Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is an action role-playing game played from a third-person perspective. It builds on the gameplay foundation of Ys Seven and Ys: Memories of Celceta, where players control multiple main characters that can be switched between on-the-fly, each with their own play styles and unique skills. The player collects a variety of materials by defeating local wildlife and opening chests. These materials can be crafted into items that the player can use on their journey, such as healing items and stronger weapons. Various fellow shipwrecked passengers can be rescued and brought to the village where they will provide valuable services.

There are three damage types, determined by a character's weapon: Slash, Strike, and Pierce. Enemies will take more damage from a damage type they are vulnerable against.[4] Skills can be assigned to a corresponding button and using skills requires SP, which can be refilled mainly by landing a fully-charged attack against an enemy. Each character has a powerful move called an EXTRA Skill that can only be used when the EXTRA Gauge is filled.

Furthermore, players can attempt to parry attacks or evade them shortly before the attack lands. Successfully parrying an attack will activate Flash Guard for a very short period of time, where all damage from enemies is nullified and all your attacks will deliver critical damage. Similarly, successfully evading an attack by performing a dodge roll will activate Flash Move for a very short period of time, where everything but the player will move in slow motion.

As the story progresses, the game continuously switches perspectives between its two protagonists—Adol and Dana. Adol's exploration of the Isle of Seiren can be affected by Dana's actions in her world, such as opening a new path or altering the landscape.

On January 2020, an experimental co-op multiplayer mode was added to the PC version of Ys VIII.