Software:Ys: Memories of Celceta

From HandWiki
Short description: 2012 video game

Ys: Memories of Celceta
Developer(s)Nihon Falcom[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Toshihiro Kondo
Producer(s)Toshihiro Kondo
Programmer(s)
  • Hideyuki Yamashita
  • Homare Karusawa
  • Noriyuki Chiyoda
  • Atsushi Oosaki
Writer(s)
  • Toshihiro Kondo
  • Yoshihiro Konda
  • Aichiro Miyata
Composer(s)
  • Hayato Sonoda
  • Takahiro Unisuga
  • Saki Momiyama
  • Tomokatsu Hagiuda
SeriesYs
Platform(s)
Release
Genre(s)Action role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Ys: Memories of Celceta[lower-alpha 2] is a 2012 action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom. An installment in the Ys series, it was originally released for the PlayStation Vita in Japan in September 2012. It is Falcom's reinterpretation of the story previously adapted in Software:Ys IV: Mask of the Sun and Software:Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys, which were developed by other companies from Falcom's original concept.[1]

The game follows series protagonist Adol Christin, who has lost his memories while exploring the forest of Celceta. Its gameplay expands the party-based combat introduced in Ys Seven with Flash Move, character-specific field actions, weapon reinforcement, and an exploration system centered on creating a map of the forest. Falcom later identified these systems as foundations for Software:Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana and Software:Ys IX: Monstrum Nox.[2]

Xseed Games released the Vita version in North America in November 2013, while NIS America published it in PAL regions in February 2014. A Windows version was released internationally in July 2018. An enhanced PlayStation 4 version, titled Ys: Memories of Celceta - Kai in Japan, was released in 2019 and 2020. A Nintendo Switch remaster was released in Japan in May 2025 as Ys Memoire: Memories of Celceta and internationally on April 28, 2026 as Ys Memoire: Revelations in Celceta. The Switch version includes newly arranged versions of the soundtrack that can be selected in place of the original music.[3][4]

Gameplay

Ys: Memories of Celceta is an action role-playing game in which the player explores fields and dungeons and fights enemies in real time. The player controls one member of a party of up to three characters, while the remaining members are controlled by the game's artificial intelligence. The controlled character can be changed during combat.

Each character uses one of three attack types: slashing, striking, or piercing. Enemies may be vulnerable to one attack type and resistant to the others, encouraging the player to switch between party members. Characters can perform Skills by consuming skill points, or SP, and each has a more powerful Extra Skill that becomes available after filling a separate gauge.

The Flash Guard system from Ys Seven allows the player to negate an attack by guarding immediately before it connects. A successful Flash Guard restores SP and causes subsequent attacks to inflict critical damage. The game adds Flash Move, which is performed by evading immediately before an attack lands. A successful Flash Move temporarily slows the enemy and makes the player's party invulnerable.[5]

Weapons and armor can be reinforced with minerals and materials obtained from plants, animals, and defeated enemies. Materials provide different enhancements, allowing the player to alter properties such as attack power, defense, status effects, and item acquisition.

Exploration centers on creating a map of the forest of Celceta. The map is filled automatically as the player enters new areas, and rewards are awarded for reaching specified percentages of completion. Falcom developed the mapping system to make the forest feel like an unknown and difficult-to-navigate region rather than a conventional sequence of connected stages.[6]

Party members also possess personal actions used during exploration. These include opening locked chests, throwing knives to activate distant mechanisms, breaking obstacles, and identifying hidden objects. Magical artifacts grant additional traversal abilities, including shrinking the party, breathing underwater, and running up certain walls.[7]

The original Vita version uses the touchscreen to access menus and select items directly. The rear touch pad can be used to issue behavioral commands to the other party members.[8]

Plot

The game takes place a year after the events of Software:Ys X: Nordics, and about a year before Software:Ys: The Oath in Felghana. The game is set in the land of Celceta, and begins when the series's protagonist, Adol Christin, arrives in the town of Casnan with amnesia for unknown reasons. Then, he meets an information dealer, Duren, who claims to have met him before. Governor-General Griselda, the local ruler, then hires Adol and Duren to explore Celceta and draw a map of it because neither she nor her government has a full map of the area.

While exploring the forest, Adol slowly recovers his memories of his previous encounters. He and Duren explore local villages and meet Karna, a warrior from Comodo Village, and Ozma, the village leader from Selray Village. Adol had previously met both but had no memory of meeting them. Both Karna and Ozma join Adol. They also meet antagonistic characters Bami, a witch who had been abducting villagers from Comodo and controlling them with magic masks, including Karna's brother Remnos, and Gadis, a beast tamer who attacked Selray and tried to take their Spardas, beasts the Selray villagers consider sacred. Adol also meets Gruda, an officer of the Romun army, who is sympathetic towards Adol's exploration.

