Well Thought, but Failed Execution, what went wrong with Odin Sphere? How did it become disappointing?
While playing the game, I suffered from countless deaths because my game was moving at a very slow amount of frames per second. This is downright frustrating for myself as I watch my character die at a whopping five frames per second. (Maybe not five, but it felt like it.) Eventually, the game became a chore more than a fun game.
Enough of the technical issues and time to ask if the game is fun. Is it? The answer is surprisingly yes! The game plays similarly to its predecessor, Princess Crown. However, the game eliminates the random battle aspect that Princess Crown possessed. The game also eliminates the experience cumulating of Princess Crown and decides to add a twist to leveling. Instead of grinding, players are now hunting for items to create food to increase health and absorbing phozons from dead enemies for increased attack. The game also carries over the same character selection as Princess Crown where players must beat a scenario to unlock a new character. Eventually, players get to see the relation of all the characters in the game. To help players figure out the story, the game also includes a history, allowing players to read how the stories link up to one another.
Fighting enemies in each stage is like playing a Mega Man game. One must know the enemy patterns and attack accordingly. No matter what level a person is, one can easily be demolished by a horde of enemies, or a fierce boss. Without lag, the game moves at a rapid pace until the POW gauge runs out. The POW gauge is like your level of stamina. If you run out of it, your character gets dizzy and will not perform any actions until the gauge is refilled. So in order to prevent dizziness, players must stop attacking for a brief second, or absorb phozons before continuing. A new layer of strategy, but also frustrating.
The playable characters of the game are surprisingly different from one another. Unlike Dynasty Warriors, where hacking and slashing is the goal for each character, Odin Sphere seperates all characters to have different fighting styles. For example, where Gwendolyn fights well in Melee and is a balanced character, Mercedes is a long range character, but reacts at a rather slow pace. This level of difference allows players to discover new ways of playing the game using each character.
Sadly, I would love the game to not have a nostalgic feel. The feeling of "I already saw this scenery" occurs frequently. Not only that, but each character have very similar bosses. While going to the same few places you can visit in the game, one may often wonder if the same boss from a previous character will reappear here. For the most part, yes they do.
While a game can easily be called RPG of the year if executed better, Odin Sphere fails to deliver that promise. A 10/10 score from Play Magazine must've really had to let go of the incredible lag times, nostalgia, load times and button mashing throughout the game. What was thought of as a fast pace game became slow paced and forgettable. However, it does remind us of a game that could've been executed well and become a game that can be remembered.