Ys IX: Monstrum Nox adds cooperative multiplayer
It's for local co-op, but you can work around that to play online
The PC version of Ys IX: Monstrum Nox now supports cooperative multiplayer, a tidy little post-launch bonus for Nihon Falcom's action-RPG. Nadia Oxford told us last year that for fans of the genre, "the Ys series is a must-play, and Ys IX is as good a place to start as any." Co-op makes it an even nicer place to start because friends are nice, aren't they?
"Unlike Ys VIII, where co-op was mostly limited to combat, the second player is largely equivalent to the primary player in terms of capabilities in Ys IX, including movement and combat abilities, using Monstrum Gifts, discovering and triggering landmarks, enemies and events, opening chests, picking up collectibles, and initiating dialogue," the announcement explains. "Only interacting with menus and the map is restricted to player one."
The co-op is only for local multiplayer, but it's easy to do that online these days thanks to things like Steam Remote Play Together—which this does officially support. The update also added support for more screen aspect ratios, particularly with a view to fitting the Steam Deck's 16:10 screen.
The game has a 20% discount right now too, taking it down to £40/€48/$48 until the 27th of January on Steam. It's still full-price on GOG, though. It has a demo so you can try it first.
"I am personally very much a fan of local co-op in games, and feel like too few RPGs in particular offer the option to play their main campaign in co-op," said Peter Thoman of porting studio PH3 Games. "I hope this update brightens the day of my fellow co-op aficionados out there, as well as anyone playing on a 16:10 monitor or who is planning to get a Steam Deck of course."
You might better know Thoman as "Durante", the creator of invaluable tools which fixed screen resolutions in Dark Souls and Deadly Premonition. These days he has his own company consulting working on ports, including this and the Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel games.