Gameplay:
Set in the middle of The Magical Revolution, in which magic has just recently begun to flourish in the world, the story of Lost Odyssey revolves around Kaim, an immortal who has lived for over 1000 years. Kaim is a man of very few words, and has lost his memory, but still retains his former abilities, making him a fearsome soldier. The game begins in the depths of an enormous battle that is being waged between the Uhra and Kent. In the midst of the battlefield, a meteor suddenly falls from the sky, destroying both armies forces. The only survivors were Kaim, and one other mysterious immortal women, Seth. After this Kaim and Seth, along with the addition of Jansen, are sent on a mission to discover what caused the fall of the meteor, thus embarking them along the epic adventure that ensues. Kaim and Seth are joined by other allies over the course of the game, since the battles use a turn based system closely mimicking earlier Final Fantasy titles, such as Final Fantasy X; this allows customization of who will fight in your party.
Also you will be subjected to random battles as you walk, which can be very annoying, especially if you have only walked a few feet since your last encounter. Item synthesizing plays a role in this game as well. You can create many different items called battle rings, which will cause different effects on your characters, ranging from increased damage, to elemental effects, such as fire. The battles are more cinematic that the typical role playing game, allowing for different camera angles that help to get you into the action. The combat system also causes the user to get involved with the game play, by using the ring system, which requires that you align two rings within a certain time limit, aligning them correctly allows for greater damage form your attacks.
Controls:
The controls are pretty simple: the A button is the action button allowing you to open doors and find hidden items around the environments. The X button causes you to sprint, while the right trigger zooms in the camera while out of combat. During combat only the A button and right trigger are used, making combat relatively simple, allowing you to focus more on what strategy you are going to use to defeat your opponents.
Graphics:
The graphics are simply amazing, but it is not the gleam of the water or the depth of the textures that make this game captivating, though they are quite nice, instead it is the style in which this game was created. The world is created with amazing detail, and is so fresh and inventive that you would have expected the images to have jumped straight off the pages of a book. It is easily discernable that the style is obliviously Japanese, which fits the story and setting perfectly.
Sound:
The sound is very nice and clear, with a rich and dynamic backing of music. Most all of the dialogue in this game has voice over, all of the monsters also have their own sounds, I found this very refreshing, seeing as some games rich in enemies just recycle the same sounds over and over.
Replay Value:
The replay value of this game is low. It is a great game to play through for the first time, but once you beat the game and find the all of the items, then there is really nothing left to do. The game is very scripted and does not allow you to deviate from the set path, making the game play the almost the same, no matter how many times you play through it.
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Rating:
Story: 9.5
Gameplay: 8.0
Controls: 8.0
Graphics: 9.5
Sound: 8.5
Replay value: 7.0
Overall: 8.4
Own, Rent, Avoid:
Own: This game is one of the better turn based games I have played.
Last Thoughts:
The combination of the style and story make this games story a true master piece, and even though the combat can get some what repetitive, the story alone is more than enough to compel you through the slower, somewhat boring parts of the game. The characters are quite remarkably done, introducing a nice balance of personality's, that will have you laughing or even feeling sad throughout the games entirety.
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Written By
Ethan Stroupe
2/21/2009
