Monday, May 18th, RPGFan was able to talk to Konami's Yoshinori Sasaki, production manager for Ys 6, regarding the release of the title on PSP. According to Sasaki-san, the handheld port of Falcom's sixth installment of the series is more highly anticipated in Japan than the PS2 version, mainly because fans of the PC version want to be able to play the game on the go.

The PSP version will also have some significant changes from its console predecessor. For one, the PSP version will have different cheats, and there will be no Alma's Trials; rather, Olma and Isha will have requests for Adol which will yield keys to new dungeons. There will be no use of the PSP's wireless features.

When asked about what Falcom thought of Konami's porting and localization of the game, Sasaki explained that Falcom was very pleased with the job. Also, the ability to change languages and from CG to anime openings was intentionally geared towards the American audience which, Sasaki said, often times prefers the Japanese original material to English voices and CG scenes. The fact that the English voices were actually included in the Japanese release also reflects how much the Japanese want to hear English voices.

In other Ys-related news, Sasaki expressed his desire to bring the newest Ys title, Ys: The Oath of Felghana to America if possible. He will be in talks with Falcom in the coming weeks to see if it is a possibility. There is also a new Ys anime being worked on, and a new Ys soundtrack in production, but little is known about the latter, except that it will do something "new" with the music.

Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim for PSP will be released in the US somewhere in Q3 of 2005. Look for screens of the PSP port in the coming days. Thanks to Mr. Sasaki for the interview.