I just finished playing Ys VIII on switch. And boy, am I glad I did. I loved the story, the setting and the combat. However, I found that performance is not great in certain locations. Please beware that, I played the game on easy mode and I haven't mastered the combat in any sense of the word. I sucked at the timing of Flash Guard and Flash Dodge. The game is balanced pretty well. I loved the dungeons and the feeling of first feeling lost and then, mastering them as you progress.

The game is also pretty decent in length. It took me about 50 hours to complete most of what the game had to offer. And there was almost no padding. However, it had the typical JRPG tendency of removing player from the control, for a story bit or something else and it could get annoying especially in the early game where you are constantly told to backtrack for a tutorial, etc.

Personally, my favourite part of the game was the story and the characters. Characters, especially the party members were well-written and well-realized. I was genuinely sad to see the story end because of them.

This was my first Ys game and now I am moving on Ys 9 and loving it so far.