Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana Playthrough Complete!

For almost the entire span of June, I spent a significant amount of time playing Ys VIII. As expected from a Ys title that has gained strong global mainstream recognition, this entry truly lives up to its reputation. It delivers what feels like a AAA experience for a long-running JRPG series, both in production value and narrative ambition. Without a doubt, it is easily one of the best JRPGs of the 2010s.

Lacrimosa of Dana truly sets a new pinnacle for the Ys series, establishing itself as one of the overall “best” entries to date. Falcom clearly went all in on this project, pushing the production value to a level they can probably only achieve once in a decade.

As a Ys title, Ys VIII stands as something of an anomaly within the series. It is arguably the only entry that delivers a full traditional JRPG experience, easily reaching around 40 hours of average playtime, even more if players going for 100% completion route. This is quite unusual for Ys, where most entries rarely exceed 20 hours, and many can be completed in roughly 6–8 hours. More importantly, the 40-hour experience in Ys VIII is not bloated or dull, it is the refined and well-paced one.

Even as someone who prefers a more “purist” Ys experience, I was thoroughly moved by Ys VIII. In terms of overarching narrative, it takes a bold and risky approach while successfully integrating itself as a critical piece of the broader Ys canon. Within the series, Lacrimosa of Dana positions itself as a foundational “Alpha” point in the timeline, effectively replacing Ys Origin as the earliest narrative setting, and it likely will remain in that position for the foreseeable future.

What resonated with me most in the Ys VIII experience, however, was its main heroine, Dana Iclucia, arguably Saori Ōnishi’s best role. Among the many notable heroines Adol has encountered throughout his journey, Dana stands out as a character who can truly stand on equal footing with Feena, arguably the most influential heroine in Adol’s life. She is the only main heroine in the series so far who feels capable of transcending the role of a mere substitute companion and becoming a presence strong enough to potentially rival or even overwrite Feena’s influence in Adol’s heart, had their journey continued longer. I will look forward to preparing a JRPG Talk article dedicated to Dana Iclucia.

With Ys VIII completed, I will continue my journey with Ys IX and Ys X to catch up with the current state of the series. While I do not expect these entries to surpass Ys VIII—which sets a very high bar, I will still enjoy them as long as they remain faithful to the overall narrative of Adol Christin.

In the near future, I will likely begin working on articles covering Ys VIII as well. I have already gathered nearly 1,000 screenshots as assets, which is more than sufficient to support several JRPG Talk articles. I will do my best to do justice to this series, especially the section dedicated to Dana Iclucia.