Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished

イース (Īsu)PC-98, Other, MSX2, NES +121987

  1. JP1987
  2. NA1989
  3. EU—
  4. RU—

In Japan the game is イース (Īsu), later renumbered イースI; in English it has also been sold as Ys, Ys: The Vanished Omens and Ancient Land of Ys. The easiest legal way to play it today is Ys I & II Chronicles+ on Steam or GOG, while the emulated PC-8801 original is sold for Nintendo Switch.

Ys is an action RPG from Nihon Falcom, first released for the Japanese PC-8801 computer in June 1987. It was directed and programmed by Masaya Hashimoto, with music by Yuzo Koshiro and Mieko Ishikawa. Ports to the Sharp X1, PC-9801, FM-7, MSX2, Famicom and Master System followed within about a year, and an Apple IIGS version reached North America in 1989.

The game's "bump attack" — you fight by walking into enemies — became a trademark of the whole series. Recovering health by standing still, another of its mechanics, had appeared earlier in T&E Soft's Hydlide. Early PC-88 copies had a bug that let the treasure-chest key box open from the start, so Falcom exchanged Disk A, and the MSX2 edition for Sony's HB-F1XD was a prize version that shows "SONY ONLY!!" on other machines.

The 1998 Windows remake Ys Eternal became the basis for later versions. The emulated PC-8801 original arrived on Nintendo Switch in February 2024, 37 years after its debut.12

Names and releases

RegionTitle on the boxPlatformDatePublisherSrc
NA YsApple IIGS Other November 1989 Kyodai Software Marketing 2
JP イースPC-8801, original version; Japanese Wikipedia gives only the year Other Jun 21, 1987 Nihon Falcom 1
JP イースSharp X1 Other Jun 26, 1987 Nihon Falcom 2
JP イース PC-98 Aug 28, 1987 Nihon Falcom 2
JP イースFM-7/77 and FM77AV Other Oct 8, 1987 Nihon Falcom 2
JP イース MSX2 Dec 10, 1987 Nihon Falcom 2
JP イースFamicom NES Aug 26, 1988 Victor Musical Industries 1
JP イース Master System Oct 15, 1988 Sega 2
JP イースI・IITurboGrafx-CD / CD-ROM² remake combined with Ys II TurboGrafx-16 1989 — 1
JP イース X68000 Jul 19, 1991 電波新聞社 2
JP ファルコムクラシックスCompilation with Original and Saturn modes Saturn Nov 6, 1997 日本ビクター 2
JP イースエターナルWindows remake; basis of later versions Windows 1998 Nihon Falcom 2
WW Ys I & II Chronicles+Steam; enhanced edition bundled with Ys II Windows Feb 14, 2013 XSEED Games 3
WW EGGコンソール イース PC-8801mkIISREmulated PC-8801 original Switch Feb 15, 2024 D4 Enterprise 1
JP EGGコンソール イース MSX2Project EGG Switch Nov 14, 2024 D4 Enterprise 2

Also known as: Ys: The Vanished Omens1Ancient Land of Ys1Ys: Ancient Ys Vanished - Omen1イースI JP2失われし古代王国 序章 JP2Īsu JP1Ys I & II Chronicles+ WW3

Version differences

  • ContentFamicom

    The Famicom version reworks the scenario with new layouts for the town, fields and dungeons, swaps several music tracks and changes the final battle: flames replace the holes in the floor.2

  • GameplayMaster System

    The Master System port mirrors parts of the dungeons horizontally and has fewer enemies, so levelling up takes longer.2

  • AudioMaster System (JP)

    The Japanese Master System release supports FM sound; the overseas release does not.2

All differences (6)

Translations

  • English Official

    Sega1989Master System · JP versionReleased

    The Master System version was released in English.1

  • English Official

    XSEED Games2013Windows · Ys I & II ChroniclesReleased

    Ys I & II Chronicles+ on Steam and GOG is in English.3

  • Russian Official

    DotEmuAndroid · Ys ChroniclesReleased

    DotEmu's Android release is localized into English, French, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Italian, German and Portuguese.1

Where to play legally today

  • GOG Purchase

    Ys I & II Chronicles+

    Chronicles remake of Ys I bundled with Ys II

    Checked: 2026-10-134gog.com

  • Steam Purchase

    Ys I & II Chronicles+

    Chronicles remake of Ys I bundled with Ys II

    Checked: 2026-10-133store.steampowered.com

How to run it today

On modern Windows the simplest option is Ys I & II Chronicles+ on Steam or GOG, an enhanced remake with English text. The emulated PC-8801 original is sold for Nintendo Switch as EGG Console Ys PC-8801mkIISR.3

Reception

Ys is remembered for its acclaimed soundtrack. Famitsu scored the Famicom version 30/40 and the Master System version 31/40, and Computer and Video Games gave the Master System version 92%.2

Sources

  1. 1en.wikipedia.org
  2. 2ja.wikipedia.org
  3. 3store.steampowered.com
  4. 4gog.com
  5. 5ja.wikipedia.org
  6. 6ja.wikipedia.org
  7. 7ja.wikipedia.org

Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13

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