Physical edition available from NIS America Store
Earlier this year, during the New Game Plus Expo, NIS America announced that its 2016 release Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana would be winging its way to the PS5 platform — and yesterday, the publisher revealed a release date for the new port, with the fantasy JRPG hitting the PlayStation Store this November.
Originally released on PS Vita, Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana was the then-latest chapter in the decades-long Ys adventure series. It tells the story of a shipwrecked adventurer who finds themselves embroiled in a fated tale of ancient gods, primordial monsters, and, of course, the extinction of all life on the planet as we know it. I mean, it’s a JRPG, so I’m not quite sure what you were expecting.
You can check out a brief overview of the story and its characters in the new trailer below.
Ys VIII would eventually make its way to other platforms, arriving on PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch, and eventually Stadia. The PS5 port is expected to be a direct port of the PS4 edition, complete with all post-release updates and DLC. In regards to being an “upgrade” of the previous port, there is frankly little to improve, as the PS4 Pro already runs Lacrimosa of Dana at 60 FPS. We can probably expect faster load times, and maybe even some DualSense support, but not a whole lot else.
In addition, a special Limited Edition release is now available for pre-order over at the NIS America Online Store. This set contains a physical copy of the game itself in SteelBook casing, along with an art book, a replica journal of lead character Adol Christin, a “Seiren Song” soundtrack CD, two acrylic bookends, and a cloth poster of the Ys VIII artwork. The Limited Edition set retails for a very princely $99.99 USD.
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana launches on PS5 on November 15 in North America and November 18 in Europe. It is available now on PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch, and Stadia. Mobile ports are also in the pipeline.