Xseed localized the prequel to the Ys series and its coming to Steam as a digital download later this month. Instead of following Falcom’s favorite adventurer, Ys Origin details the back story about the twin Goddesses Reah and Feena.

Ys Origin has three playable characters. Each hero has their own story to follow and different gameplay – platforming, shoot-em up, and berserker-style melee combat. After the story ends, players can take on Time Attack, Boss Rush, and Arena modes.

The English release adds widescreen support plus Steamworks integration with achievements, Steam Cloud, and leaderboards.

Ruled by the twin Goddesses Reah and Feena and their six priestly retainers, the prosperous land of Ys was a veritable paradise, with all its residents able to enact miracles at will through the use of magic – a power granted them by a holy artifact known as the Black Pearl. One day, without warning, enormous demons marched upon the land, bringing death and devastation in their wake. Their numbers and their might were too much for the knights and sorcerers of Ys to handle, so the people sought shelter within their holiest of temples at the top of the tallest mountain. In a desperate attempt to keep these people safe, the twin Goddesses used the power of the Black Pearl to tear this temple from the ground and raise it into the heavens, away from the ever-growing threat below.

The demons were determined, however, and they erected an enormous tower from which further attacks were launched, bringing the battle into the skies. An all-out war had begun, with forces concentrated in Solomon Shrine above and the Devil’s Tower below.

And amidst this chaos, the twin Goddesses stole away into the night. No one was told of their departure – not even the Six Priests who served them. It seemed clear that they’d gone back to the surface, but no one knew exactly why. Only one thing was certain: Without the Goddesses, Ys could not survive.

Intent on finding their missing deities, the Six Priests organized a search party of the most elite knights and sorcerers in the land. These soldiers were given a single mission: Secure the safety of Ladies Reah and Feena, and bring them back to Solomon Shrine alive and well. But in the desolate, ruined remains of Ys, there’s only one place they could have gone: The Devil’s Tower itself.