LogFAQs > #970994532

I interpreted that to mean that you had finished 1.

the bat boss and the last boss are horribly nightmarishly painful in that particular version of Ys 1 if you aren't playing on easy so I don't blame you for stopping.

Most of the series is episodic, 2's probably the biggest exception since it picks up exactly where the first game ends so it's pretty much like changing discs in one of those multi disc psx games.

The other games don't really refer to the events of 1+2 that much. Mask of the Sun and Dawn of Ys do, since they were trying to be the big epic conclusion of everything up to that point but the remake (Celceta) pretty much bends over backwards to try to avoid mentioning the other games (hell, the original setup for the plot of 4 isn't even mentioned at all outside of like one flashback scene). And Ys Origin is a prequel starring the ancestors of Ys 1 and 2 characters, which is set entirely in the Darm Tower from 1 and the bosses are all re-imagined versions of bosses from 1 and 2 so playing the first two games would probably enhance the experience even though it's not strictly necessary.