Working Designs announces Ys Infinity

[04.01.00] » 7-game, 53-disc deluxe package "best collection ever; really heavy," says Victor Ireland.

Working Designs president Victor Ireland prepares to hand deliver the first copy of Ys Infinity.

   The Ys series contains some of gaming's most well-loved action RPGs. The adventures of Adol Christin and his best friend Dogi rank among many gamer's favorite RPG memories. Unfortunately, the Ys series has never been popular in the U.S. Ys I was butchered for the Sega Master System, while Ys I+II were only released for the cult Turbo Duo. Ys III received a combination of cult system release and butchered SNES and Genesis ports. Well, don't fret: Falcom is porting these titles to the PlayStation, and Working Designs will be bringing them to the U.S. as a single package.

   Working Designs reports that "Ys Infinity" will contain seven individual Ys titles: Ys I+II, Ys III: Wanderers from Ys, Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys, the Super Famicom port Ys IV: Mask of the Sun and Ys V: Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand. The collection will also include a port of Ys Eternal, the 1998 PC port of Ys I.

   "Ys Infinity is truly the definitive action RPG collection," said Working Designs president Victor Ireland. "Never before has so much incredible RPG gameplay been gathered in a single box. And, of course, the collection will include Working Designs' trademark packaging and extras."

   These extras include every Ys soundtrack ever released--all 43 of them¹. "One of Ys' greatest trademarks is its fantastic music," says Ireland. "by licensing all of the OSV, arranged, orchestral, choral, and hard rock soundtracks for this package, we can make sure new fans don't miss a single note." The package will also include a JDK Band Guitar Freaks append disc, so fans of Konami's Bemani series can jam along with their favorite Ys tunes.

   The instruction manual and art book is spread across three volumes. The first volume is a compendium of the various games' instruction manuals, while the second book contains hundreds of concept sketches and production artwork. The third volume serves as an encyclopedia to the characters, items, and environments of the Ys games. All three volumes are glossy and full-color throughout, and each features a hand-sewn bookmark with artwork of the games' characters. The first volume in each set is signed by the entire design staff of both Working Designs and Falcom.

   For fans wondering how this amazing collection was put together, Working Designs is including a dual-layered DVD, "The Making of Ys Infinity Collection." The disc features more than three hours of exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, including interviews with Victor Ireland, Working Designs' talented voice actors, the original development team, JDK Band, and more. Extras include a trailer, a trivia game, and two commentary tracks. The first is Working Designs president Victor Ireland, explaining in great detail the making of the Making of DVD. The second is the entire voice acting staff of the Ys Infinity Collection--in character.

   Working Designs is trying to make the world of Ys come alive. To that end, the package will include a novelization of the series entiled "Ys: Armageddon," cowritten by authors Peter David and Victor Ireland. Gamers will also receive a 154-minute Ys OVA created by Gainax and commissioned especially for this collection.

   Each copy of Ys Infinity also includes a 60-minute phone card, an Ys t-shirt, a desktop accessories disc, one of six random lithographs from the OVA, an Adol cardboard standup, and a 1:1 scale replica of the infamous Mask of the Sun.

   Ys Infinity will not be sold in stores and will only be available directly from Working Designs. "It'll be worth it, though," says Ireland. "After we take your order, we'll hardcode your name into the games as one of the townspeople, marking each copy of Ys Infinity as a one-of-a-kind collectible."

   Ys Infinity will retail for $99.99 and ship in a collapsible geodesic dome. The dome itself is surrounded by a revolutionary spherical lenticular hologram shell featuring your favorite scenes from all seven titles. The package's interior is fully climate controlled to protect the contents, while the exterior has a laser pointer that spells out "Ys Infinity" on any nearby wall.

   Working Designs expects to ship Ys Infinity sometime in Summer 2000. "We have our work cut out for us," says Ireland. "But I'm confident that we won't miss this date."