2017’s Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana was a revelation. I had no experience with Falcom as a game studio and had only ever heard of Ys in passing. During my time playing Ys VIII, I was immediately hooked. The game was first released on the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4. While I heard that the Vita version had some performance issues, my first exposure was to the PS4 version. The game ran solidly and had strong artistic direction, musical compositions, and an intriguing story. I was combined with a combat system that is simple to understand but has a good amount of depth because of the cast’s abilities and enemy design. Lacrimosa of Dana exposed me to a very tailored series to my taste, and  I couldn’t wait to dig into the series more. If you were thinking of nabbing this title from just that, please do; it’s a fantastic game that deserves plenty of attention despite age. Now, if you had played it before or even purchased it, you’re probably wondering if this port is worth the price of admission. Read on, fellow adventurers.
The Playstation 5 port of Ys. VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana has a few upgrades, primarily in performance and a higher resolution. The overall appearance does make everything appear much smoother. I noticed the shadow quality, character, and enemy models, as well as the overall cleanliness of the user interfaces, were much cleaner. However, those are the only actual visual upgrades. The performance also gets a decent upgrade, especially where frame rate and load times are concerned. The game never had particularly long load times, but this upgrade also makes starting and transitioning between sections quite snappy. The frame rate for the PS4 version was 60 frames per second with sporadic dips. The PS5 version takes advantage of its more powerful hardware. I didn’t have a single drop in the frame rate during my additional run through this version. While the game only receives an upscaling to a higher definition level, the game still looks fantastic thanks to strong art direction.
The other aspect worth discussing is the amount of content included. The new version may not have any brand-new content. However, you do get access to all previous DLC available and accessible early in the game. At the time of this writing, there isn’t a way to upgrade the PS4 version to the next-gen. The PS5 version is easily the best form of the game on consoles currently available. So it begs the final question of the value of the game. Is Ys VIII Lacrimosa of Dana worth purchasing for the PS5? If you haven’t played or bought the game before. This entry in the Ys series is truly fantastic, and I, for one, cannot recommend it enough. If you have previously purchased the game and have access to a PS5, it is still worth the purchase as the ultimate version for consoles.
