Reviewing this from the viewpoint of the US version, the first thing that strikes you about Ys III is the terrible voice acting. The second thing is the dreadfully jerky simulated parallax scrolling, seen briefly in Ys II and also in Ninja Ryūkenden. But setting aside those minor issues, Ys III delivers a very different but still compelling episode of this highly regarded action role-playing series. Sure, the side-on viewpoint makes the game feel far more linear than the first two, but it retains the quality that holds you and keeps you coming back until it is completed