Ys X: Proud Nordics – A Sharper, Stronger Voyage on Nintendo Switch 2

Ys has always been a series about momentum, forward motion, forward growth, forward discovery. Ys X: Proud Nordics on Nintendo Switch 2 embraces that ethos wholeheartedly. It’s an enhanced, expanded re‑release of Ys X: Nordics, but it’s also a quiet statement of intent: Falcom wants this to be the version you remember, the version you recommend, the version that finally lets Adol and Karja’s adventure breathe at the scale it always deserved.

And for the most part? It succeeds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjlBIKlZ8bk

The heart of the story remains unchanged, and that’s a good thing.Adol Christin’s wanderlust meets Karja Balta’s fierce Norman pride, and the friction between them becomes the emotional spine of the adventure. Their partnership grows in believable, sometimes surprising ways, and the expanded English voice work helps their dynamic shine.

The Norse‑inspired Obelia Gulf is still a joy to explore, from windswept coasts to eerie ruins. Sailing between islands, uncovering ancient threats, and navigating political tensions gives the adventure a sense of scale that complements the fast-paced combat.. It’s not a groundbreaking tale, but it’s earnest, energetic, and anchored by two leads who genuinely elevate each other.

The gameplay in Ys X: Proud Nordics revolves around fast, responsive real‑time combat that constantly pushes you to stay in motion. You control Adol and Karja as a paired unit, switching between them or fighting as a fused duo, which gives battles a rhythmic, almost dance‑like flow. Adol’s quick slashes and Karja’s heavier strikes complement each other, and the game encourages you to weave their abilities together while timing dodges, counters, and special skills. The introduction of Mana Actions adds another layer of mobility and utility you can dash, grapple, pull enemies toward you, or manipulate objects in the environment, which keeps encounters dynamic and varied. Boss fights in particular lean into this system, demanding pattern recognition and quick reactions rather than brute force.

Outside of combat, the game places a strong emphasis on exploration across the island chain of the Obelia Gulf. Each area blends light platforming, environmental puzzles, and hidden paths that reward curiosity. Mana Actions aren’t just combat tools; they’re baked into traversal, letting you swing across gaps, shift platforms, or activate ancient mechanisms. This gives dungeons a tactile, puzzle‑box feel, with each new ability subtly expanding the way you move through the world. Sailing also plays a major role as you command the Sandras, a small ship used to travel between islands, engage in naval skirmishes, and uncover secrets scattered across the sea. It’s not a full naval simulator, but it adds a sense of scale and adventure that complements the on‑foot exploration.

Progression ties everything together through a steady stream of new skills, equipment upgrades, and character enhancements. As Adol and Karja grow closer, their bond unlocks new combat perks, reinforcing the theme of partnership that runs through the story.

The Switch 2 edition introduces Öland Island, a new region with its own storyline, characters, and dungeons. It expands on Norman history and gives Karja more personal depth, offering a welcome narrative detour that enriches the world.

The new Mana Action, Mana Hold, adds fresh puzzle and traversal possibilities. It’s clever in concept, though occasionally finicky in practice, the kind of mechanic that shines in controlled puzzle spaces but can feel awkward in open environments.

Beyond the new island, Proud Nordics includes several additions aimed at players who love postgame content:

• A time‑trial gauntlet with escalating difficulty

• New combat rematches

• Additional races and traversal challenges

• Expanded upgrade options and cosmetic rewards

These additions aren’t transformative, but they add welcome longevity and give veteran players more to chew on if they played the original release.

On Nintendo Switch 2, Ys X: Proud Nordics finally plays the way it always wanted to on the original hardware. The most striking difference is how smooth and responsive everything feels. Combat, already fast and timing‑based becomes far more precise thanks to the higher framerate and improved input stability. Dodges snap exactly when you press them, Duo Mode attacks chain together without hesitation, and even basic movement feels lighter and more controlled. It gives the whole game a sense of flow that simply wasn’t possible before.

Exploration benefits just as much. Areas load in cleanly, foliage and distant structures appear without the distracting pop‑in that plagued the first release, and the improved draw distance makes the Obelia Gulf feel more cohesive. Sailing between islands is smoother, with fewer stutters when the camera swings around the ship, and naval battles feel more deliberate because the framerate no longer dips during cannon fire or tight manoeuvres. The Switch 2’s extra power also helps the Mana Actions especially the grappling‑style movement feel more reliable, since the game no longer struggles to track fast transitions between surfaces or targets.

Visually, the game isn’t transformed into something new, but it’s noticeably cleaner. Edges are sharper, lighting is more stable, and the world has a more consistent look overall. Some textures still reveal the game’s cross‑gen origins, yet the presentation feels far more polished than before. The Switch 2’s handheld mode is a particular highlight: the game runs smoothly, looks crisp, and maintains its performance even during busy combat sequences.

Pros

• Exceptionally smooth performance on Switch 2, making combat and traversal feel far more responsive than the original release.

• Fast, satisfying real‑time combat with a strong emphasis on timing, dodging, and chaining abilities between Adol and Karja.

• Mana Actions enrich exploration, turning dungeons into clever puzzle‑platforming spaces rather than simple combat corridors.

• Ship exploration adds scale, giving the world a sense of openness and discovery as you sail between islands.

• Öland Island expansion provides new story content, dungeons, and mechanics that flesh out the world and characters.

• Improved visuals and stability, with cleaner edges, better lighting, and far fewer technical distractions.

• Plenty of optional challenges for completionists, including new races, rematches, and postgame trials.

Cons

• Mana Hold can be finicky, especially when aiming or interacting with physics‑based objects.

• Some textures and assets still show the game’s cross‑gen origins, even with the Switch 2 upgrades.

• Returning players may struggle to justify the full price, since the core adventure remains largely unchanged.

• Ship combat, while fun, is fairly simple, and doesn’t evolve much over the course of the game.

• Öland Island feels somewhat self‑contained, making it less integrated into the main story than it could be.

  
  

Ys X: Proud Nordics on Nintendo Switch 2 feels like a game finally allowed to breathe. The original release already had a strong foundation with fast combat, a heartfelt duo at its centre, and a world full of mythic charm, but the Switch 2’s power lets all of that shine with far fewer compromises. The smoother performance elevates every dodge, every combo, every moment spent swinging across gaps or carving through Griegr hordes. Exploration feels more cohesive, the world feels more alive, and the pacing benefits enormously from the technical stability.

The new content adds flavour rather than reinvention, and while it enriches the experience, it doesn’t fundamentally reshape it. That means newcomers get the best possible version of the game, while returning players will need to weigh how much they value the refinements and additions. But taken as a whole, this is a confident, polished action RPG that understands exactly what makes Ys special: momentum, heart, and the thrill of discovery.

XPN Rating: 4 out of 5 (GOLD)

Ys X: Proud Nordics is available now!