Ys 9 Announced for PS4, but a Key Character is Missing

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Falcom has announced Ys 9: Monstrum Nox for the PlayStation 4, but series hero Adol Christin is nowhere to be seen anywhere in the promotional materials for Ys 9. And it sounds like that's on purpose.

Announced for Japan with a 2019 release year, Ys 9 is set in a city known as "Prison City" with a mystery regarding the "Monstrum" or people with special supernatural abilities. The art style as advertised by the announcement images also suggests a darker tone, but the details surrounding the game are still murky.

The Ys games usually stars hero Adol Christin as he makes his way from adventure to adventure. But for whatever reason he's nowhere to be found and instead focus seems to be on a mysterious hooded figure wielding a pistol. The official story blurb even highlights Christin's disappearance.

"Who are the 'Monstrum' that have appeared in the city? What is the secret behind 'Prison City?' And what of that redhead adventurer Adol Christin?"

No word on a North American release, but Ys 8 released with major localization issues in North America that forced NIS America to re-do the translation for chunks of the game. Perhaps Falcom is waiting to ensure such a problem doesn't happen again before committing to a North American release.

The Ys series is an action-RPG featuring real-time combat and starring (usually) Adol Christin on a new, self-contained adventure each entry. You can read our Ys 8 review here and our interview with Falcom here.

Thanks, Gematsu