Eventually, Adol's group arrives in Highland, a town near something called the Tower of Providence, where a mysterious being, referred to as a "god" by the locals, called Eldeel lives. They also meet Calilica, the daughter of the village chief, and Leeza, an apostle of Eldeel. Leeza explains Adol's memory loss is because of Eldeel, but that he should not have lost all of his memories. With Calilica's help, who also joins the group, they reach the Tower and meet Eldeel, a white winged being. Eldeel reveals he is an actual god and has helped humanity advance in the past, and has also already met Adol, but is currently sick. He briefly transforms into a black winged being with a malevolent personality, demanding Adol return something called the "Mask of the Sun", and passes out, his wings turning white again.

Immediately after, Adol and the group return to Highland and find it under attack by Gruda, Bami, Gadis, and an army of masked men, including Karna's brother Remnos, who is acting on his own volition. Adol's group repels the attack, but not before learning the masks Bami created are copies of the Mask of the Sun, which is hidden somewhere in the forest. The group arrives in Danan village and meet Frieda, a warrior from the village. It is revealed Danan is home to a group of Darklings, people who rebelled against the gods centuries ago and are trying to repent for their crimes. Duren reveals he is from Danan and has actually been protecting Adol the entire time. They are also shown that the Mask of the Sun is sealed in Danan. Shortly after, Gruda appears, revealing his is also from Danan and wants to use the Mask to access something called the Akashic Records, or the blueprints of the world, and rewrite reality to benefit humans. Gruda steals the mask and the group, along with Frieda, chase him to Elduke, where the Records are sealed.

At Elduke, it is shown Gruda and Eldeel are working together. Using the Mask, they enter Elduke but leave Adol and the group locked outside. They also learn from a being called the Grand Roo of the Mask of the Moon, which can turn Eldeel back to normal. They collect the Mask of the Moon, fighting and defeating Bami and Gadis along the way. Remnos also reveals he was on Adol's side the entire time and tried stopping Gruda's group from the inside but failed. Adol and the group use the Mask of the Moon to enter Elduke and confront and defeat Eldeel, using the moon mask to heal him, sealing away his evil personality. Adol and the party also ultimately defeat Gruda, who had used the Mask of the Sun to absorb the power of the Akashic Records into himself.

With no other options, Eldeel has the group destroy the Mask of the Sun by throwing it into Mt. Vesuvio, a volcano. If they destroy the mask, no one else will be able to access the Records again. They fight their way to the volcano. At the top, Adol fights and destroys a shade of Gruda, permanently destroying him. He also succeeds with destroying the mask. Adol is rescued from the volcano before it explodes. In a flashback, Eldeel grants Adol the title of "adventurer", which Adol is referred to subsequently in his adventures. After which the party parts ways and goes on with their regular lives.

Development and release

Background and concept

The story of Celceta had previously been depicted in two games released in 1993: Software:Ys IV: Mask of the Sun, developed by Tonkin House, and Software:Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys, developed by Hudson Soft. Both games were based on an original scenario created by Nihon Falcom, but Falcom had not developed its own version of the story.[1]

According to Falcom president and producer Toshihiro Kondo, the company had discussed creating its own Celceta game for more than ten years. Development began when the approaching 25th anniversary of the Ys series coincided with information from Sony Computer Entertainment about the PlayStation Vita. Falcom chose to develop a new title for the hardware rather than first gaining experience through a port, partly because the company believed that an original game would stand out among the conversions expected during the system's early life.[1]

The game was Falcom's first title developed for the PlayStation Vita. Kondo said that preliminary research for the new hardware took time, but that the Vita allowed the team to create something closer to its intended design than had been possible on the PlayStation Portable.[1] Touchscreen access to items, maps, and menus was intended to reduce the number of steps required during play and preserve the pace of the action. Internal testing reportedly found that testers generally preferred the direct touch controls to navigating the same functions with buttons.[1]

Story and world design

Falcom considered several approaches to the scenario, including following its original planning materials or more closely adapting the Super Famicom and PC Engine versions of Ys IV. The company ultimately decided to construct a largely new story and setting that could function as an entry point for players unfamiliar with the series.[7]

