Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA has had a rough time ever since it was ported to the PlayStation 4 in North America. The localization, compared to the Japanese version, was a mess. Prompting NIS America to redo the entire localization for the PS4 and the PS Vita. Then there’s the PC version, which suffered from performance issues on top of the localization problems. NIS America had delayed the PC version once and stated it was coming this month. That part is no longer true.
In an announcement from Mitsuharu Hirakoa, VP and COO of NIS America, the PC version has been delayed yet again. **Heavy Sigh** This time, with no release date, has been mentioned. It would seem that the efforts to get the game ported over from the PlayStation 4 to the PC aren’t going so well.
Low framerate issues and memory leak problems were apparent from the earliest PC builds we received. To help combat these, we looked into the drawing processes, which lead to an overall improvement in performance. However, we are still encountering framerate drops in specific circumstances. The systems regulating these framerate issues are heavily reliant on the architecture of the original PlayStation 4 version and, as such, are not existent in PC architecture. The memory leak issues are somewhat less complicated and expected to be resolved this weekend. But in order to solve these issues, we have determined that we must modify the core level of data in the game.
As the PC version of the game was originally envisioned as a port, we avoided touching the core programming as much as possible and focused on PC performance optimization. However, in light of the feedback of those who have participated in the second beta test, we have concluded that we cannot avoid modifying the core programming.
Once the changes from the relocalization efforts have been implemented at the end of this month, we will be moving development to an entirely different developer who will primarily focus on frame rate improvements as well as other PC optimizations. Once that process begins, we will monitor the progress and determine the release schedule. We will also be sure to give regular updates to our progress.
Again, we truly regret that we underestimated the severity of the issues that have surfaced (and how long it would take to resolve them), and for that, NIS America sincerely apologizes to all of you for this unexpected delay. We are fully aware of how much our fans have been anticipating this release, and will do our very best to launch the game the way it is meant to be launched: without any issues, game-breaking bugs, or errors.
Due to the recent events, NIS America will be offering refunds if you pre-purchased the game via Steam. For those who purchased it elsewhere, he is recommending that you go to them and request a refund.
This doesn’t sound good for the PC version of Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA. But at the very least, I’ll applaud NIS America for not giving up on the port. With the localization issues and now this, It’s surprising that they’re still going through with the port.
The question now is, when can we expect to see the game released on the PC? And one that no one has an answer for yet.