Adol Christin has a bit of a problem. Everywhere he goes, ancient civilizations crumble, gods wake up cranky, and he somehow loses his legendary gear between every single boat trip. But in 2005, developer Nihon Falcom took a look at their legacy and decided to remake a game that—honestly—was kind of a mess on the PC Engine. That game was Ys III: Wanderers from Ys. The result was Ys: The Oath in Felghana, a masterpiece of kinetic movement and heavy metal boss fights that basically defined what a "perfect" remake should look like.
If you grew up on Zelda but wished the combat felt like it was fueled by three cans of Red Bull, you’ve likely stumbled across this title on Steam or a dusty PSP. It doesn’t waste your time. There are no twenty-minute unskippable cutscenes about the politics of magical crystals. You show up, you get a sword, and you start hitting things at 60 frames per second.
The Weird History of the Felghana Remake
It’s hard to talk about The Oath in Felghana without acknowledging that the original Ys III was a side-scroller. It was a weird departure for the series. Fans hated it, or at least, they didn't love it as much as the top-down "bump combat" of the first two games. When Falcom decided to bring the story back, they used the engine from Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim. This was the turning point.
They took the isometric perspective and refined it until it felt like silk. The jumps became precise. The magic system—built around three elemental bracelets—became a tool for both combat and platforming. If you find the Fire Bracelet, you aren't just lighting torches; you're using it as a dash to clear massive gaps. This is "Metroidvania" design philosophy injected into a high-speed hack-and-slash. It’s tight. It’s punishing. It’s brilliant.
Why the Combat Loop Hooks People
Most modern RPGs are bloated. They want you to manage "affixes" on your boots and worry about skill trees that span four screens. Ys: The Oath in Felghana doesn't care about your build. There is one build: play better.
The game uses a "Chain" system. You kill enemies, you get a temporary boost to experience gain. This forces you to play aggressively. You aren't poking at a monster and retreating; you're diving into the middle of a pack of wolves because if you stop moving for five seconds, your bonus drops. It creates this frantic, flowing rhythm. You become a whirlwind of red hair and steel.
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The boss battles are the real stars here, though. Seriously.
Take Chester Stoddart. He’s the rival character, the "Black Knight" archetype. When you fight him, it isn't a stat check. It’s a dance. You have to learn his telegraphs, or he will delete your health bar in three seconds flat. The game is famous for its "Nightmare" difficulty, which many veteran players like Tom Lipschultz (who worked on the XSEED localization) have noted is one of the most balanced yet brutal challenges in the genre. You can't grind your way past these bosses. You have to learn the patterns.
The Music is Basically a Metal Concert
We have to talk about the Sound Team jdk. Nihon Falcom’s in-house band is legendary for a reason. While Final Fantasy was going for sweeping orchestral scores, Ys was going for synth-shredding rock. "The Boy Who Had Wings" or "Illburns Ruins" are tracks that stay in your head for decades. It’s high-energy music that matches the pace of the gameplay perfectly. If the music were slower, the game wouldn't work. The soundtrack acts as a pacer for your button presses.
The Story Actually Hits Harder Than You’d Expect
For a game about a silent protagonist, Felghana has a surprising amount of heart. You aren't just saving the world; you're helping your best friend, Dogi, return to his hometown. You see the tension between the townspeople of Redmont and the tyrannical Count McGuire. It’s a small-scale, intimate story that eventually escalates into "ancient evil" territory, but it stays grounded in the relationship between Dogi and his childhood friends, Chester and Elena.
It’s a tragedy, really.
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Without spoiling the ending for the three people who haven't played a twenty-year-old game, the resolution of Chester’s arc is genuinely moving. It’s about the cost of vengeance and the weight of legacy. Most people come for the combat, but they stay because they actually care if Elena is okay.
Technical Performance and Where to Play
If you're looking to dive in now, you have choices. The Steam version is the gold standard for most, especially because it includes the "PC-88" and "X68000" versions of the soundtrack. You can literally swap the music style on the fly.
- PC (Steam/GOG): Best resolution, uncapped frame rates, and very modest system requirements. It’ll run on a potato.
- PSP: Great for nostalgia, but the frame rate struggles during some of the more intense boss fights like Galbalan.
- Nintendo Switch (Memoire): The "Memoire" version recently released in Japan and later globally, offering voiced dialogue and updated character portraits. It’s the definitive "modern" way to play, though some purists prefer the original 2D art.
The game is short. You can beat it in about eight to ten hours. In an era where every game wants to be a 100-hour live-service chore, Ys: The Oath in Felghana is a refreshing blast of concentrated quality. No filler. No fetch quests that require you to collect 50 bear asses. Just pure, unadulterated action.
Common Misconceptions
People often think they need to play Ys I & II first. You don't. While Adol is a recurring protagonist, the Felghana incident is a self-contained story. Think of Adol like James Bond; he shows up, solves the problem, and leaves.
Another mistake is thinking the game is an "easy" button masher. On Normal difficulty, it’s manageable. On Hard or Nightmare, it becomes a mechanical test of reflexes that rivals Dark Souls or Sekiro. The difference is that in Ys, you move at three times the speed.
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Mastering the Mechanics
To actually get good at this game, you need to understand the hidden layers. It’s not just about hitting the attack button.
- Air Recovery: When you get hit and knocked back, you can press the jump button to recover mid-air. If you don't do this, you're vulnerable to follow-up hits.
- Magic Management: Your MP regens automatically. You should be spamming your elemental skills. The Wind Bracelet isn't just for combat; it’s a hovering tool. Use it to stay in the air and avoid ground-based shockwaves.
- The Boost Gauge: Use it. Don't save it. It increases your attack speed and lowers the damage you take. In boss fights, timing your Boost can mean the difference between surviving a desperation move and seeing the Game Over screen.
The game rewards "flawless" play. There are bonuses for defeating bosses without taking damage. It’s a high-skill ceiling game disguised as a simple RPG.
Actionable Next Steps for New Players
If this sounds like your kind of game, here is the best way to approach it. Start on "Normal" difficulty even if you're a genre veteran. The jump to "Hard" is significant and can be discouraging if you aren't used to the movement speed.
- Check the Settings: If playing on PC, ensure you enable the "Always Run" option. Walking is useless in this game.
- Talk to Everyone: Redmont changes after every major dungeon. The NPCs have actual arcs, and sometimes they’ll give you items like the "Starlight Medal" which boosts your XP.
- Don't Grind Level: If you’re stuck on a boss, look at your equipment first. One single armor upgrade is worth more than five levels of grinding.
- Listen to the Music: Seriously, put on headphones.
The legacy of Felghana lives on in newer titles like Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana and Ys X: Nordics, but many fans—myself included—still think the tight, focused design of this specific remake has never been topped. It is the purest expression of what an action RPG should be. It’s fast, it’s loud, and it demands your absolute attention.
Go find a copy. Equip your Brave Sword. Try not to die to the first giant bird you see. It's a rite of passage for a reason.