Ys I & II

Ys I & II is a 1989 action role-playing game developed by Alfa System and published by Hudson Soft for the PC Engine CD-ROM². It combines enhanced versions of Ys I (1987) and Ys II (1988), originally developed by Nihon Falcom for Japanese personal computers. The compilation presents the two games as a continuous adventure. Experience levels, equipment, and other progress carry from the end of Ys I into Ys II, while newly produced animated sequences and voice acting connect their stories. The CD-ROM format was used for recorded music arranged by Ryo Yonemitsu, voiced dialogue, and animated cutscenes, making the game an early prominent demonstration of optical-disc technology on a home console. NEC Technologies released the game for the TurboGrafx-CD in North America in 1990 with an English-language localization and dubbed dialogue. It was later included as a pack-in game with the TurboDuo. The compilation received strong contemporary reviews for its music, audiovisual presentation, and continuous role-playing structure and is frequently cited as one of the defining releases for the TurboGrafx-CD platform. Falcom subsequently produced new remakes of the two games for Windows, beginning with Ys Eternal in 1997 and Ys II Eternal in 2000. These versions formed the basis for Ys I & II Complete, Ys I & II Chronicles, and Ys I & II Chronicles+, which added revised graphics, music, interfaces, difficulty settings, and compatibility features.