Kondo said that the development team initially avoided studying the earlier Ys IV games so that their ideas would not be constrained by the previous adaptations. The team began consulting the older games during the middle of development, when it sought feedback from people familiar with them and selected elements to retain, particularly music and character references.[9]

The team removed the earlier games' extensive connections to Esteria because explaining those characters and events would have made the story more dependent on knowledge of Ys I & II. Falcom instead designed the Celceta story to be understandable on its own, while retaining less prominent references to the wider series for established players.[9]

Adol's amnesia was conceived partly as a way to place new players and the protagonist in the same position. Both enter Celceta without reliable knowledge of the region or Adol's previous actions. Kondo said that Falcom wanted the game to serve simultaneously as a 25th-anniversary title for existing fans and as a new introduction to the series.[6]

The absence of Adol's usual companion Dogi was another deliberate break with series conventions. Falcom instead has Duren recognize Adol at the beginning, creating a scene intended to surprise experienced players who might initially expect the speaker to be Dogi.[6]

Exploration and gameplay design

Falcom considered the forest and Adol's lost memories to be the game's central concepts. Kondo believed that the earlier adaptations had represented Celceta primarily as a visual setting and had not fully translated the idea of exploring an unmapped forest into gameplay. The development team therefore introduced automatic mapping and rewards for increasing the percentage of the forest explored.[6]

The developers also rejected a predominantly linear structure, reasoning that a forest should permit players to become lost or approach destinations by different routes. The initial portions of the story can consequently be completed in more than one order. Kondo said that the resulting environments became larger than initially expected, causing some concern within the team about whether exploration would become tiring.[7]

Magical artifacts and character-specific actions were designed around traversal and environmental puzzles. Some proposed concepts, such as an artifact that shrinks the party, initially prompted concerns within Falcom that they did not fit the established setting. The team retained them because it prioritized their contribution to action and level design. Kondo contrasted this approach with Falcom's Trails games, explaining that Ys development generally began with enjoyable action mechanics and built narrative explanations around them.[7]

The game retained the emphasis on simple controls and rapid movement that Falcom considered central to the series. Kondo described the design objective as making movement, combat, and character growth enjoyable independently of the narrative, while keeping the controls accessible despite the increasing complexity of the action systems.[6]

Characters and voice acting

Falcom described the game as an attempt to reconstruct Adol for a new generation of players. Yuki Kaji was selected as Adol's new Japanese voice actor after Kondo met him and believed that his personality and performance suited the company's conception of a younger Adol.[10]

Kaji recorded system dialogue for the game and performed Adol more extensively in the drama CD included with the anniversary edition. Kondo said that changing the voice actor had been considered from an early stage because the company wanted to present a new interpretation of the character.[11]

Music

The score was composed by Falcom Sound Team jdk members Hayato Sonoda, Takahiro Unisuga, Saki Momiyama, and Tomokatsu Hagiuda. The soundtrack combines new music with arrangements of compositions associated with the earlier Ys IV games.

Kondo said that Falcom began considering the musical legacy of the earlier games during the middle of development. Because some of the previous music had a strong following, the team sought feedback from staff familiar with those versions and carefully controlled the extent to which individual tracks were rearranged. Some pieces retain their original melodies and structures while using new introductions or instrumentation, producing what Kondo described as a mixture of the old music and the new game.[9]

The Japanese limited edition, titled the Ys 25th Anniversary Pack, included a drama CD and a compilation album featuring music from across the series.[12]

International release

Xseed Games published the PlayStation Vita version in North America on November 26, 2013.[13] NIS America released it in Australia on February 20, 2014 and Europe on February 21.[14]

A Windows version was released in China in October 2015. Xseed released an international Windows version on July 25, 2018 with an unlocked frame rate, support for higher resolutions, configurable controls, and additional graphical options.[15] A free update released in February 2020 added the option to use the original Japanese voices instead of the English voice track.[16]

PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch versions

Falcom released an enhanced PlayStation 4 version, Ys: Memories of Celceta - Kai, in Japan on May 16, 2019. The version renders the game in full HD at 60 frames per second and includes higher-quality audio.[2] Xseed published the PlayStation 4 version in North America on June 9, 2020, followed by a European release by Marvelous Europe on June 19.[17]

The Nintendo Switch version, Ys Memoire: Memories of Celceta, was released in Japan on May 22, 2025. It is based on the Vita game and includes full-HD rendering, enhanced sound quality, and newly arranged versions of every musical track. Players can switch between the original and arranged soundtracks at any time.[3]

