If there’s one thing the PlayStation Portable had plenty of, it’s great RPGs. The Vita, on the other hand, has been decidedly lacking in new offerings for the genre. Thankfully, the folks at XSEED look to be correcting that oversight, announcing a Nov. 26 release date for Ys: Memories of Celceta.
The celebrated Ys series finally arrives on the PS Vita later this month and, according to XSEED Localization Specialist Tom Lipschultz in the release date announcement, the wait is going to be worth it. Some of the most well-received PSP RPGs came from the Ys series and, come Nov. 26, Memories of Celceta looks to continue that tradition on the Vita with some familiar faces, new locations to explore, and a vast, 3D world to battle through.
“The latest installment in Nihon Falcom’s 25-year-old RPG franchise, Ys: Memories of Celceta, is a complete reimagining of the series’ legendary fourth installment,” Lipschultz explains. “To make a long story short(ish), Ys IV is a game that’s been published in Japan three times previously, and all were completely different games that were developed by different companies.”
So, despite all of that, Falcom has never actually created its own version of this particular outing, until the Vita version of Memories, of course.
“In keeping with tradition, this is no mere remake,” Lipschultz said. “The story is brand new and the land of Celceta has been expanded from the usual handful of maps to an overworld so massive, you could easily fit the combined worlds of every other Ys title to date inside it…Serveral times over, at that.”
Yeah, that’s pretty exciting news, Lipschultz. Not only is the Vita finally getting another RPG, but it’s coming from a beloved franchise and apparently offering up a load of content to dive into. This really helps give the Vita some much needed prestige to help it compete with the Nintendo 3DS, which seems to be dominating the market recently thanks to games like Monster Hunter 4 and the recently released Pokemon X/Y, which seems to have taken over the handheld gaming software market.
If you’re looking for the game itself, that’ll set you back $39.99 just in time for Thanksgiving. The Silver Anniversary Edition, however, is going for $59.99. That extra 20 bucks will net you the game, a 120-plus page companion book, a cloth map, a compass, and a three-CD soundtrack featuring music spanning the entire series. Nice.
