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| Title | Ys X: Proud Nordics |
| Developer | Nihon Falcom Corporation |
| Publisher | NIS America, Inc. |
| Release Date | Feb. 20th, 2026 |
| Genre | Action RPG |
| Platform | Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, PC (Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store) |
| Age Rating | ESRB – T for Teen |
| Official Website | |
In 2024, I had the chance to tackle Ys X: Nordics, the latest entry in the adventures of Adol Christin. I enjoyed my time with the game, its Cross Action System, visuals, music and character development being particular standouts to me. But I did acknowledge the game could improve in some areas. So, imagine my surprise when a couple months after Ys X: Nordics released overseas, Nihon Falcom announced an expanded release titled Ys X: Proud Nordics. Proud Nordics has new characters and story and other additions not previously implemented in the original Nordics. Is Proud Nordics the definitive experience I wanted from the original, or was it just not enough?
Ys X: Proud Nordics takes place shortly after Adol’s adventure in Esteria. He’s traveling to Celceta for his next adventure when his ship is assailed by the Balta Seaforce, a group of Normans based in Obelia Gulf. The event lands him in the town of Carnac where he ends up acquiring the ability to use Mana from a mysterious individual called Lila after a run-in with an undying enemy known as a Griegr. Adol then finds himself shackled with Mana to the Balta Seaforce princess, Karja. Tragedy strikes Carnac, which propels Adol and Karja on a journey to save Obelia Gulf from the Griegr threat and solve the mystery surrounding their Mana cuffs and the mysterious Lila. As their adventure progresses, Hugill, their trusty raven, brings a report the two can’t ignore. This brings them to the largest landmass in Obelia Gulf, Öland Island. Here they run into a pair of Danmerk Normans, Canute and Astrid. What occurred on this island and how does it connect to the past of the Normans? Why have these Danmerk Norman made their way to Obelia Gulf, and what is their goal? Adol and Karja make their way through this massive island to unravel its past and strengthen themselves for their journey outside the island.
As with the original, I enjoyed my time with the main story, particularly with how Karja and the rest of the Sandras crew developed as the story progressed. Seeing them gather the resolve to tackle the undying Griegr, overcome past traumas, better themselves and chase their dreams was just as great the second time around. I do think the pacing suffers a bit at points where you need to upgrade the Sandras to progress, but luckily, since I was allowed to carry over my clear data from the original, I did not run into this issue this time around. In fact, I enjoyed playing through the story even more since I could smoothly progress the story at my own pace, not having to worry if my ship was up to snuff. But, for those playing the game for the first time, this upgrade stopblock is still around, which will slow the pacing a bit. As for the Öland Island EX Scenario, I thought it was implemented very well. It adds lore and develops Karja’s character more without interfering with the established main story. The EX Scenario also has a logical reason for why the newly introduced characters don’t interfere in the main story, despite how capable they are. I enjoyed learning more about the Normans’ past and the events that transpired on Öland Island. It was really quite interesting, to the point where I couldn’t wait to find the next Runestone. Canute and Astrid were enjoyable additions to the cast too. Canute is a very capable Norman and he doesn’t really wear his emotions on his sleeve. Astrid, on the other hand, is more energetic and willing to openly admit her support for Adol and Karja on their endeavors. I wasn’t too big of a fan of Canute at the start, but by the end of the EX Scenario I warmed up to him. I enjoyed Astrid’s personality from the get go, but I wish she had more of an impact on the EX Scenario. When the two of them are together, their interactions make for some good entertainment. Overall, the Öland Island EX Scenario is definitely worth playing through and a welcome addition.
Ys X: Proud Nordics uses the same Cross Action System introduced in Ys X: Nordics. Adol and Karja are the only playable characters, and you can freely switch between the two and can control them individually in Solo Mode or at the same time using Duo Mode. You can switch between the two modes by holding or releasing the RT button. Each character can perform normal attacks, dodge, guard, jump, and their own unique Solo skills. While in Duo Mode, both characters attack at the same time and have access to powerful Duo Skills. These Duo Skills can be powered up in the heat of battle by increasing the Revenge Gauge (RG). The RG can be filled by dodging Speed Attacks (blue aura) and attacking immediately after, or Duo Guarding normal attacks and Power Attacks (red aura). The higher the RG number, the stronger the Duo Skill gets. Both Solo and Duo skills can be powered up with repeated use, increasing their Mastery percentage. New to Proud Nordics is a way to enhance both Solo and Duo skills outside of battle. Using Elding Fragments, you can enhance your skills in the menu. Skills can even be enhanced above 100% Mastery, both in battle and by using Elding Fragments. Elding Fragments can be obtained by defeating new powerful enemy variants known as mutants. They can be told apart from normal foes by the colored aura surrounding them.
