Thanks for the info. I really need to get started with the series sometime soon. Is there a general consensus regarding the best game in the series to get started on?
I'd recommend I and II Chronicles, VI: The Ark of Napishtim, or Oath in Felghana as the best starting points.
I and II were the start of the series, and Chronicles is a fantastic remake that does a good job of preserving their unique identity while polishing and modernizing them just the right amount.
Ark of Napishtim was the first real "modern" Ys game, released in 2003 after an 8-year hiatus for the series. It laid the groundwork for future games in many ways (in both story and gameplay), and while it may feel a bit less polished compared to them now, it's still well worth returning to.
Oath in Felghana was the next game after Ark of Napishtim, and I still think that in terms of gameplay it's the most polished and finely tuned game in the entire series. And while most Ys games don't require you to have played any other game to understand their story, Felghana's story especially works well standalone.
Seven is also a perfectly fine starting point - the gameplay style is very different from all prior games anyway, so no need to worry about that, and the story is virtually entirely standalone except for one returning character from Ark of Napishtim.
The only thing I would caution against, really, is playing Origin before I and II, as it's a strongly connected prequel that was meant to be played with knowledge of them. (And for the truly ideal experience you'd also have knowledge of Ark of Napishtim.)
I'm going to disagree with this hardcore. I feel like 75% of the people who say this, have never played Ys V (not saying you, just over the internet in general). Personally I had a really fun time with V, and it shits all over the shit stain train wreck that is VI. Seriously Ark is the absolute worst in the series, by a long country mile. V is different for sure, but it begins to introduce things that become more common in the modern Ys games, and while it's short, it's probably twice the length of Ys III.
Personally I feel people should stop being told not to play Ys V and allowed to try it for themselves. I'd play through Ys V about 10 more times before ever picking up Ark again.
*edit*
I had no idea so many people thought Origins was the best Ys game. I do not share my Ys taste with the rest of GAF if that's the case at all.
I've played both V and VI, and found the latter to be far,
far better in almost every way. I honestly don't understand how you can say this, as they're flawed in similar ways, but V more so in almost all cases. You're going to have to explain your reasoning here.
Origin being one of the more popular games isn't just a GAF thing either - I see that sentiment in a lot of places.
As someone who has only played Oath, and loved it, what can I expect from this game? Looks quite a bit different.
It's got significantly more focus on story. The biggest addition in gameplay is the addition of the party system, which allows for switching between three active characters, all of whom have their own moves and skills. The ability to jump is replaced with a dodge roll, which means that level design is largely more horizontally oriented with less platforming than Oath in Felghana. There's also the introduction of Flash Guard, which allows you to guard against attacks with no damage if timed correctly (and if it's mistimed, you'll take more).
