10 Video Game Side Missions That MASSIVELY Change The Main Story

Ys might be one of Japan’s oldest RPG franchises but even now, its still going strong. First arriving back in 1987 as Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished, Japan recently saw its 9th main entry come out last September but, in the West,, fans were last treated to Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana in 2017.

Featuring veteran protagonist Adol Christin, we found our redheaded adventurer shipwrecked on the Isle of Seiren, after a giant monster brings down a passenger ship, the Lombardia. Finding fellow survivors, they establish a temporary home called Castaway Village and begin searching for a way off the island.

It features a reputation system and this will determine how the story ends. Filled with side missions, raid battles to defend Castaway Village and gift giving to fellow survivors, just how far you go determines how many points you obtain.

So if you did the bare minimum and only focused on the main story, there’s a good chance you’ll earn less than 74 reputation points, triggering the bad ending. If you put in a middling effort, you’ll achieve the good ending but to obtain the true ending, you’ll need to go full completionist and earn over 200 points.

Side missions have a time limit, so you can’t just leave them once they emerge. Like many games here, it doesn’t come down to a specific side mission but how many you’ve undertaken.