Lost Odyssey

"Lost Odyssey delivers in every way that counts. A classic is born."

I've been a long-time RPG fan ever since I was ten years old playing Chrono Trigger on the Super NES. I have always read up on every game I've bought, and very rarely make blind purchases. I try to save my time for great titles, so doing research on things I buy is something I pride myself on. This game caught my interest as well as many others when it was first announced. It has finally arrived in North America! Picked it up release day and haven't been able to put it down since. This has been one of the first RPGs to keep me glued to my Television until the wee hours of the morning. I just want to say thank you to Mistwalker for doing such a great job. On to the review!

When Lost Odyssey was first announced, it got a lot of hype here on GameFAQs and on many other sites. Everyone was wondering if Mistwalker could really pull it off, since Microsoft has never had much support from Japanese RPG developers. Thankfully they pulled it off, Lost Odyssey is a masterpiece of a game that should not be missed.

Story - 9/10
The story revolves around Kaim Argona, a solider who has lost his memory. He is an immortal, who has lived for a -long time- but doesn't figure all of this out until later in the story. Throughout the story, he meets other people similar to himself, and slowly pieces together his past. With the help of his fiends, Kaim ends up going on a journey to put things right. The story revolves around the "Magic-Industrial Revolution" in which humans discovered how to manipulate and use "magic energy" thirty years ago. Kaim and his crew end up going on quite an epic journey, which is quite the emotional roller coaster. The story is not your typical rehashed JRPG one. Mistwalker has managed to really spice it up, something which many JRPGs have seemed to lack in the past years

Of course like all JRPGs it has its ups and downs, but at the end of this adventure you will really be put through some pretty "Wow!" moments. Definitely one you will remember for quite some time. This is one of the only games I have actually got a little emotional playing. Simply amazing.

Graphics - 9/10
LO really shows off what the "Unreal Engine" and the Xbox 360 are capable of. While it's simple in design, the level of detail in the characters and scenery is simply jaw dropping. I have not seen an RPG look this good on any system. The details in the characters faces is really phenomenal. There are very few flaws overall with the graphics in LO aside from the occasional frame rate drops. The FMVs are well done, and the battle animations are solid. Another successfully aspect of the game.

As I said above, the game does suffer from frame rate issues. They really pushed the 360, but it shows.

Sound - 10/10
Wow! Is the only word I can use for this. Nobuo Uematsu, the man behind much of the Final Fantasy series has hoped on board with Mistwalker (As most know from his OST in Blue Dragon). I hate to keep saying how great everything is, but this is really one of the shining points of LO. The music is inspiring, and they will stick in your head. I really don't know how Nobuo keeps putting out such amazing work, I guess the man is a musical genius what can I say? All I will say is, this soundtrack is fantastic. Thank you Nobuo, thank you very much.

I wish I could put into words how much I enjoy the music, but I will let you see for yourselves.

Gameplay - 9/10
Mistwalker brings the "If it ain't bbroke, don't fix it" philosophy to the table for this one. This game brings nothing new to the table in terms of game breaking gameplay, but I don't see this as a con. It plays out like many traditional role-playing games. You control Kaim, and run around fields battling monsters, finding treasure, speaking to villagers, and learning new spells and magic. Nothing you haven't seen before if you've been playing RPGs since the Super Nintendo days.

The battle system has very simplistic, yet effective commands. Attack, Magic, etc. Mistwalker decided to add in a "timed hit" system to add something different to the battles, similar to that in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES). If you time it right (Good/Perfect) you will take full effect of your strike.

The most interesting thing about the gameplay is the Ring/Element system they put in place. You can use rings to add status/elemental components to your strikes. This plays a big role in many Boss Battles. There is a "Ring Assembly" system in which you can combine all the rings you find to make more and more powerful ones. Knowing which elemental attacks to do when is the key to success, and LO's Boss battles are no cakewalk.

The last and final thing I want to touch on the is "Anti-Grinding" system they put in place, which I love. They scale EXP earned from monsters based on your parties current level. This allows for hardcore gamers to still grind, yet lets the more casual gamer know when it's time to move on without over leveling to keep the challenge there. I really like that they make it known what the recommend level for each area is. That way the game is still a challenge for those who dislike over powering.

Conclusion:
While it brings nothing new to JRPGs, it makes sure that it does everything right you'd come to expect from one. A Solid battle system, good graphics, an amazing sound track, and characters you will fall in love with.

Do no skip past this game! You will be missing out on an amazing experience.

Final Score - 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/19/08

Game Release: Lost Odyssey (US, 02/12/08)