Ys Seven

Very fun fast paced Ys RPG straightforward action game. Wasn't too much dialog and really enjoyed the party system with instant swapping (was a big fan of Lacrimosa too).
Can tell this was on the PSP but it gave it a charm I loved. All the characters were so great in this and there were tons! Was glad to see a character from Ark show up. Surprised of even ones that temp swapped in for a bit. Loved all their stories + roles.
Some boss fights were pretty hard until memorizing the patterns. The Precinct of Wind boss (stupid turkey) and final boss were especially hard, even on Normal. Definitely a game to grind a few levels before the end of each area and always craft the best you can at the time too.

Ys Seven is a fast-paced action RPG that shifts the series from solo combat to a party-based system, emphasizing teamwork, weapon variety, and continuous momentum. Set in the kingdom of Altago, it introduces a new structure built around open regions rather than the tighter dungeons of earlier entries. This redesign allows for a more fluid gameplay loop focused on traversal, combat, and field exploration.
The story centers on Adol and Dogi as they become entangled in a conflict tied to Altago’s Five Dragons. Political tension between the monarchy, military, and local tribes frames the narrative, giving it more grounded stakes before expanding into mythological territory. While the plot structure is straightforward, it provides a clear motivation for exploration and links character arcs to the world’s broader struggles.
Combat is the game’s main appeal. Real-time battles rely on swapping between characters with different attack types—slash, strike, and pierce—to counter enemy resistances. This system gives each encounter a strategic layer while maintaining the series’ signature speed. Skill usage, resource management, and enemy pattern recognition combine to create an energetic rhythm that rarely slows down.
Characters are distinct in role and feel. Adol’s balanced style contrasts with Geis’s aggressive speed, Aisha’s precision, and Dogi’s heavy-hitting strikes. Each character learns unique abilities that can be leveled through use, encouraging experimentation with team composition. Boss battles showcase these differences well, requiring rapid switches and sustained awareness to succeed.
Exploration blends towns, plains, deserts, forests, and shrines into compact zones that connect seamlessly. The world design encourages frequent movement between regions as the story progresses. Materials collected in the field support crafting and upgrading, which substitute for traditional item drops. This system reinforces a sense of progression tied directly to exploration rather than random chance.
Visual and audio presentation reflects the PSP’s limitations but remains effective. Character models and environments are stylized, with smooth animation that supports the combat-first focus. Falcom’s music team delivers energetic tracks that elevate boss fights and add atmosphere to each region, compensating for the hardware’s graphical constraints.
Ys Seven succeeds by modernizing the series without sacrificing its core identity. The party system, expanded world structure, and fast combat create a dynamic experience that remains influential in later entries. For players seeking an action RPG built around speed, clarity, and mechanical variety, it stands as a key milestone in the franchise’s evolution.

I'm really torn about this game.
One one hand, it has one of the most interesting stories. Also, I loved mostly all characters. I really liked how new party members joined all the time, and I felt I created a nice connection with them by the end of the game.
What really gave me a bad experience was the AI of the side characters. They are completely dumb! Most of the time they are not attacking the bosses, they are just standing there. Most of the time I felt I was fighting alone.
Also, the last boss was infuriating. it took be more than one hour to beat it (and I was really afraid I was not going to make it, as I had no healing items left at the end), and I was above the recommended level and with decent equipment. My hands literally hurt after this fight.