The Cross Action System is still as fun as I remember. Switching between Adol and Karja and building up a Skill Chain against foes was satisfying, and then punishing them with a strengthened Duo Skill was the cherry on top. Battles had the right amount of challenge, especially boss fights encountered later in the game. Speaking of boss fights, the ones added in Öland Island were a good challenge, especially the final boss in the EX Scenario. Though, my favorite fight is still the final main story boss. The added mutants aren’t as tough as boss fights. Honestly, they’re just like normal enemies except they’re much tankier, so the fight takes longer. But, I do appreciate having more options on how to power up skills, and defeating mutants does give you the materials needed to pull this off. I still think dodging Speed Attacks was a bit too easy, but looking at the Speed Attack pattern of some of these bosses, it may be necessary. For Duo Guard, I found it getting broken by enemy attacks more often than the original Nordics. I don’t know if it’s because I was trying to block more guard breakers or if something was actually changed in Proud Nordics, but I did like how it didn’t feel as OP as I previously thought. Like the original Nordics, the combat in Proud Nordics is a ton of fun and definitely one of the highlights.
The four Mana Actions from the original game return: Mana String, Mana Board, Mana Burst and Mana Sense. Mana String allows the controlled character to grapple onto enemies and select points in the environment; Mana Board lets you ride a Gullinboard to traverse across the land and water; Mana Burst allows Adol to burn certain obstacles and for Karja to create elevated ice platforms; Mana Sense reveals hidden objects and eventually gives Adol and Karja the ability to slow down time. When it comes to Mana Board, you can now speed up by pressing the dash button, making it easier to traverse areas and let you use the Gullinboard for a longer period of time than it was in the original Nordics. In addition to this change, a new Mana Action called Mana Hold is introduced in Proud Nordics. Using this ability, you can pick up certain objects and move them to solve puzzles. You can also lift up certain traps to use them against enemies and send projectiles back to damage foes. Another new addition to the game is the ability to upgrade Mana Actions using. For example with Mana Ride, you can upgrade its acceleration and with Mana Sense you can increase its duration.
I really like the changes implemented to Mana Ride. It made it much easier to traverse the different areas and I liked how long I could stay on the Gullinboard now. In the original, your riding time felt much more limited. In Proud Nordics, I felt like I could ride the Gullinboard as long as I wanted. Being able to upgrade Mana Actions was a welcome change too and had me experiment more with using Mana Actions during battle.
But, now we move on to what didn’t work, and that’s the new Mana Hold action. I appreciate Nihon Falcom trying to give players a new mechanic and new puzzles to solve; however, Mana Hold was very wonky from what I played. There was barely, if any, use for it in battle, save for a select few bosses. When it comes to the puzzles, I ran into times when the cubes you need to move were phased through the floor or a wall, making it impossible to grab them. Luckily, there’s a switch you can interact with to reset the cube position in the area, but having to do this before even attempting the puzzle is kinda frustrating. Sometimes when trying to launch or place the cubes, they’d still phase through the floor or wall, once again forcing me to reset the cube positions. Aiming and throwing the cubes with Mana Hold wasn’t great either. The aiming line shows the general trajectory of the throw but shows no indication of where it would land. Literally, the line arcs and then keeps going down endlessly. If it had some type of splash zone indicator showing a general area of where the held object would land, that would’ve been much better. But most times, I was throwing the cube or projectile and hoping for the best. It also really only has use in Öland Island. Outside of the island, Mana Hold is almost never used, making it practically worthless in the long run. The four original Mana Actions were well executed and could be used in many situations, but the new Mana Hold leaves a lot to be desired.
Sailing in Ys X: Proud Nordics is pretty much the same as it was in the original. You’re free to sail around within the confines of Obelia Gulf and discover different islands to explore. Air currents placed throughout the map allow for the Sandras to traverse at a much quicker pace, allowing you to Mana Sail without fear of its gauge depleting. For battle capabilities, the Sandras has access to EX Armaments, Standard Projectiles, Special Projectiles and a Mana Barrier for defense. You can upgrade the Sandras to increase its durability, increase its speed and handling, and its strength and break capabilities among other things. You can also add more Standard and Special Projectiles and EX Armaments through different proposals gained over the course of the game. New to Proud Nordics are Golden Symbols which you can challenge throughout Obelia Gulf. By completing a Golden Symbol, a new air current permanently appears in the area. This makes it much quicker to sail through Obelia Gulf than it was in the original game. The way treasure charts are handled have also been revamped. Previously, you couldn’t even look at the treasure charts. A dashed circle would just show up in the map and you’d have to find the treasure in that general area. Now, you can actually look at the treasure chart and pin it next to the minimap. And of course, an X on the treasure chart marks the spot. Another QOL improvement is that you can access the Cooking and Sandras preparation options via the Action menu now while at sea. Before, you had to enter the Sandras to access these options, so adding these options to the Action menu certainly saves some time.
It definitely felt like sailing improved in Proud Nordics. The Golden Symbols, when completed, made sailing through Obelia Gulf much faster and more enjoyable than it was previously. The treasure chart revamp made it feel like I was actually searching for treasure and it was quite the positive change. Adding cooking and Sandras prep options to the Action menu was not something I noticed until much later in the game, but I do appreciate having options that save time. For the combat, it was still as hectic and fun as I remember. The camera did get wonky at times when you locked on to one ship and tried to sail between multiple enemies, but this was remedied by just turning off the lock-on. I do still wish there were more enemies sailing through Obelia Gulf, just to keep me on my toes. Enemy ships do sporadically appear in the waters as you’re sailing, but not enough to sate my appetite for battle. But a newly added game mode does help sate that, but I’ll get to that later. With fun combat and improved exploration, sailing in Proud Nordics has taken a step above its predecessor.
Sail on and continue on page 2 ->
