Lost Odyssey is further proof that Sakaguchi still has what it takes to make amazing games.
What is it?
Lost Odyssey is a Japanese developed RPG for Microsoft's Xbox 360. What's special about it is that it was developed by former Squaresoft members, including the very creator of Final Fantasy himself. Unlike Mistwalker's other 360 release, Blue Dragon(more on that game later), Lost Odyssey includes a more mature story line that Final Fantasy players have become accustomed to in the past few years. It follows the story of a man who can't die, and his involvement in saving an entire world.
Gameplay:8.5/10
Just like most traditional JRPGs, Lost Odyssey utilizes a turn-based battle system. There isn't much different to the system from others, but it does include a SMRPG kind of flair to normal attacks. Throughout the game, you can create and obtain "rings", which augment your attacks but require good timing to activate. You do this by holding the right trigger and releasing it as a circle overlaps another. With good timing, you activate the effect, while with PERFECT timing you boost the effect. This act actually becomes somewhat addictive, and I found myself enjoying this simple addition.
As far as magic goes, it works exactly the same as any RPG. Gone is the charge system from Blue Dragon, but without it comes the ability of Composite Magic, making for devastating all-hit spells and all-auto life skills. Of course, you can't use this type of magic without having a character who has learned it, and the best casters are immortals. That brings another important part of the gameplay into focus. Immortal characters can't learn abilities by themselves, and thusly must link skills with a normal character through the skill link option in the menu. To learn a skill, you fight until you gain the required SP. Once you have a skill, you can mix and match it with others in an immortal characters skill slots, and you are able to gain more slots to allow even more skills with special accessories and items. This brings back the old idea of a customizable party, and I've always been a sucker for that kind of thing. Not to mention, Immortal characters can also learn the accessory specific skills, while normal characters themselves can't, making it possible to turn your immortal characters into ailment and magic immune monstrosities of death.
As for the overworld gameplay, it's pretty much just get from A to B while fighting the odd battle or too. Battles are random, which is kind of odd in this day and age, but the encounter rate isn't so high that it would annoy the average player, and leveling up isn't much of a hassle either. The game's areas all have level caps, and generous amounts of exp are handed out until that cap is reached. There's even an area that you can use to level your characters up to level 50 with ease, and then another with a cap of 75. In short: The gameplay isn't anything new but it's still very enjoyable maybe even more so than the traditional Final Fantasy fare, as the ring system and skills keep you addicted to the battles.
Music:9.5/10
Lost Odyssey is yet another game composed by the famed musical genius, Nobuo Uematsu. Once again, Uematsu provides a wonderful selection of tracks that range from classic orchestrated music to intense rock. Almost every single track in this game is good. Except for one that I really must mention since it's a fair warning to prepare you for it. The game's main theme "What You Are" is an incredibly cheesy love song, but that seems to be the case with a lot of RPGs. Just grin and bear it, for the rest of the game's songs are amazing. Particularly, the final boss music. Which I won't spoil for readers, but I can assure them that it's just as amazing as songs such as One Winged Angel.
Story:10/10
The story is perhaps one of the most amazing RPG stories I have come across, but not in a tradtional way. The main story itself follows the exploits of an immortal man named Kaim Argonar, and his journey to regain his memories and find his purpose in the world. This basically boils down to beat the bad guy who's trying to take over the world, and even includes some annoying little kids to boot. However, there is the inclusion of a character named Jansen. Who manages to keep the traditional story from becoming too overbearing, and counters the annoying children with the humor that he presents. He even manages to keep the theme from annoying players during the middle of the game, by singing it himself and turning it completely ridiculous.
Though I've pretty much said the story is traditional in the past few paragraphs, the true brilliance comes through in the Thousand Years of Dreams mechanic. This mechanic is a series of stories that you can read throughout the game's progression, and reveals the past of Kaim. These are EXTREMELY well written by Kiyoshi Shigematsu, a well-known author in Japan. These stories had me excitedly hoping for the next with each passing one, and there's 34 in all.
Graphics:9.5/10
Lost Odyssey runs on Epic's Unreal Engine, which people would think is an odd choice a JRPG, but it manages to shine brilliantly. Everything in Lost Odyssey is a tour de force and highly detailed. The magic animations, and one of particular skill called "Ultimate Hit", look beautiful in action. It shows that the 360 is certainly capable of wonderful effects and wide open areas. Included in the game is various FMVs of the highest quality, and this is why the game is 4 discs. It's just packed with them, and every single one doesn't fail to amaze.
Another great graphical achievement comes in the character models and enemy designs, which are all highly detailed. In fact, this game might have the best monster graphics in any JRPG, ranging from cute Kelolons to grotesque Rotting Dragons. Every single one is inspired, and is a wonder to see in motion.The only reason the graphics don't get a 10 is due to one minor, but sometimes very noticeable problem. Some in-game cutscenes can have very choppy frame rates, which is an utter shame.
Controls: 10/10
Not much to say. The controls are perfect for a JRPG.
Replayability: 8/10
The game has plenty of sidequests to keep the player occupied, and can bring your total playtime upwards of 70 hours. Every single one is nicely designed, and prove for great diversions to keep the game going. However, once it's all over, there may not be a reason to replay it again for a long time. There IS a New Game+ mode, however, for all fans of going through a game all over again, wrecking every single thing in their path with their epic party. Still, you'll find yourself popping the disc in again for another replay down the road, this I can guarantee.
Overall:9/10(NOT an average)
Another valiant effort from Mistwalker Studios, and proves that Sakaguchi still has it in him. I actually prefer this game to many of the Final Fantasy titles, and hope that Mistwalker will make this one of their franchises, just like they did with Blue Dragon. The game certainly is amazing, and proves that Sony isn't the only company to look for when looking for the Final Fantasy-esque fix. In fact, the story in this game is a lot better than most Final Fantasies, with a TRULY mature story, rather than the dark and brooding theme that many of the titles have adopted in the past few years. In closing: If Blue Dragon wasn't for you, this one certainly will be, due to its closeness to the Final Fantasy franchise. My highest recommendations.