Falcom took the original Ys I & II PC-88 tracks and rebuilt them with early 2000s Windows synths and the result is weirdly perfect. Mieko Ishikawa and Yuzo Koshiro's compositions finally get the breathing room they always deserved here.
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"First Step Towards Wars" hits with this driving rock energy that makes you want to sprint through Esteria all over again. "To Make the End of Battle" still goes impossibly hard, the guitar tone on this version just screams.
And then "Feena" comes in and completely disarms you. Gentle and warm in a way that almost hurts. The ETERNAL arrangements sit right in this sweet spot between faithful and fresh. If you've only heard the older versions, this one will remind you why Ys started everything.