Guide #105: Ys: The Vanished Omens (Sega Master System) and Ys Book I &
II (Book I) (Turbo CD/Duo): Changes Guide
V1.0 (1/14/99) (First and probably last release; Details the changes 
between the two games mentioned at the top of this guide)
By "Emptyeye" (emptyeye@juno.com)
This guide can be found at www.gamefaqs.com

This Guide isn't as organized as some of my others, but it basically
encompasses the following:
Intro/Confession
Name Differences
Gameplay Differences
Outro/Legal Stuff

Intro/Confession

 Well hello! Because I have played through both of these games, and 
because I really don't feel like studying for my exams tonight, I put
together this guide detailing the differences I could find between the
two. While not really a walkthrough per se, I feel it can help explain
some of the differences with names of the characters and such. 
 Now the confession. I played through the Sega version of the game on a
*gasp!* emulator. BUT IT WAS LEGAL! Yeah I know, whoever heard of a 
person LEGALLY using an emulator?! Basically I'm borrowing my cousin's 
copy of Ys for the Sega, and am too lazy to hook up his Master System to 
a TV. So it's not quite truly legal, as I don't own the game. But hey,
at least I'm not using it to write say, a Pokemon Gold/Silver Guide.... 

(NOTE: I WILL spoil some of the games, mainly plot events and such. YOU
HAVE BEEN WARNED!!)
Name Changes
Let's get these out of the way first. Basically, the way I'll do this is
I'll put the Sega Master System version of the name in the left column
(As it was released first), and the TurboDuo version in the right column.
I'll then put a star next to whatever version the Ys Community seems to
have deemed "Correct". If there's no star it means I've never seen true
evidence one way or the other. NOTE: A lot of times, I've noticed, the 
differences are quite similar; Examples being substituting Ls for Rs, Cs
for Ks, and As for Us. Would anyone fluent in the Japanese Language care
to inform me why this is so (I thought I heard one time that the Oriental
languages didn't have some letters. I could be wrong though)?

(These aren't in any particular order by the way)
SMS Version                                         Duo Version 
People:

Aron (Last name never given)                       Adol Christian *
Reah                                               Lair *
Dark Dekt (Or Dulk Dekt as they call him in        Dark Fact *
the game itself) 
Luther Jema                                        Luta Gemma *
Dabby (Name of one of the books)                   Dabbie *
Dogi *                                             Colin
Jeba Tova                                          Jeva Toba *

Items:
Key to the Doomed                                  Darm Key *
Rod *                                              Brooch
Golden Pedestal                                    Golden Vase
Tarwarl                                            Katana
Monocle                                            Glasses
Ring Mail                                          Armor Ring

Places:
Zepik Village                                      Zeptic Village
Palace                                             Shrine *
Tower of the Doomed                                Darm Tower *


Gameplay Differences
 While it may not seem obvious at first, there are numerous gameplay
differences between the two games. Here I'll detail some of those.

Using Items:
You can't use items in your Inventory in the SMS version. The items that
would be in your Inventory in the Duo version are just put into your
Equipment section in the SMS version. Also note that is the SMS version
there IS no Inventory Screen selectable from the main menu. It's the
second screen of Equipment you see.

Fighting Enemies:
In both versions, you fought enemies by simply crashing into them. 
However, in the Duo version, you could crash head on into an enemy and,
in all likelihood, win the battle. In the SMS version you have to run 
into the "edge" of an enemy, or you'll most likely die, at least in the
early part of the game. 

Gaining Experience:
This is an easy one. In the SMS version, you d[o]n't get your EXP per 
enemy cut in half each time you raise a level. Of course you only gain 
10 levels in the entire game, as opposed to the 62 you gain in the Duo
version (NOTE: Since the Duo version spans two games, you'll probably 
only get to about 35/36 on Book I of that version). As such, in the SMS
version your status gains are much larger. Your EXP to level also doubles
with each gain, as opposed to it going up MUCH more gradually in the Duo
Version.

Item Difference[s] (Finding [t]hem):
 The Gold Vase/Pedestal: While it's found in the same general area--a 
pond near Minea Town--in the Duo version you find it in the indentation 
on the north side of the pond. In the SMS version you have to search the 
space on the EAST side of the pond. 

