Where do I even begin? I had the game pre-ordered for months, and picked it up two days ago upon its release and bought a 360 pro, and have immersed myself in the game since.
I’m sure that anyone with even the slightest interest in the game has read by now that the game is a traditional RPG, and most reviews tend to whine endlessly about this. So let me get it out of the way: YES, Lost Odyssey is a traditionally-styled RPG. If the thought of playing one doesn’t sound appealing, then do not go anywhere near this game. If you normally don’t like the genre, this game was very obviously not made for you. Its combat isn’t as fast-paced or cinematic as Panzer Dragoon Saga, and its exploration segments aren’t nearly as brilliant or genre-breaking as something like Skies of Arcadia or Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, and its play structure isn’t as off-the-wall unique as Persona 3.
If, however, you DO enjoy a good traditional RPG in the vein of Suikoden or Shadow Hearts, then you’ll be in heaven. There is a world of difference between the terms “traditional” and “generic”, and Lost Odyssey has nothing to do with the latter. Don’t let the “from the makers of Final Fantasy” ad campaign fool you. The bulk of the development team is made up of ex-Shadow Hearts series team members, and that fact shows through on more than one occasion.
Upon starting the game, one can change the language to one of any five different choices. When you start playing, you are treated to some brilliantly directed cutscenes and some fun, fast-paced fights, and about half an hour in you are basically turned loose on a pretty massive city.
The core combat mechanics are very simple, but so far it’s all very polished and seems to rely far more on strategy than grinding, so grind-haters should be letting out a long sigh of relief. The music in the game is absolutely phenomenal, to the point where even if you hate Uematsu’s previous work you’ll find a lot to love in here. The visuals have some definite rough edges, but the art style is strong, the levels are well designed, and the cutscenes are sublimely directed. Exploration is handled in a very Shadow Hearts-ish way, with a pulled back, mostly fixed camera angle. Items are tucked into literally everything, and one thing that I like is that it’s not just chests. I’ve been peeling posters off of the walls of the city and finding items behind them for godsake! XD The voice acting so far is a bit spotty, but the primary cast is quite strong.
You may have noticed that my summary of these various aspects until now was quite brief. That’s because I want to get to the real meat of the game: the impeccable storytelling. When I first started the game I was impressed with the cutscene direction, but was finding the whole experience a bit unremarkable. I was beginning to wonder if I had made some form of mistake…
And then, it happened. The game’s primary storytelling device, the “Thousand Year Dream” system, was introduced, and there is simply no going back now. I’m not exaggerating when I say that the game’s Thousand Year Dream system is absolutely the greatest storytelling device in the history of the genre, and is the best thing to happen to JRPGs since Suikoden III’s Trinity Sight system! It is as essential to the Lost Odyssey experience as the Celestial Brush is to Okami, music to Rez, or Yorda to ICO.
The game’s lead character, Kaim, has been alive for a thousand years. He has little to no recollection of why, and at the current moment the fact that he can’t remember much isn’t being handled in a typical “amnesiac hero” fashion. The beauty of this system is such: suddenly, when exploring the environments for items, you have a new goal, one not present in most RPGs of this ilk. Instead of scouring for items, you find yourself scouring for actual plot. Let’s say you wander into the serene Uhra park, and you see a man and a woman and their daughter sitting on the park bench. Suddenly, Kaim will reel back and the screen will distort, as a flood of memories comes rushing back into his mind. This is what the game calls a “Dream”. Some of these are required, but the beauty of the system is that most are not. It really encourages exploration, as you’re being constantly rewarded not with items, but instead with some of the most gripping and emotionally potent narratives the medium has ever produced!
Heavy words? Perhaps, but it’s quite true. The Dreams are essentially short stories or scenarios that take place at various moments in Kaim’s long, long life. The game presents an interesting take on the concept of an immortal: instead of glorifying it, they make it real. Our short lives are often full of pain and sorrow, but also joy and wonder. Kaim’s immensely long life is full of so many doses of these things that it would drive any of us mad. The Dreams are absolutely wonderfully drawn and directed, and the literary mastery on display here is maddening. It’s hard to believe that this quality of writing was translated from another language. It’s so natural, so poetic, and so rich.
I’m choosing my words carefully, as I would never wish to spoil these sequences for a potential player. But suffice it to say that they are unrivalled in their power. I’m not ashamed to admit that out of the very few I have managed to find so far, nearly all of them have brought me to tears. Sometimes sorrowful, and other times joyful. The game is quite depressing, but never in an over melodramatic way. The game deftly balances sorrow and joy in ways rarely seen in even the greatest of emotional works. If the true goal of art is to affect one’s emotions, then Lost Odyssey succeeds in ways unimaginable.