Against all odds, Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga is a high-effort remaster of crossover fighter from a bygone era

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The PSP was a fantastic handheld console, though its technical limitations meant its games were somewhere between the PlayStation 1 and 2 in terms of graphics and complexity. I was a big fan, and so was Falcom, the game developer. They really built their two major series, *Trails* and *Ys*, into what they are today thanks to games released on the PSP. So, it felt natural for them to create a fighting game that brought both series together as a way to say goodbye to the system. *Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga* was the result, and it’s certainly a unique game – charming, but definitely a bit odd.

It’s amazing to see this game released globally, especially considering how far the Trails series has come with localizations – and Ys is right behind it, with a remake of *Ys V* likely on the way. This game feels like a product of a very different time in gaming. Fighting games were just starting to become the popular esports they are today, and with so many affordable handheld consoles, developers were taking more risks and creating experimental fighting games. *Ys vs. Trails* is a perfect example of that – it’s essentially a fighting game built using the engine from *Ys Seven*.

This game throws a bunch of your favorite characters from different series into a strange world where they’re forced to fight each other, all controlled by two powerful gods. If you’re familiar with the *Dissidia* series, you’ll have a good idea of what to expect. Characters from various *Ys* games and the main group from *Trails in the Sky* (though Kevin isn’t included) all face off in battles. The story behind it is pretty simple, but honestly, that’s perfectly fine – it’s a lot of fun!

The game offers five different story campaigns featuring Adol, Estelle, Geis, Kloe, and Tita. However, the character selection feels unbalanced, and I think it overlooks some important figures from the Trails series. While I enjoy Kloe and Tita, I would have preferred to play as Lloyd or Kevin instead – Lloyd actually made his first appearance in this game before *Trails From Zero*, and Kevin isn’t playable at all. The story itself isn’t particularly groundbreaking, but it has a charming, almost fanfiction-like quality that I found endearing. The characters are simplified versions of themselves, clearly designed as fan service, and that approach fits the game’s lighthearted tone. It was fun to see Lloyd make a cameo, though I wish he had more to do than just repeating his detective catchphrase. Overall, the characters are deliberately streamlined, which is pretty much what I anticipated for a game like this.

Okay, so Story Mode is how the game teaches you the ropes – it’s a pretty good tutorial, honestly. You get a feel for the whole gameplay loop: leveling up, earning money, making your characters stronger, and taking down tough bosses. Ys vs. Trails can definitely be a grind, but that’s kind of what I love about these portable RPG fighters. Back in the day, I could easily lose hours just maxing out all the characters, especially on a commute. I really wish more games had a story mode to encourage that kind of dedication. There’s an Arcade Mode for each character, but I think the developers, Falcom, missed a trick by not adding more character interactions and fan service through extra story content. Besides Story and Arcade, you can also play with friends locally or online. The online Network Mode is supposed to have crossplay, but I couldn’t find any matches while I was testing the game.

This fighting game isn’t aiming for professional-level competition. Think of it as a fun, casual experience – perfect for playing with friends in a relaxed setting, like at a gaming event’s parking lot. It’s more about enjoying silly, customized characters and endless matches with friends over voice chat, similar to the party-focused gameplay of *Power Stone* rather than the competitive depth of *Street Fighter*.

The game features top-down battles where each character can dodge, jump, block, and attack normally. You can also customize each character with four skills and a unique special attack. As it’s a crossover between two RPGs, the game includes equipment and a leveling system. Players can earn money in battles to upgrade skills, gear, and accessories in a shop. There’s a wide variety of status-inflicting accessories available, letting you playfully disrupt your friends. While interactive stage elements would have been nice, environmental hazards are present to throw off even the most skilled players.

I’ve been really enjoying the matches, especially when I first started playing through the story mode with Adol. The CPU opponents can be surprisingly tough, and things get really chaotic when a lot of characters are fighting at once! What surprised me most is how much the game demands both good offense *and* solid defense. Unlike some fighting games where you can focus on dodging or blocking, you really need to be aware of both here. There aren’t many (or any!) invincibility frames when you get knocked down, so you can’t just sit there. You have to either quickly dash away – which is awesome, especially if you’re a fan of the dodge from *Ys Seven* and *Celceta* – or block immediately. You can’t just spam the block button, though, because everyone has a stamina bar that drains fast if you’re not careful. Run out of stamina, and you’re wide open! But honestly, that’s what makes it so thrilling to bait out special moves, block at the last second, and then punish your opponent with a little stamina to spare.

What really makes this package stand out is the excellent remastering of the visuals by refint/games. Everything has been updated and presented in a higher resolution – character portraits, stages, backgrounds, and the user interface especially. This isn’t like some PSP remasters that just look blurry or pixelated when compared to playing the original on an emulator. A lot of care was clearly taken to preserve the original look while making it compatible with modern screens. For example, the 3D models are still as simple as they were on the PSP, but they’re sharper and have clearer textures. The 2D backgrounds in cutscenes have also been nicely upscaled without losing much detail, and the same is true for other 2D art and videos.

It’s clear the team at refint/games truly loved or deeply respected this game. Their passion shines through, and that’s what made playing it so enjoyable. They went above and beyond by bringing back the original voice actors for the English dub – something you don’t often see with games localized long after their initial release. This re-release feels like it’s from a parallel universe where the game was localized right away. It’s a remarkably well-done PSP localization – exactly what the game always deserved, even if it wasn’t a blockbuster. It might not become hugely popular now, but fans of Falcom games from the 2010s will definitely appreciate it.

I can easily picture how much I would have loved playing this game on the PSP back in 2010. I was already completely absorbed in *Dissidia* at the time, and this game captures that same fast-paced, chaotic energy. While it doesn’t have as much content, it’s a really enjoyable game to play with friends late at night. It’s a shame it didn’t come out a few years later, as that would have allowed for a bigger roster of characters. Hopefully, we’ll see more characters in *Ys vs. Trails 2*, but I’m happy we even got this game!

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2025-10-10 08:28