Ys: Memories of Celceta is a re-imagined retelling of the Ys IV games' story. Adol Christin, the protagonist, wakes up in the land of Celceta with no memory. He teams up with Duran, who claims he can help him regain his memories. However, this will require them to venture into dangerous and uncharted lands, which Adol is eager to do. During gameplay, the player controls a single character while the other party members fight on their own. Character switching is also possible, as each character fights differently and uses different types of weapons and attacks.
The gameplay is similar to the rest of the Ys series, with Adol being a real-time role-playing game featuring non-random encounters. All enemies are fought on the world map as they appear, allowing for a more tactical approach. As characters level up, they learn new skills and can perform more powerful attacks.