Spring Break
The Daily OrangeGet Lost
Formulaic role-playing game "Lost Odyssey" still manages to bring new innovations to genre
By Tim Jones
Posted: 3/19/08, 12:38 AM EST Section: Joystick
"Lost Odyssey" for the Xbox 360
Developed by Mistwalker
Published by Microsoft Game Studios
4 of the 5 Stars
Let's get this out of the way: players who don't enjoy RPGs flat out won't enjoy "Lost Odyssey." Fans of the genre - listen up. The game, admittedly, makes no attempts to step outside of or otherwise reinvent its role-playing genre. All the energy behind its creation was put into weaving an experience.
The result is story and presentation buffed to a shine, albeit within a familiar turn-based framework. For its qualities, "Lost Odyssey" can stand comfortably alongside genre classics like "Final Fantasy," "Chrono Trigger" or "Skies of Arcadia."
Players take control of a thousand-year-old immortal named Kaim Argonar. Kaim lives as a mercenary, fighting in the repeating wars of the nations around him. These wars, in their current state, revolve around a "magic industrial revolution" and its battles for resources and prestige.
For reasons that become clear later in the game's story, Kaim has little memory of his past, only that he cannot be killed, and there are others like him. As far as he knows, he's always been fighting. And that's about all he knows.
"Lost Odyssey" takes a heavily treaded path in afflicting its protagonist with amnesia. However, the game uses it in a way that humanizes its main character and fleshes out the game's universe as few games manage.
There are the necessary main storyline moments where a piece of Kaim's past is revealed to progress the narrative, but beyond these, the game gives the player unique opportunities to see pieces of Kaim's life. While exploring, the player will come across background scenes that "unlock" memories. Something as simple as seeing a child playing in the street induces a flashback, giving the player a chance to delve deeper into the game's story.
These short stories are presented as text, with sound and music for ambiance and minimal visuals as a backdrop. They are well written, focusing more on the people Kaim has met than anything else. The stories emphasize mortality and encompass a wide range of emotions, provided the player has an attention span lasting more than five minutes, they are not to be missed.
Developed by Mistwalker
Published by Microsoft Game Studios
4 of the 5 Stars
Let's get this out of the way: players who don't enjoy RPGs flat out won't enjoy "Lost Odyssey." Fans of the genre - listen up. The game, admittedly, makes no attempts to step outside of or otherwise reinvent its role-playing genre. All the energy behind its creation was put into weaving an experience.
The result is story and presentation buffed to a shine, albeit within a familiar turn-based framework. For its qualities, "Lost Odyssey" can stand comfortably alongside genre classics like "Final Fantasy," "Chrono Trigger" or "Skies of Arcadia."
Players take control of a thousand-year-old immortal named Kaim Argonar. Kaim lives as a mercenary, fighting in the repeating wars of the nations around him. These wars, in their current state, revolve around a "magic industrial revolution" and its battles for resources and prestige.
For reasons that become clear later in the game's story, Kaim has little memory of his past, only that he cannot be killed, and there are others like him. As far as he knows, he's always been fighting. And that's about all he knows.
"Lost Odyssey" takes a heavily treaded path in afflicting its protagonist with amnesia. However, the game uses it in a way that humanizes its main character and fleshes out the game's universe as few games manage.
There are the necessary main storyline moments where a piece of Kaim's past is revealed to progress the narrative, but beyond these, the game gives the player unique opportunities to see pieces of Kaim's life. While exploring, the player will come across background scenes that "unlock" memories. Something as simple as seeing a child playing in the street induces a flashback, giving the player a chance to delve deeper into the game's story.
These short stories are presented as text, with sound and music for ambiance and minimal visuals as a backdrop. They are well written, focusing more on the people Kaim has met than anything else. The stories emphasize mortality and encompass a wide range of emotions, provided the player has an attention span lasting more than five minutes, they are not to be missed.
Be the first to comment on this story