Ys II is an action RPG by Nihon Falcom, released for the PC-8801 in Japan on 22 April 1988 and soon after for the PC-9801, X1, FM-7 and MSX2. Masaya Hashimoto directed and designed it, and the music is by Yuzo Koshiro, Mieko Ishikawa and Hideya Nagata. The sequel adds magic to the series: a fire spell and a time-stopping spell, with most bosses beatable only by fire.
The best-known console version is the 1989 PC Engine CD-ROM² release, which combined Ys I and II on one disc with animated, voiced scenes. As Ys Book I & II on the TurboGrafx-CD it was for years the only official English Ys II. A Famicom version followed in 1990, and Korea got its own expanded Ys II Special.
Falcom later remade the game as Ys II Eternal, whose opening movie was made by Makoto Shinkai, then a Falcom employee, and again as Ys I & II Chronicles, released on PSP in 2009 and on Steam as Chronicles+ in 2013.123
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Ys Book I & IITurboGrafx-CD, English voice acting | TurboGrafx-16 | May 23, 1990 | NEC Technologies | 2 |
| NA | Legacy of Ys: Books I & IIJapanese DS release 2008 | Nintendo DS | 2009 | Atlus | 1 |
| JP | イースIIĪsu TsūPC-8801; Japanese Wikipedia gives only the year | Other | Apr 22, 1988 | Nihon Falcom | 1 |
| JP | イースIIĪsu TsūSharp X1 version on the same day | PC-98 | Jun 24, 1988 | Nihon Falcom | 1 |
| JP | イースIIĪsu Tsū | MSX2 | Jul 15, 1988 | Nihon Falcom | 1 |
| JP | イースI・IIPC Engine CD-ROM², combined with Ys I | TurboGrafx-16 | Dec 21, 1989 | Hudson Soft | 2 |
| JP | イースIIĪsu TsūFamicom | NES | May 25, 1990 | — | 1 |
| KR | Ys II SpecialMS-DOS | Other | 1994 | Mantra | 1 |
| JP | Falcom Classics IICompilation | Saturn | Oct 29, 1998 | — | 1 |
| JP | イースIIエターナルRemake; Japanese Wikipedia's summary gives 1998 for Eternal, its body 2000 | Windows | Jul 6, 2000 | Nihon Falcom | 1 |
| JP | イースI&IIクロニクルズNorth America 22 February 2011 (XSEED Games) | PSP | Jul 16, 2009 | Nihon Falcom | 2 |
| WW | Ys I & II Chronicles+Steam; GOG later | Windows | Feb 14, 2013 | XSEED Games | 4 |
| JP | イースIIPort of the PC-8801mkIISR version via Project EGG | Switch | Mar 14, 2024 | — | 3 |
Also known as: イースII JP3Īsu Tsū JP1Ancient Ys Vanished: The Final Chapter1Ys Book I & II NA2Legacy of Ys: Books I & II NA1Ys I & II Chronicles WW2Ys II Eternal JP2Ys II Special KR1
Box art by region
JP イースII
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: Wikipedia.
Version differences
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AudioPC-9801
The PC-9801 version uses beeper sound and plays only sound effects.3
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GraphicsMSX2
The MSX2 version redraws the graphics from 8 digital colors to 16 analog colors and has improved controls.3
-
ContentFamicom
The Famicom version stays close to the PC-8801 original but leaves out some maps.3
Translations
-
English Official
NEC Technologies1990TurboGrafx-16 · PC Engine CD versionReleased
Ys Book I & II on the TurboGrafx-CD was for many years the only official English version of Ys II, complete with English voice acting.1
-
English Official
XSEED Games2013Windows · Ys I & II ChroniclesReleased
Ys I & II Chronicles+ on Steam and GOG is in English.4
-
Korean Official
Mantra1994MS-DOS · Ys II SpecialReleased
Ys II Special was released only in South Korea.1
Where to play legally today
-
GOG Purchase
-
Steam Purchase
Ys I & II Chronicles+
Chronicles remake of Ys II bundled with Ys I
Checked: 2026-10-134store.steampowered.com
How to run it today
On modern Windows the simplest route is Ys I & II Chronicles+ on Steam or GOG, an enhanced remake with English text, widescreen support and four difficulty levels.2
Reception
The TurboGrafx-CD version scored 35/40 in Electronic Gaming Monthly, which named it Best Role-Playing Game, and PC Engine Fan readers ranked it the third-best PC Engine game in 1992.2
Sources
- 1en.wikipedia.org
- 2en.wikipedia.org
- 3ja.wikipedia.org
- 4store.steampowered.com
- 5gog.com
- 6store.steampowered.com
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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