10 Things We Wish We Knew Before Starting Ys IX: Monstrum Nox (2024)

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox originally launched in 2019 in Japan on PS4. Between then and now, that’s actually a long time for a localization process, although the quarantine probably did affect this time table. The point is it was worth the wait, especially since the last proper installment was all the way back in 2016 for Japan and a year later for North America.

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All one needs to know about this game is that this is a hack and slash RPG. It’s also worth mentioning, for those curious, that Ys IX will also be available on PC and Switch at a later, undisclosed date. With that out of the way, let’s help out some new travelers with some helpful tips.

10 No Need To Play Other Games In The Series

This series is similar to Final Fantasy in that one does not need to play the other games in order to get into a particular tittle. Every story is self-contained in that series. It’s also true for Ys except that almost every story is about Adol and his adventures. That said, there is not much of a continuity between sequels aside from small references.

9 Slow Burn

This game has a slow burn to it in that there is a lot of story up front. Even when gameplay enters the realm it truly doesn’t open up to most of the game’s activities until about three hours in.

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Even at that point players will be stuck in the city for almost half the game. It will eventually open up outside of the city as well so if that was a worry, here is the alleviating answer.

8 MetroYsVania

Some, but not all, Ys games have a Metroid like quality to them. That is to say Adol can learn abilities to increase the places he and his friends will go. This includes wall running and gliding just to name the first two. Adol begins with a sort of grappling hook like ability as well. So, in a way, this is kind of like a 3D Metroidvania.

7 Six Playable Characters

Speaking of Adol’s friends, there are six playable characters altogether. Besides Adol there is White Cat, Hawk, Doll, Renegade, and Raging Bull. To make the Metroidvania point stick even further, Doll has a whip. Each character comes with their own unique weapon, set of skills, and traversal abilities and they can all be swapped on the fly in the heat of battle.

6 Tower Defense To Grind

One of the oddest inclusions in this game’s mechanics is a tower defense game. The land of Grimwald Nox is cursed with monsters which is a realm tied to the real one. In order to sort of heal an area, these sections must be fought to break barriers to then open up new paths in the city. There isn’t much emphasis on any sort of trap placement, but there is a literal tower to defend against from monster waves.

5 Mastering Flash Moves/Guards

This is a gameplay mechanic found in many action games. There is an ability to slow down an enemy’s response time by dodging, or guarding at the right second. It’s not as intuitive or as powerful as something like Witch Time in Bayonetta, but mastering these Flash moves will be helpful all the same. This is especially true for some of the bigger boss battles.

4 Save Materials And Resources

Throughout the course of the game chests and monsters will dish out materials. These materials can be used in crafting which may be tempting to use every time one requires enough to make a sword, or piece of armor. However, the shops generally have good equipment that will suffice for most of the game. Save those materials for the most expensive things later on in the game is the tip here.

3 Focus OnAdol’s Equipment

On the further subject of equipment, it can be expensive to keep Adol and his ever increasing band of characters equipped with the best gear at all times. The best advice to dish here is to always give him the best stuff. Then, pass the old stuff to other characters as hand me downs. Dungeons usually have good equipment in chests too thus alleviating some of the money stress.

2 Don’t Forget About Meals

Worried about not being strong enough without the right equipment? No problem. Don’t forget to eat meals from shops.

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These will give certain boosts to stats in order to beef up the party before a dungeon. It’s a simple technique that will go a long way if one remembers to do it.

1 Explore And Fill Out The Map

One of the best, or most lucrative quests in the game is tasked by Parks at the Dandelion home base. He wants Adol to fill out the map by exploring it. This means getting rid of any black on the mini map. Reporting back to him will then net players with various bonuses. This is also good in that it pushes players to explore and discover secrets strewn throughout the city like treasure chests.

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