Falcom's seminal Ys series of RPGs recently celebrated its 38th birthday, and this particular milestone put composer Yuzo Koshiro in a reflective mood.
He began his career working with Falcom, and Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished (1987) and Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished – The Final Chapter (1988) being some of his earliest credits. Since then, he has created some of the industry's most iconic video game soundtracks, including ActRaiser, Revenge of Shinobi, Etrian Odyssey and many, many more.
Koshiro has also been involved with the development of games, and is currently working on Earthion, a new shmup built for the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis which is also coming to modern systems this year.
"As Ys celebrates its 38th anniversary today, I’ve had the chance to work on Earthion, Wangan Midnight: Speed Ignition, Algolemeth, and Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, along with a few other fun projects this year," he says on social media. "Looking back, I really think that getting my start with Falcom, especially with Ys, set me on the path to everything I’m doing now. Hopefully, one day, I’ll get the chance to work on a new Ys title again."
The Ys series continues to this day; the most recent entry is Ys X: Nordics, which showcased a soundtrack composed by Hayato Sonoda, Shuntaro Koguchi, Yukihiro Jindo and Mitsuo Singa.