Ys Seven is a Japanese fantasy role-playing game in which you take control of Adol Christin, a young adventurer who finds himself mixed up in the investigation of a series of mysterious natural disasters. It soon becomes clear that a great disaster is approaching -- and only Adol and his companions can stop it.

An RPG with plenty of action

Unlike many Japanese RPGs, Ys Seven features real-time combat. You control one party member at a time, while the AI handles the others. Combat is fast-paced and dangerous; choosing the right abilities and weapons to defeat your enemy plays a very important role. Boss encounters are particularly challenging; you need to analyse boss attack patterns quickly to defeat them. The main plot is a quest narrative in which Adol and his companions must explore a series of dungeons to prevent the great disaster. It's a simple story, but effectively told. There is a certain amount of dungeon backtracking, which can be frustrating to players who've grown bored of this common method of reusing game assets.

An unusual JRPG with plenty of appeal

If you like RPGs (and have somehow managed to miss the previous six Ys games) and don't mind some fast-paced action gameplay, Ys Seven is worth your time. Its story is simple but effective, and the game is challenging and fun.