Development on Ys IX: Monstrum Nox Is 50% Complete

Days after Nihon Falcom’s announcement of a new Ys entry, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox, additional details have surfaced. These new details come courtesy of a Famitsu interview with Falcom’s President Toshihiro Kondo, where Kondo revealed the status of development on Ys IX and teased the game’s setting.

Twitter user BlackKite translated the information from Famitsu. The most notable bit of news concerns Ys IX’s development status, which Kondo placed at approximately 50% complete. Kondo also teased that the game is set after the events of Ys Seven. Because Ys Seven serves as the latest point in the franchise’s timeline, Ys IX will feature protagonist Adol Christin at his oldest.

Ys IX’s Monstrum Nox subtitle, which means “Monsters’ Night,” represents the game’s core concept. However, it doesn’t seem Kondo elaborated too much on this notion. What he did detail centered more on the gameplay. For instance, “Superpower Actions” are based on the supernatural abilities of Monstrum. A couple of the abilities include wall-running and the option to move around as a shadow.

Another note Kondo made about gameplay is the return of “party battles and simple controls.” Additionally, Guild Management will return. While this system will mirror Drifting Village from Ys VII, fans should expect the system to have expanded for the newest entry in the series.

Even though Ys IX’s setting is a bustling metropolis known as Prison City, Kondo said forests, grass fields, and ruins are still a part of the experience. The Falcom President also teased that the woman seen in promotional material will act as a “key character” in the story.

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is slated to hit store shelves in Japan on an unspecified date in 2019. Details on if and when Ys IX will launch in Western territories are not publicly known.

[Source: BlackKite on Twitter via Wccftech]