Despite not having slept in about a week and a half with a newborn, I have managed to keep my finger on the pulse of video game news! And today I was blessed with some of the best gaming news that I’ve heard in ages: Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is officially confirmed to be coming West on the PS4, PC, and, yep, Nintendo Switch!

I’ve been a huge proponent of more people checking out Ys since my initial discovery a few years back, and this will mark the second massive Ys title on the Nintendo hybrid.

I was concerned we wouldn’t see this title on this side of the pond for quite some time, although it was only released September of 2019 in Japan, so perhaps my concerns were slightly exaggerated. I’m stoked to see Ys making it’s way into the West, as it’s a criminally under-appreciated series that enjoys popularity in Japan and very few other locations. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana arrived on the Switch a while back and I was very happy that it was finally getting some love on a Nintendo console again.

This was teased not long after the Japan release last year, and it’s taken quite a while for some news but finally, here we are. Bask in the glory of the official announcement trailer!

Of course, and like with most announcement trailers, not much about the game has been revealed. One thing stood out from the game page:

Familiar mechanics such as Flash Dodge and Flash Guard allow you to outmaneuver your foes, while new additions such as Gifts and Boost Mode further augment your ability to fight.

NIS America

I really enjoyed the Flash Dodge/Guard mechanic, and thought it really added a degree of skill and required focus during the battles. Not only that, but two new perks seems like they’ll be interesting, and I’m looking forward to hearing more! Personally, what would impress me the most is 60fps gameplay, but I’m not holding my breath on that one. The gameplay just looks so much smoother on the PS4/PC at high framerates, and after playing Ys VIII on the Vita with a sometimes-choppy framerate, it’d be pretty cool to play IX on a butter-smooth experience. That being said, I’m just happy to hear that it’ll be playable on the big screen – every Ys game I’ve played so far has been on handhelds, after all.

And here’s the NIS America store link with all the relevant fun-stuffs, including preorders for the collectors edition (no affiliate link), if you’re like me and will throw your money at anything in this series. I may have already done so…

Yeah, it was a real tough decision.

Anyway, that’s it for today – I’m certainly no news source but needed to share my excitement with the world. Cheers!