Lost Odyssey Review

Long before the times of huge, sprawling real-time RPGs, a simpler form of role playing game took form in Japan. A turn-based battle system and dynamic story were crucial elements in building a great RPG. Before long, this way of making RPGs caught on and many found their way into the US market to wide acclaim. Titles that have thrived using a turn-based system include Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, etc. For the longest time, this style of RPG was almost the way they were supposed to be made. That is, until the market became flooded with MMOs and open world real-time RPGs such as Elder Scrolls, Fable and KOTOR.

The last game to have actually done good turn-based RPG correctly was Final Fantasy X in 2001. Now it is all about evolving from the same formula and changing how it plays. Some games have thrived from it, but most have crumbled. It seems that now the traditional RPG is making a comeback. Lost Odyssey is the latest in this genre to try and revive a dying play style. It just so happens that Lost Odyssey proves that these types of games still have merit and are extremely enjoyable to play.

You play as Kaim Argonar, a 1000 year old immortal who has no recollection of his past. You start off being the only survivor from a meteor strike and are sent on a journey to investigate how it happened. Along the way you will enlist the help of other immortals to aid you in your quest. Before long, you realize your quest has been in vain. As the memories of the immortals start to return, they learn they have been betrayed and must seek revenge. From here, you will battle through four discs in this impressive turn-based RPG.

Even though it seems verbatim now, Lost Odyssey uses the Unreal 3 engine to deliver some stunning visuals both during gameplay and in the many cutscenes that you will encounter. The characters are rendered brilliantly, pushing this story-driven game in a direction that only a RPG can deliver. Cutscenes seem to flood your gameplay experience as you will be spending about just as much time watching them as you will be playing. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. The biggest gripe however is all the load times that you will encounter. Loading from area to area is a given, but some load times before battles and between cutscenes are horrendous and dramatically slows the pace of the Lost Odyssey way down. You would think that with four discs, this would not be an issue, but it still is.

The sound design is something that will rival many RPGs of its kind. The traditional piano/classical music really sets the tone for Lost Odyssey and creates a powerful atmosphere. The voice talent for Lost Odyssey is up and down. There are some actors who really nail their parts, but others just don’t hack it and are really boring. Kaim’s actor, for example, seems boring but that is who Kaim is at the beginning. As the game moves on, you see a different Kaim and you can tell by how his voice changes. You do not get this from most characters. There are plenty of one liners that you are sure to use from the character Jansen who also pulls off the humor in Lost Odyssey. Love him or hate him, he will make you laugh on more than one occasion.

As I stated earlier, Lost Odyssey is a traditional RPG with turn-based gameplay. The system is by no means broken, and Lost Odyssey puts it own spin on things and makes strategy a key function of the game. Not only are you allowed up to five characters in your party at once, but you are able to select your formation which adds offensive and defensive elements to your strategy. The front line is normally your tanks/weapon wielding characters, while the back line is primarily your mages. While characters in the back may still be directly attacked, the damage on them is limited as long as they have people in front of them. The same goes for your enemies as well. They will have a formation that makes certain creatures harder to hit, so you will have to take out the front first and work your way back. When characters die in battle, you have plenty of items to revive them and regenerate this MP, HP, etc, but you only have to do this for your mortal party members. When an immortal dies, they are automatically revived a few turns later, thus saving you items. Of course, if you need them right away, you will revive them, but that is just something that I have found helpful.

Adding some more new elements to the mix, Lost Odyssey throws in a ring building system that allows you to create rings with different abilities that are completely interchangeable pending the situation. The rings you build can do anything from increase your attack power, to allow you to use black magic, to a combination of many things. What is also intriguing is that your immortal characters do not learn new skills as they level up. How they are able to earn new abilities is to skill link off of a non-immortal character and “mimic” their abilities in order to learn them. To do so, you set a skill link of any skill you wish to learn with your immortal, and after a couple of battles you are able to use the ability as long as you have an open slot for it. It gets to be quite addicting and builds on the turn based gameplay quite a bit. There are many items and upgrades throughout the game that will increase different stats. There are a decent amount of side-quests as well, which will keep you busy for some time as long as you are thorough in your run through.

Even though the game is four discs, do not think that you are getting a 100 hour game out of Lost Odyssey. The bulk of each disc is in the numerous cutscenes that you will encounter. Only expect to receive a 30-40 hour experience that will include many interesting battles, characters, and plot twists. Lost Odyssey is definitely one of the better RPGs of this generation. It is right up there with the likes of Mass Effect and Oblivion while being entirely different. If you are a fan to these traditional RPGs, or are new to the way turn based RPGs work, Lost Odyssey will definitely open your eyes to just how enjoyable they can be once again.