Proud Nordics brings the best out of Ys X

We've already covered Ys X: Nordics several times at length here at RPG Site. James wrote an unscored import review around the game's original Japanese launch in October 2023, I wrote our scored review for the English launch in October 2024, and then James followed that up with import impressions of Proud Nordics when it launched for Switch 2 in Japan in August 2025. So, there isn't much left to be said that hasn't been said already.

In my scored review, I found Ys X to be a somewhat lopsided game. The excellent action RPG combat is not only top-class, but also a welcome change of pace from the party-system-Ys that came before it (with roots all the way back in Ys Seven). Karja, as the de facto lead character of Nordics, is compelling and endearing. The bond that she and Adol form as Shield Siblings is remarkable, which it needed to be, and it's a highlight of the game. 

However, I came away lukewarm from the rest of the game's character cast & story, the visual presentation was spotty, and the sailing exploration either infuriated me or bored me. Not only is the sailing itself just a dull exercise that detracts from the fun half of the game, but I feel it hamstrings the on-foot exploration when so many of the game's locations are bite-sized areas you can exhaust in just a few minutes (and many of them look the same).

That's my Ys X: Nordics review, in a nutshell.

It's probably worth mentioning that Proud Nordics does not fundamentally change what Ys X is, and I didn't expect it to. However, some small adjustments and additions allow the game to be the best version of itself. Let me explain.

Two Normans from another tribe, Canute and Astrid, appear on the new landmass of Öland Island. Canute says he's here to intervene in Obelia Bay, should the Balta Seaforce lose their authority in the region. He basically initiates a 'game' of sorts, where he challenges Adol and Karja to explore Öland Island for new runestones. These lore stones provide insight into the history of the Norman people and why they were forced from their homeland generations ago. 

As far as new story content goes in Proud Nordics, it is all found on here on Öland Island. The rest of the game's narrative, dialogue, and cutscenes are unchanged, just to note. Proud Nordics is structured such that you'll revisit Öland Island several times in a series of sidequests as you progress through the main plot of Ys X. It serves as a sort of sub-plot that runs underneath everything else that is going on, and there is no narrative intersection between the original narrative and the new story on Öland Island. Functionally, these new excursions appear in your quest log as "EX" quests.

It almost feels like Falcom heard the criticisms, as Öland Island is now my favorite location in the game. It holds a bit more environmental variety compared to the rest of the game, and I have to point out the new (excellent) music. Most importantly, it feels like a place you can actually explore, at least to some degree. The way different routes on the island open up as you progress through the game kinda reminds me of a miniature Isle of Seiren. I always looked forward to returning here after every chapter or two in the main game, and in a way, it felt like an 'anchor' location that the game really could have used to begin with.

The actual new narrative storyline in Proud Nordics is not all too interesting in itself, but it's not outright poor. The conflict that arises on Öland Island is a perfectly competent sub-story that provides a little bit more insight into the region of Obelia Bay and the history of the Normans. That said, for long-time Ys-heads, there are a few interesting nuggets of (intentionally vague) Ys world-building that are introduced here. I won't say more than that, but it does leave me somewhat curious what direction Falcom will take the series' lore, if anywhere.

In addition to Öland Island, Proud Nordics does make several other additions throughout Ys X, both in terms of adjusted mechanics and new gameplay content. One of the new mechanics is that you can use a new consumable item called Sparkling Whitesand to enhance the attributes of your Mana Actions. That is, Mana String, Mana Burst, Mana Ride, Mana Sense, or a new action in Mana Hold.

To be frank, most of these Mana Actions enhancements do not really tangibly affect the game ... except for Mana Ride, that is. Did you feel like the Gullinboard was a bit too slow in the original Ys X? Well, you're in luck, because it is much faster now, or at least it will be after you enhance it a bit. In fact, from a pure game-feel perspective, the faster Mana Ride is probably the most tangible difference between Nordics and Proud Nordics. Not only can you raise the Gullinboard's top speed, but you can now press a button as you are riding it to accelerate with a push, like you would a normal skateboard. It allows you to traverse through the game's larger zones much more quickly.

Another new addition in Proud Nordics is another new consumable known as Elding Fragments, which can be used to power up skills beyond their maximum rank in the original games. There's not much else to be said about this. Basically, Adol's and Karja's power ceiling has been raised, and these Fragments are what you use to reach new heights. There are also new, powered-up monsters found dotted throughout Ys X that can drop these fragments.

There are a few other optional end-game additions for those wanting to get the most out of Ys X. There's a new Arena where you can fight sub-bosses or event battles for rewards. You can also explore Muspelheim, which works as a reasonably enjoyable score attack mode. You can also do Ceaseless Sea, which is an endless naval battle score attack mode. I don't know why you'd ever want to do that one.

As for Falcom's decision to do a re-release of Ys X: Nordics at all, it is what it is, I suppose. There is no way to upgrade from Nordics to Proud Nordics, and there is no way to directly transfer your savefile either. For those who have already beaten the original Ys X: Nordics, however, you do have the option to load a Clear Save into Proud Nordics, which will then begin a "New Game +" playthrough.

Proud Nordics doesn't fundamentally change what Ys X is, and the situation around the re-release will always be awkward at best. The adjustments and the additions make the game a better one, but we should probably just stick to a single version for the next Ys entry.