Kotaku has reviewed the upcoming J-RPG Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA:

Review

The Ys series has been setting the bar for combat and music in action role-playing games since 1987. The latest game, Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, is no different, but it does have something more recent entries have lacked—a memorable story.

Adol Christin is one of the most enduring heroes in gaming. For three decades now the eternally-youthful redheaded swordsman has been hunting for adventure. He’s constantly getting himself embroiled in schemes to destroy the world, fighting dark gods and foiling foul plots. His exploits are the stuff of legend.

But Adol exists in a space similar to all classic Japanese action role-playing games, where defeating gods and saving the world are everyday occurrences. His legend is cobbled together from RPG tropes. He’s the hero whose coming was foretold by prophecy. The chosen one of several ancient cultures. He’s even started off one of his adventures suffering from amnesia, which is about as JRPG as you can get.

Type of game

Action RPG Extraordinaire

Liked

Tons of exploration, fast and responsive combat, unique story with wonderful characters and lots of little things to see and do.

Disliked

The secondary story is nowhere near as compelling as the first.