Ys X: Proud Nordics Review – A Sweeping Seafaring Action-RPG, Tainted by Pricing
Proud Nordics polishes Ys X with a big new island, Muspelheim dungeon and QoL upgrades — excellent combat and music, but fans are rightly frustrated by the release strategy and upgrade pricing.
I went into Ys X: Proud Nordics expecting a tasteful remaster with bonus content — and that’s mostly what you get: a heftier island, a brutal timed dungeon called Muspelheim, and combat that clicks in a way Falcom’s best entries do. What muddies the waters is the business side: a full-priced re-release, awkward upgrade discounts and the removal of features like co-op for some players. If you love fast-paced action, catchy soundtracks and seaside exploration, this version is tempting — but plan your purchase if you already own Nordics.
Riding the Waves and Slashing Through Trouble
Ys X: Proud Nordics keeps the series’ kinetic, combo-forward combat at its core. Most encounters are about weaving quick slashes, timed guards and duo-techs between Adol and Karja — it feels punchy and immediate when the inputs land. Exploration alternates between island platforming, short puzzles and ship navigation across the Obelia Gulf; the new Öland areas add verticality and setpiece caves that reward curiosity. You’ll swap between Adol and Karja on the fly, use Mana abilities to manipulate parts of the environment, and occasionally hop on the Mana Board for races. Sea combat is serviceable: cannon volleys and upgrades are fun, even if naval mechanics could have gone deeper. Expect boss fights to emphasize patterns, counters and those glorious ‘stun-and-punish’ windows that make the system sing.
What Proud Nordics Adds to the Toolkit
The expansion stuff is more than a single island grafted on: you get five overworld zones on Öland, six new dungeons (including the timed, high-pressure Muspelheim), several new bosses and an expanded story thread that sets future series hooks. New mechanics like Mana Hold and upgraded Mana Tools open fresh puzzles and traversal shortcuts — they’re also baked into reworked encounters from the base game. Quality-of-life tweaks (faster sailing, clearer collectible markers, streamlined skill progression) remove a lot of busywork that used to drag pacing. There’s even a Ceaseless Sea survival mode and some time-attack/coliseum content if you like repeatable challenge. If you enjoy unlocking systems and chasing high scores, Proud Nordics delivers those toys.
Sound, Look and Performance: Falcom’s Familiar Care
Graphically, Proud Nordics feels like a tuned-up Ys: brighter palettes, crisper animations and a nicer presentation on PC thanks to PH3’s porting work. The soundtrack remains a stand-out — Falcom composers know how to make boss themes that stick — and cutscenes land with an anime-on-rails energy that suits the bombastic fights. Performance on modern PCs and Steam Deck-like hardware has been praised in community reports; the game runs smoothly with scalable options and DLSS-like tech where supported. Accessibility options exist in the form of difficulty scaling and control remapping, though the default control scheme can feel mode-heavy and requires tweaking for some players. Overall, presentation lifts the base game without reinventing the wheel.
Ys X: Proud Nordics is a confident action-RPG with excellent combat, a generous new island and modes that justify replaying the game. It’s easy to recommend for newcomers and those who skipped the original, but existing Nordics owners should weigh the upgrade economics and temporary launch bonuses before buying. If you can look past the messy release strategy, there’s a lot of fun and challenge here — just don’t let the business side sour your enjoyment.
Pros
- Refined, kinetic combat that clicks once you master timing
- Large, rewarding new island (Öland) with new dungeons and bosses
- Strong soundtrack, polished animations and robust PC performance
- Meaningful QoL improvements and new modes like Muspelheim
Cons
- Release strategy and upgrade pricing frustrated many original owners
- Co-op is missing for some players and naval mechanics feel shallow
- Default control scheme can feel fiddly and requires remapping
Player Opinion
Players praise Proud Nordics for its stellar combat, atmospheric music and the sizeable Öland expansion. Many reviewers who skipped the original release say this is their favorite Ys in years, citing tight boss fights and smoother progression. However, a big recurring complaint is the business side: existing Nordics owners feel gouged by the full-price re-release and a delayed, limited upgrade discount; several users specifically called out the removal or delay of coop and launch-bonus access. Others point to improved QoL (faster sailing, clearer collectibles, Mana Hold) and the substantial Muspelheim challenge as real value adds. In short: if you judge the package purely on gameplay and content, it’s excellent; if you include publisher choices and pricing, expect anger and refunded purchases.