 Prison/Chest Keys: In the Duo Version, you find the Prison Key in the
Shrine Depths/Palace. You then use it to rescue Feena, who gives you the
Treaure Box Key. In the SMS version on the other hand, you find the 
Treasure Box Key BEFORE the Prison Key. You use the Treasure Box key to
unlock the Chest containing the Prison Key, THEN go rescue Feena.

Dungeon Differences:
Besides the ones mentioned above, you'l[l] notice that the dungeons seem
to have be[e]n "Mirror Imaged" from the SMS version to the Duo one. All
the major features seem to be there--mirror mazes in the Tower of the 
Dommed/Darm Tower, etc--but they seem to have "Flipped". While this is 
more [o]r less the case, it's not entirely true--see the seco[n]d mirror
maze as an example.

Using Items Part 2: Different Functions?
The only real difference here I can think of is the Evil Ring. In the Duo
Version, if you Equip it and do not have the Blue Ne[c]klace, you lose HP
by multiples of 10 until you die. If you try this in the SMS version, it
results in INSTANT death. Not fun.
 Oh yeah! The Mask of Eyes: In the SMS version you can't see the outlines
of the doors that you need the Mask to get through. This basically means
that you have to waltz around with the Mask of Eyes on until you find
a doorway that wasn't there before. Not fun.

 [P]lot Differences:
  The only thing, again, that I can think of, is the fate of Sara. In the
Duo version, you never actually LEARN what happens to her, only that
she was "Kidnapped" ([Y]ou get a letter from her in her shop, and one of
the villagers lets you know about this.). In the SMS version, you learn
from a man inside her shop that she was murdered. 

 Fighting Bosses:
 In the SMS version, most of the bosses are more difficult to defeat than 
their Duo counterparts, in spite of having the same attacks. This is most 
apparent when fighting Dark Dekt/Fact. In the Duo version, he's something 
of a wuss if you get to level 36 or above. In the SMS version, he's a 
freaking monster! He moves slower, and it takes longer for a piece of the 
platform to fall out from under you. Also, his fireballs don't hurt you 
nearly as much as they do in the Duo version. So why's it harder? Because 
even IF you have the Silver Equipment on, he can take A LOT more damage 
than in the Duo version. This means that there will be a lot more holes 
in the platform. Also, wheras in the Duo version if you happen to get 
caught off the platform when it falls out from under you, merely trapping 
you in place (Which will soon lead to your death anyway), getting caught
off the platform in the SMS version will, again, lead to INSTANT death
(Which actually makes more sense).
The one exception to this (Bosses more difficult in the SMS version) is 
Heady, because there is a MUCH more forgiving ratio of you giving out 
damage to receiving it in the SMS version. 


  Outro/Legal Stuff
*Looks back at guide* Wow, Mrs. Stemmer (My English teacher) is right..
I have no organizational skills whatsoever! Oh well, It's my hope that
you have been reading this guide merely for your enjoyment, looking
for differences between the two games. If so, I believe I have 
accomplished this purpose. If I missed anything, feel free to E-mail me
at the addy listed at the top of the page. Later...
-Marc
This guide is Copyright 2000 by "Emptyeye". However, you can do pretty 
much what you wish with it except A. Say you wrote it, B. Quote parts of 
it directly (Paraphrasing is acceptable) without putting the quoted part 
in quotation marks and naming me/this guide as a source (THAT IS 
PLAIGERISM!!), and C. Sell/give this guide away for any profit of any 
kind. If you have any questions about whether what you do with this guide 
is in violation of A, B, or C, ask me first. I reserve the right to ask 
that this guide be taken down from your website at any time (Which won't 
happen under ordinary circumstances). Please ask before posting this 
guide on your website (I'll say yes). I respect all copyrights, 
trademarks, etc. in writing this guide.
 In addition, if you see this guide on a site BESIDES gamefaqs.com, 
NOTIFY ME IMMEDIATELY. Tell me the site and I'll take a look and see if
it's illegal copy or not. Thank you very kindly. Good night!