We’re getting a new Ys game, and unlike the recent Ys IX, it’s going to be a prequel.

New information about Ys X has surfaced according to Japanese insider ryokutya2089 (via Gematsu). Based on the key art below, Adol is younger and around the age when he appeared in Ys I & II.

He is also together with the game’s main heroine who uses a one-handed ax. Both their arms are connectrred by an aura-shaped cord, implying a tag-team mechanic of sorts. The game’s combat will be like Ys VI where it’s 1-versus-1, and may have Dark Souls-like elements. Perhaps the game will have bonfires and respawning enemies, as well as a soul-collecting mechanic?

Here are also a few points from a Famitsu interview with Falcom president Toshihiro Kondo about all things Ys-related:

• Falcom wants to make older Ys titles playable on current hardware.
• The Famitsu feature mentions an emphasis on providing new gameplay, as well as new scenarios, actions, and systems.
• The title will take place in Eresia, though the writer of the Famitsu article paints this as speculation.
• Toshihiro Kondo’s favorite Ys track is “To Make the End of Battle”.
• Kondo emphasizes that Ys X is not a full-on Souls-like, as there is simply inspiration taken from the genre.
• Kondo recommends any Ys game for newcomers. Later games like Ys VIII and IX shouldn’t be intimidating because they’re standalone titles.
• Similar to Nayuta’s Switch release, Kondo wants to make older Ys games playable on modern hardware.
• Ys X’s story will not be centered around the Romun Empire.
• The Party Member system where you change characters and weapon attributes (Slash, Pierce & Strike) at will has received major changes, though it hasn’t yet been elaborated how.
• Kondo heavily implies a multiplatform release.
• Aside from Adol, Kondo’s favorite Ys character is Feena.