Put simply, Ys Seven is a decent action RPG that doesn't suffer from any significant issues. However, it unfortunately doesn't reach the heights of previous games in the franchise, ultimately resulting in a solid but bland experience
Ys Seven is the type of game that’s well-made, that doesn’t really have any frustrating or otherwise unpleasant elements to it but still remains difficult to recommend, simply because it doesn’t offer anything that elevates the experience in a meaningful way to separate it from other games in the genre: It’s just kind of bland and generic. Continuing my playthrough of the Ys franchise, this title wasn’t a disappointment by any means, but if I weren’t specifically making my way through all of the games, I wouldn’t pick it up. That said, for players that have already enjoyed the best the the genre has to offer, Ys Seven is a safe bet for another decent experience.
Set after the events of the similarily decent-but-bland Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim, Ys Seven didn’t only make the jump to full-3D but also introduced the “Party” style of play for the first time, that was subsequently used and refined in Ys VIII, IX and the remake of Ys IV. As with Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim, story continuity has become more important, with more characters from the previous game returning. These ties to previous games remain minor enough however, that the plot of Ys Seven remains perfectly understandable even for newcomers to the franchise.
As with previous games in the franchise, the story remains an afterthought to begin with: Despite Ys Seven being a 20+h long game, its cookie-cutter plot remains generic and bland, with predictable developments and characters that never gain any depth. While the story and its presentation was made competently enough to not get in the way of the game itself, there’s simply nothing new or memorable enough about it that one should go out of their way to experience it.
The same can be said for the gameplay of Ys Seven – it works just fine but it’s ultimately kind of bland: Most of the time, you’re spamming attacks in order to build up a gauge for special attacks, which in turn build up a gauge for an ultimate attack. There’s some slight tactical depth to it, as only certain party members are able to properly damage one of the three monster types (soft, hard, flying), but this can be achieved by switching the active party member at the press of a button. As such, at least on the “normal” difficulty level, it’s mostly just about spamming attacks and occasionally evading enemy attacks by dodge rolling – enjoyable but nothing exceptional.
The only real flaw here is that Ys Seven actually features another way of protecting yourself against enemy attacks, which would be the “flash guard” returning from previous games. However, the “flash guard” itself isn’t the problem, it’s rather that the game doesn’t mention that it’s an option at all. There’s no in-game tutorial or dialogue explaining that you may perform a “flash guard”, it’s only mentioned on page 18 of the paper manual, which has most likely only been read by the players of the original PSP version. It would’ve been nice if the PC version was updated to include this piece of information in-game, but then again, the game can be beat entirely without performing a “flash guard” even once.
Besides the spammy combat, Ys Seven features options to grind levels, skill levels as well as gold & materials that can be invested in better equipment. I quite enjoyed the pace of gearing-up, as it’s easy to predict when new items become available – with smaller upgrades available through purchase and bigger upgrades through crafting (“synthesizing”). That said, the endgame grinds for the ultimate weapons in particular were just too much time-intensive for my liking, which is why I skipped them for the most part.
As for its world, as typical for an action-RPG, Ys Seven features a mix of towns, dungeons and wilderness that connects the two. Design-wise, there’s nothing surprising here: Towns feature a few optional (but missable!) side-quests, dungeons some light environmental puzzle-elements as well as boss fights. Despite the game’s length, there aren’t that many locations to explore in Ys Seven however, as the game makes excessive use of backtracking. While it never got to the point where it became frustrating, it’s a shame that Ys Seven stuck with its few locations, considering they’re – unsurprisingly – just generic riffs on towns/dungeons themed after elements (fire temple, water temple, etc.). Additionally, considering Ys Seven originally released on the PlayStation Portable in 2009, all locations and characters do look rather dull, as the PC version isn’t a graphical remake.
Overall, Ys Seven is game without any proper faults – but with no real heights either. It’s perfectly playable and enjoyable but it simply doesn’t offer anything that hasn’t been achieved better elsewhere. It’s simply a game that’s decent – and not much more. Would I recommend it? Sure – but to be honest, there’s simply not much of a reason to play it, considering the sheer number of action-RPGs that are even better, even among the Ys franchise itself (such as Ys Origin).

I LOVE THIS GAME!
i first played it back on PSP and loved it then, and still do.
The version on Steam is a Definete Glow up from the PSP version, with much better graphics.
Despite Steam saying that YS 7 doesn't work on the Steam Deck IT DOES, AND IT WORK REALLY WELL.
It worked right away and did not require any really tweaking or adjustments to get it working.
When it loads there is an option to customize visuals, controls, sound and all of that stuff.
This comes up evertime the game is loaded.
The game runs very well and very smoothly with no problems at all.
I didn't notice any glitches or problems as i played it.
The story is fun and engaging, with alot of diffrent types of charecters to meet and interact with.
The comabt is a pretty simple, hack and slash system with skills and burst type powers.
The comabt is very fast paced and easy to get through quickly.
The game will take about 20ish hours to get through.
I love the Story, The Charecters and the Gameplay.
I DEFINETLY RECOMMEND THIS ONE!!
YS 7 IS ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVOUITE GAMES!

Its such a simple and fun Ys game. If you've played Memories of Celceta, this is kind of the precursor to that gameplay-wise. Think of it like Ys SEVEN walked so Ys Memories of Celceta could run.

Just generally a really fun game, with a great cast of characters and a heartful story that doesn't overstay it's welcome. Gameplay overall is fun and fast paced, though on Hard some enemies do feel like bullet sponges.

Easy recommend, might be my favourite Ys game, which I wasn't expecting to say after playing Ys 8.