The Western release of Ys X: Proud Nordics for Switch 2 is even better than last year’s Japanese release

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In 2024, NIS America released Ys X: Nordics in Western regions after it initially launched in Japan the previous year. This release was significant as it marked the first time Falcom launched a new game simultaneously on both Nintendo and Sony consoles in Japan. A PC version was also made available in the West through PH3. I covered all versions back in 2024, and I’ve since purchased and played the Japanese version of Ys X: Proud Nordics on the Nintendo Switch 2 to test its backward compatibility. That leads us to today. You might be wondering why I’m writing about the Switch 2 version of Proud Nordics again, and normally that would be a valid question. However, this time the Western release of Ys X: Proud Nordics on both Switch 2 and PS5 includes work not only from Falcom, but also from PH3 on the console versions. I’ll be focusing on the Switch 2 Western release specifically, as the day one patch isn’t available on PS5 yet.

Okay, so before I get into what’s different in the Western release, let me quickly talk about how much better Ys X: Nordics looked and played compared to previous games. It was clearly made with the Switch in mind from the start, unlike some of the older ports – those felt like they were trying to run on more powerful consoles. Honestly, after the Ys VIII and IX ports which weren’t great visually, Nordics was a huge step up and the best-looking, smoothest-running modern Ys game on the Switch. It aimed for 30 frames per second, and while it wasn’t super sharp, it was a solid experience whether you were playing on your TV or in handheld mode.

Ys X: Proud Nordics on the Nintendo Switch 2 provided the biggest jump in visual quality and smoothness I’ve seen yet. It consistently aimed for 60 frames per second, and even offered a 120fps mode both on the TV and in handheld mode. While some visual details were reduced to achieve this, it was a great experience playing on the go. The game only seemed to have trouble with performance in the newly added areas.

Just to clarify, the example images were recorded at 4K for the ‘Quality’ setting and 1440p for ‘Performance’ because of limits with the equipment used to record the gameplay. Even with those limitations, you can still clearly see how much better the game looks and runs in the English version’s ‘Performance’ mode, which aims for 120 frames per second.

As a big Ys fan, I was already impressed with the Japanese release of Ys X: Proud Nordics on what I’m calling the Switch 2, thinking it was a fantastic upgrade. But the Western release? It’s even better! When I fired it up, I immediately noticed it ran much smoother and looked more stable than the Japanese version, even in performance mode. Switching to the default 60fps mode, it looked noticeably improved compared to what I remembered from last year. I even re-downloaded the Japanese version just to compare, and the difference in image quality is really striking. I chatted with Durante from PH3, and he explained that Ys X on Switch 2 was the first Switch 2 title his team worked on. They actually added DLSS to this Western release! You can check out my interview with him for more details. He also mentioned adding PSSR to the PS5 Pro version, but I’ll save those details for another article.

The biggest downside to Ys X: Proud Nordics is that players who already own previous versions can’t upgrade, and you can’t carry over your saved progress. While understandable due to changes in the core game content, it essentially feels like a completely new release, even with the option to start a New Game Plus with a cleared save file. It’s launching at full price and includes a good portion of the original game’s downloadable content, but not everything.

Ys X: Proud Nordics English vs Japanese release visuals



The images you see were taken directly on the Switch 2 using its built-in screenshot feature – it’s currently the only way to capture gameplay in handheld mode. Comparing the English and Japanese versions, the English release clearly offers a much better visual quality, even when running in Performance mode at 120fps.

As a fan, I’ve been checking out Proud Nordics on the Switch 2, and one thing I noticed compared to the PS5 version is the loading times. On Switch 2, you still get loading screens when moving between areas or going in and out of buildings. But on the PS5, both the original Ys X: Nordics and the updated Proud Nordics version have seamless transitions – the game just fades to black and then you’re there! It definitely makes the Switch 2 version feel a bit slower because of those loading screens.

I’m having a hard time deciding how I feel about Ys X: Proud Nordics. If you’re new to the game, the Switch version is definitely my favorite – it plays great both on the go and when docked. If you’ve already played Ys X: Nordics, Proud Nordics is the best way to revisit it, but the new content alone isn’t quite enough to recommend it to newcomers.

From a technical standpoint, the Switch 2 version of Ys X: Proud Nordics is a significant improvement, comparable to the enhanced Switch 2 editions of games like No Man’s Sky and Factorio. It’s rare to see such a noticeable visual upgrade between different regional releases. Typically, when a Japanese game gets released in the West after a delay, it includes all the updates already available in Japan. But with Ys X: Proud Nordics, NIS America and PH3 went above and beyond, delivering a truly enhanced version of an already great portable game.

Ys X: Proud Nordics will be available in Western regions on February 20, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC through Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store.

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2026-02-16 17:29