Ys IX: Monstrum Nox (2019) [PS5] review

I know there’s a big world out there
Like the one that I saw on the screen
In my living room, late last night
It was almost too bright to see
And I know that it’s not a party
If it happens every night
Pretending there’s glamour and candelabra
When you’re drinking by candlelight
-The Postal Service, “This Place is a Prison” (2003)

Here’s some advice for you: stay out of prison. It’s just not much fun. You want to go to Chipotle? Can’t do it in jail. Feel like a trip to the pool? Nope, jail. It’s not worth it, I assure you. Instead, maybe check out a game where you can enjoy the jail experience while remaining free to get a burrito if you please. Ys IX: Monstrum Nox might be a good choice.

If you’re interested in this title at all, we can probably assume you’re familiar with traveling adventurer Adol Christin. This guy’s been everywhere and probably kicked monster butt in all of it while he was at it. Today we’re joining him on one of his later adventures as he visits the Prison City of Balduq. The name might suggest what the most significant landmark here is, but if you aren’t locked up in the giant prison that serves as the centerpiece of the city, Balduq’s actually a very nice place! Naturally, Adol is immediately locked up in the giant prison. So much for sightseeing.

Also naturally, he escapes! And, less naturally, he’s granted demonic power by a mysterious woman, turning him into one of the Monstrums of Balduq. This is a group of superpowered problem-solvers with varying degrees of a bad attitude. Think of it as a fantasy version of Suicide Squad. Monstrums can’t leave the city, so Adol’s going to have to solve Balduq’s problems – namely, the infestation of ghostly baddies called Lemures stemming from a phenomena called the Grimwald Nox – if he ever hopes to continue adventuring.

The experience here owes basically everything to the previous Ys adventure Lacrimosa of Dana. It’s a joy to play through and through. The best way to explain why it works so well is the snappy way Adol reacts to the controls; this comes off as a game that really wants you to play it. There are dungeons to crawl through, side quests to clear and secrets upon secrets strewn all throughout Balduq, which is presented as an open world that you’ll unlock over time as Adol does his job battling monsters as a Monstrum. There are even base defense missions, a key element of Dana that returns here!

When it comes to combat, Adol and co. can hack away with weapons, use special skills, block attacks, dodge and enter a super mode for a little more kick where necessary. As in Dana, combat is flowy and enjoyable, with a focus on switching characters to hit enemy weaknesses and on careful dodging and parrying to gain short-term damage and speed buffs. Boss fights are huge and impressive, though they might lean a bit heavily on the “giant, glorpy monster” side of things, especially early on. Regardless, combat never feels like a grind and enemies’ tendency to drop loads of money and crafting materials on death lends a sense of purpose to the slaughter.

Dungeon exploration gets shaken up a bit by the addition of the Monstrum’s Gifts, the superpowers that make the Monstrums what they are. As the Monstrum known as the Crimson King, Adol’s got a zipline ability called Crimson Line, allowing him to rapidly hop to specific grapple points throughout the city and dungeons. Later, other Monstrums will join the crew, offering wall-running, gliding, breaking through weak walls and so on, as well as their own set of attacks and combat skills.

It’s typical Zelda-style gadgetry that allows you to unlock more areas as you proceed through the game, but layering this onto Dana’s fantastic combat makes Monstrum Nox feel fresh and new. There’s plenty of fun to be had retracing your steps in Balduq and finding new secrets as you obtain more Gifts. There’s even a bit of gift usage in combat – this becomes more prominent as you proceed further into the game, but even early on Adol can use Crimson Line to zip around bosses, which is nice.

As with Lacrimosa of Dana, Monstrum Nox has seen several ports to different platforms over time, and today we’re checking out the PlayStation 5 version. While the PS4 version was readily accessible and perfectly playable on a PS5, it wasn’t necessarily the best experience, particularly when the later PC version offered a vast array of graphical options and tweaks so you could get the most out of your hardware. The PS5 version takes advantage of a more powerful platform to offer a version of Monstrum Nox that’s quite a bit closer to what you’d get on a decent gaming PC. The framerate’s sizably improved, the draw distance has seen quite the upgrade and, all in all, you’re just having a better time.

That said, we’re still a few years after Monstrum Nox’s release, so it’s wholly possible you’ve played this game before. You probably don’t need to leap back into it again, in other words. On the other hand, the PlayStation 5 version offers a high-quality version of Monstrum Nox that beats the pants off the original releases. It’s worth a look. Just try to stay out of prison. It’s rough.

Thank you to NIS America and Nihon Falcom for providing us with a copy of Ys IX: Monstrum Nox for this review!