duels. The soundtrack climbs high too, ahead of 91% of games, and anyone who knows Falcom will not blink at that. The real tension lies elsewhere: the controller feel stays in the lower middle of the pack, and the art style settles for mid table. Few votes so far, so treat it as unconfirmed, but a shape is already emerging. This is a game loved for its journey more than for its visual punch or the precision of its swings.

Among Japanese action RPGs, that is a fairly unusual position. Plenty of games in the genre win you over first with combat feel or spectacle. Ys VIII seems to win its duels on attachment, adventure and music instead. The shipwreck, the village slowly taking shape, the island revealing itself.

So, who is it for? For you if you love adventures that take their time, worlds you map step by step, soundtracks that stay in your head for weeks. Much less so if what you want first is an art direction that floors you or a combat system that rewrites the genre.