In a shocking twist, it is not XSEED after all who will be bringing the latest Ys game to North America, but rather, NipponIchi Software. NIS confirmed over the weekend that Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana would be localized and published under its name in 2017 for the PlayStation 4, PS Vita, and PC platforms.

The announcement came with a laundry list of English descriptions and facts regarding the game:

Ys returns with a brand new adventure for the first time in 8 years! Adol awakens shipwrecked and stranded on a cursed island. There, he and the other shipwrecked passengers he rescues form a village to challenge fearsome beasts and mysterious ruins on the isolated island. Amidst this, Adol begins to dream of a mysterious blue-haired maiden living in a unknown world.

Join Adol as he unravels the riddle of the cursed isle and the bluehaired maiden Dana in Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana.

Features

  • An Epic Tale – Follow Adol and his companions on his latest adventure to unlock the mysteries of the cursed island.
  • Another Side – Unravel the mystery of the blue-haired maiden Dana through her own, unique gameplay segments.
  • It Takes a Village – Rescue your fellow shipwrecked passengers and bring them to your village where they will provide valuable services.
  • Party On – Switch characters on the fly as you battle ferocious foes in lightning-fast combat.

Divide over the lack of XSEED

Based on the reaction, you’d think that fans were more loyal to a translation company than the developer or franchise itself. Fans don’t seem happy that XSEED didn’t land this job, a first for the long-running series, and some are wondering if they’ll even purchase it at all because they question if it will be up to speed.

Well, that’s just plain silly. Nothing against XSEED, because they do, indeed, do a fabulous job with Ys, Legends of Heroes, and a good many other translations, but NipponIchi also has a good track record of localizations. Some fans claim otherwise, but I’ve never had a problem with Disgaea and its breed of goofy anime strategy RPGs.

And it’s still Ys, after all, a series that has always depended more on gameplay than on complicated storytelling.

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana will be released for the PlayStation 4, PS Vita, and PC in 2017, and it will have both the Japanese and English voice tracks.