Xseed released the Switch version in North America on April 28, 2026 under the title Ys Memoire: Revelations in Celceta, with Marvelous Europe publishing it in Europe and Australia.[4] The international release includes both English and Japanese voice tracks.[18]

Legacy

Falcom has described Memories of Celceta as establishing the foundations for systems used in Software:Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana and Software:Ys IX: Monstrum Nox. Elements carried into later games included automatic mapping, the Flash Move defensive mechanic, broad interconnected exploration areas, and the expanded party-based action system.[2]

The game was also Falcom's first release for the PlayStation Vita and represented the company's first internally developed interpretation of the Celceta chapter of Adol's travels.[1]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
MetacriticVITA: 82/100[19]
PC: 74/100[20]
PS4: 75/100[21]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Destructoid9.5/10[22]
Game Informer8.50/10[23]
GameSpot8/10[24]
Hardcore Gamer4.5/5[25]
IGN7.5/10[26]
GamingUnion.net9/10[27]

Ys: Memories of Celceta received "generally favorable reviews" on the PlayStation Vita and "mixed or average reviews" on Windows and PlayStation 4, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[28][29][30]

Reviewers frequently praised the speed and accessibility of the combat, the party-switching mechanics, and the emphasis on exploration. Wesley Ruscher of Destructoid described the battles as fast and frantic without becoming overly complicated. He also praised the streamlined crafting and quest systems, rapid travel, music, and colorful environments.[31]

Kimberley Wallace of Game Informer wrote that the combat required players to consider enemy weaknesses and party abilities rather than rely entirely on repeated attacks. She also praised the accessible crafting system and the use of each character's abilities during combat and exploration, but found the plot conventional and considered the fast-travel system cumbersome during the early portions of the game.[32]

Heidi Kemps of GameSpot praised the responsive action, varied character abilities, boss battles, and incentives for exploring the forest. She criticized the limited enemy variety and some aspects of the story and presentation.[33] Colin Moriarty of IGN similarly praised the combat and mapping systems but found the graphics technically modest and the narrative less memorable than the exploration.[34]

Tom Massey of Eurogamer viewed the game as Falcom's definitive version of the previously outsourced Ys IV story. He praised its energetic combat and soundtrack, but considered its visual presentation dated in comparison with other Vita releases.[35]

The PlayStation 4 version was the bestselling retail game in Japan during its first week, selling 13,895 physical copies.[36]

Notes

  1. ↑ PC version ported by Hyde, Inc.
  2. ↑ Released in Japan as Ys: Foliage Ocean in Celceta (イース セルセタの樹海, Īsu Seruseta no Jukai).

