When Falcom’s Ys X: Nordics released in October 2024 in the west, a re-release with expanded content was not even remotely on my mind. I thought Ys X: Nordics was a great and complete work, and I went as far as to 100% the game. In hindsight, I think Ys X: Nordics was another testing ground for Falcom’s new engine, which was introduced with The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak. A year and a half later, Ys X: Proud Nordics arrives in the west with a slew of new content, features, and quality of life changes that make it the definitive version. In addition, Ys X: Proud Nordics marks the action RPG franchise’s debut on Nintendo Switch 2, joining the likes of Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter and Trails beyond the Horizon in what appears to be a renaissance for Falcom.
Before all else, it’s worth noting that the core story and game mechanics of Ys X: Proud Nordics are largely the same as Ys X: Nordics, which I covered extensively in our original Ys X: Nordics review. I highly recommend reading or watching our review if you want a rundown of what’s included in the base game and its core systems. Ys X: Proud Nordics builds on top of that game, reminiscent of what Persona 4 Golden brought to the original Persona 4 experience, for example.
Once more, Adol Christin and his companions Dogi and Dr. Flair are en route to Celceta when a pirate ship from the Balta Seaforce suddenly intervenes. The ensuing incident results in Adol and Dogi stopping in the bay town of Carnac, situated in the Obelia Gulf. While surveying the town, Adol hears a voice call to him in his mind, leading him to a mysterious shell on Carnac’s shores. Adol is bestowed the mysterious power of Mana, and Karja Balta, the Seaforce’s own warrior princess, proceeds to investigate him, since she and her father, Grimson, are the only active Mana users in the region. The two become handcuffed by the mysterious Mana power and must work together to find out what’s going on with the undead Griegr after their army razes Carnac and all of Adol’s new friends and companions go missing.
Ys X: Proud Nordics Expands the Scope of Nordics
The story of Ys X: Proud Nordics proceeds just like the original game did, but you’ll start to notice a few additions as the game unfolds, starting with the appearance of a new NPC once you reach Carnac for the first time. The game’s new content really picks up around Chapter 5, where you’ll begin to hear word about Öland Island, a vast island that Grimson mentioned to Karja briefly when she was younger. The island is quite sizeable with tons of enemies and loot to encounter, in addition to entirely new items in treasure chests and fish to catch. This is where you’ll start to get all-new Mana Seeds for the Adol and Karja’s Release Lines, and you’ll also begin to be treated to the new music that Falcom Sound Team jdk composed for Ys X: Proud Nordics, all of which sounds amazing.
On top of this, visiting the island begins a new story that expands the lore of Nordics and the Ys series in some intriguing ways, starting with the introduction of Mana wielders Canute and Astrid from the Kingdom of Danmerk, a kingdom of Normans that the Ys franchise has yet to explore in its own game. This storyline integrates with the existing story retained from Ys X: Nordics and makes the Normans feel more fleshed out as people from a narrative standpoint. In addition, the new story facilitates even more character development for Karja, since it delves into her family and the overall lore of the Normans.
This isn’t all when it comes to new content, however. The Bergen Coliseum gives you extra challenges in the form of a series of fights that you can unlock as you progress the game, and the new post-game Muspelheim dungeon offers difficult timed challenges that will test your combat and Mana skills for various rewards. You can use Deepcrystal Shards to ease some of the dungeon’s restrictions and enemy modifiers, if needed.
Bergen Coliseum and Muspelheim are unlocked later into the game, but Chapter 5 is where the seeds for this content are planted and begin to take root over the course of the game. For returning Ys X: Nordics players, one of the caveats is that to get to the new content, you’ll have to retread old waters again and progress through nearly identical story content. Personally, I didn’t have too much of an issue with this, since the overall gameplay balance and loot pool have been tuned in Ys X: Proud Nordics.
Plenty of New in the Old
On top of including all of the base game’s previously released DLC, Ys X: Proud Nordics introduces some new elements as you progress the game, such as corrupted “Powerhouse” enemies that can be defeated to earn Elding Fragments. Elding Fragments can be used to strengthen and quickly master skills to unlock new ones, and you can even raise skill over 100% to make them even more powerful than ever before. There will be indicators on the Sea Charts to denote where you can find enemies that drop Elding Fragments.
You’ll also notice that the returning Mana Actions have gotten some quality-of-life improvements, making them slightly more useful overall. Sparkling Whitesand is a new item that was introduced to let you enhance the Antiques linked to Mana Actions. For example, you can improve the damage output of Mana String, increase acceleration for Mana Ride, or make Mana Sense last longer. In addition, after upgrading Mana Ride, you can test out the Gullinboard’s improved speed in some new Mana Ride races.
That’s not all for Mana Actions, however. Mana Hold was introduced a new Mana Action tied to the new story content in Ys X: Proud Nordics. Similar to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s Ultrahand ability, Mana Hold allows you to move objects in the environment to reach new areas, deal damage to enemies, and solve physics-based puzzles in the game’s new areas on Öland Island.
The Obelia Gulf is vast, and admittedly, I found it quite tedious at times to traverse its waters in Ys X: Nordics, especially while grinding to get 100%. However, I found sea traversal with the Sandras to be more enjoyable in Ys X: Proud Nordics, thanks to faster overall sailing speed and the addition of new wind currents. You can activate the new currents by sailing to points of golden light and completing a short sea battle with enemy ships.
I think this was one of the more impactful additions to the game, since it cuts down on time you take traversing the gulf, making the story feel more evenly paced while traveling to locations. Sea traversal and naval combat are better all round due to the quality of life additions and some new ship upgrades. For anyone wanting to 100% Ys X: Proud Nordics, these changes really do go a long way.
Fantastic Switch 2 Performance
Like The Legend of Heroes: Trails beyond the Horizon, Ys X: Proud Nordics looks and runs really well on Nintendo Switch 2. The game utilizes a new global illumination system that makes the overall aesthetic pop out even more, and of course, the lighting looks really great. In addition, Quality and Performance Modes allow you to prioritize visuals or frame rate, but you’re getting an experience at or above 60 FPS no matter the option.
Performance Mode has a maximum frame rate of 120 FPS to match the Switch 2’s 120Hz screen in handheld mode, but it won’t be hitting that target frame rate all the time, especially in more graphically intensive areas like Öland Island. Despite that, I chose to play with Performance Mode at all times because the frame rate is really smooth and consistent most of the time. Frame pacing felt really good in this game in both handheld mode and docked mode, too.
Ys X: Proud Nordics Sticks a Fine Landing
Ys X: Proud Nordics makes a fine landing, but it’s not perfect. I wish there was an upgrade path from Ys X: Nordics to make the cost of switching to the new game much easier for the player. $69.99 is a little steep for an enhanced re-release, but if you do consider getting the game, I’d recommend the physical Deluxe Edition to get the additional physical goodies at no additional cost.
Besides that, Ys X: Proud Nordics is a great game for those who haven’t played the original Nordics game, and it’s an amazing introductory game for those curious about the Ys series. Returning players will definitely have a good time too, especially with the new content, gameplay features, and lore implications that Ys X: Proud Nordics brings. What’s more, there’s a new final boss that brings a satisfying and well-earned conclusion to this package.
Ys X: Proud Nordics manages to improve nearly everything about its predecessor, and I think the improvements made here could be quite beneficial for the next Ys game, whenever it comes around. That being said, I don’t want Falcom to continuously fall into the trap of making games that receive enhanced re-releases and leave buyer’s guilt for those who bought the original game. However, if this was necessary for Falcom to get geared up and ready for what’s coming next in their pipeline, then in this case, I’m all for it.
Ys X: Proud Nordics launches on February 20 for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.
Disclaimer: NIS America provided a Nintendo Switch 2 copy of Ys X: Proud Nordics for review purposes.