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). ASCII Media Works. October 26, 2012. https://dengekionline.com/elem/000/000/549/549798/. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). February 7, 2019. https://www.4gamer.net/games/449/G044939/20190207017/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). February 14, 2025. https://www.4gamer.net/games/882/G088272/20250214003/. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Ys Memoire: Revelations in Celceta Charts an April 28, 2026 Launch Date in the Americas on Nintendo Switch". Xseed Games. March 9, 2026. https://marvelous-usa.com/2026/03/09/ys-memoire-revelations-in-celceta-charts-an-april-28-2026-launch-date-in-the-americas-on-nintendo-switch/. 
  5. ↑ "Avoiding Damage". Xseed Games. http://www.worldofys.com/celceta/combat-avoidingdamage.html. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). ASCII Media Works. October 26, 2012. https://dengekionline.com/elem/000/000/549/549798/index-2.html. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). ASCII Media Works. October 26, 2012. https://dengekionline.com/elem/000/000/549/549798/index-3.html. 
  8. ↑ Gantayat, Anoop. "Ys Celceta Sea of Trees: Use the PS Vita's Rear Touch Screen to Give Commands to Your Allies". http://andriasang.com/comz7c/ys_celceta_touch_controls/. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). ASCII Media Works. October 26, 2012. https://dengekionline.com/elem/000/000/549/549798/index-4.html. 
  10. ↑ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). August 7, 2012. https://www.4gamer.net/games/140/G014055/20120807017/. 
  11. ↑ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). https://www.falcom.co.jp/ysc_psvita/special/cast01.html. 
  12. ↑ Gantayat, Anoop (June 21, 2012). "PlayStation Vita Ys Dated". http://andriasang.com/con1ot/ys_celceta_date/. 
  13. ↑ Campbell, Colin (November 7, 2013). "Ys: Memories of Celceta on PS Vita Set for Nov. 26". Vox Media. https://www.polygon.com/2013/11/7/5077006/ys-memories-of-celceta-on-ps-vita-set-for-nov-26. 
  14. ↑ King, Chris (February 18, 2014). "Everything You Need to Know About Ys: Memories of Celceta, Out This Week on PS Vita". Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. https://blog.playstation.com/archive/2014/02/18/everything-need-know-ys-memories-celceta-week-ps-vita/. 
  15. ↑ Wood, Austin (June 29, 2018). "Ys: Memories of Celceta Is Coming to PC This July". https://www.pcgamer.com/ys-memories-of-celceta-is-coming-to-pc-this-july/. 
  16. ↑ "Xseed Games Commemorates New Audio Options for Ys: Memories of Celceta and Ys: The Oath in Felghana on PC with a Celebratory Sale". Xseed Games. February 19, 2020. https://marvelous-usa.com/2020/02/19/xseed-games-commemorates-new-audio-options-for-ys-memories-of-celceta-and-ys-the-oath-in-felghana-on-pc-with-a-celebratory-sale/. 
  17. ↑ "Ys: Memories of Celceta for PS4 Launches June 9 in North America, June 19 in Europe". April 30, 2020. https://www.gematsu.com/2020/04/ys-memories-of-celceta-for-ps4-launches-june-9-in-north-america-june-19-in-europe. 
  18. ↑ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). August 29, 2025. https://www.falcom.co.jp/ir-data/20250829. 
  19. ↑ "Ys: Memories of Celceta for PlayStation Vita Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/ys-memories-of-celceta/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-vita. 
  20. ↑ "Ys: Memories of Celceta for PC Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/ys-memories-of-celceta/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  21. ↑ "Ys: Memories of Celceta for PlayStation 4 Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/ys-memories-of-celceta/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-4. 
  22. ↑ Wesley Ruscher (December 11, 2013). "A Memory to Cherish". ModernMethod. http://www.destructoid.com/review-ys-memories-of-celceta-267217.phtml. 
  23. ↑ Kimberley Wallace (November 27, 2013). "The Red-Headed Hero Makes Good Again". Game Informer (GameStop). https://www.gameinformer.com/games/ys_memories_of_celceta/b/playstation_vita/archive/2013/11/27/ys-memories-of-celceta-review.aspx. Retrieved December 24, 2013. 
  24. ↑ Heidi Kemps (December 11, 2013). "Ys: Memories of Celceta Review". CBS Interactive. http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/ys-memories-of-celceta-review/1900-6415598/. 
  25. ↑ Hale, Bradly (November 27, 2013). "Review: Ys: Memories of Celceta". Hardcore Gamer. http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2013/11/27/review-ys-memories-of-celceta/64006/. 
  26. ↑ Colin Moriarty (December 19, 2013). "Map Quest". IGN Entertainment. http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/12/20/ys-memories-of-celceta-review. 
  27. ↑ Shawn Collier (December 21, 2013). "Ys: Memories of Celceta Review". Gaming Union. http://www.gamingunion.net/reviews/ys-memories-of-celceta--909.html. 
  28. ↑ "Ys: Memories of Celceta for PlayStation Vita Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/ys-memories-of-celceta/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-vita. 
  29. ↑ "Ys: Memories of Celceta for PC Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/ys-memories-of-celceta/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  30. ↑ "Ys: Memories of Celceta for PlayStation 4 Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/ys-memories-of-celceta/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-4. 
  31. ↑ Ruscher, Wesley (December 11, 2013). "Review: Ys: Memories of Celceta". https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-ys-memories-of-celceta/. 
  32. ↑ Wallace, Kimberley (November 27, 2013). "The Red-Headed Hero Makes Good Again". https://www.gameinformer.com/games/ys_memories_of_celceta/b/playstation_vita/archive/2013/11/27/ys-memories-of-celceta-review.aspx. 
  33. ↑ Kemps, Heidi (December 11, 2013). "Ys: Memories of Celceta Review". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/ys-memories-of-celceta-review/1900-6415587/. 
  34. ↑ Moriarty, Colin (December 19, 2013). "Ys: Memories of Celceta Review". https://www.ign.com/articles/2013/12/19/ys-memories-of-celceta-review. 
  35. ↑ Massey, Tom (February 20, 2014). "Ys: Memories of Celceta Review". https://www.eurogamer.net/ys-memories-of-celceta-review. 
  36. ↑ Romano, Sal (May 22, 2019). "Famitsu Sales: 5/13/19–5/19/19". https://www.gematsu.com/2019/05/famitsu-sales-5-13-19-5-19-19. 



Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Ys:_Memories_of_Celceta&oldid=4562680"