Format: Xbox 360
Certificate: 16

When I first picked up Lost Odyssey for about ten pounds, it never occurred to me that I was investing in a game which would keep me thoroughly entertained for over a year. In fact longer, seeing as I’ve yet to put it down for good. It has to be said, this is one of the best video games I’ve played for a very long time.

Lost Odyssey is a turn based RPG (role playing game) made by the same team behind the well renowned Final Fantasy series. However it has to be said here, that while this is my preferred style of gaming, for many it really won’t impress. If you can’t stand the idea of ‘taking turns’ in fighting throughout this lengthy game, and don’t particularly enjoy games with deep story lines and a lot of cut-scenes, you’d probably best turn away now; if a more straight-forward shooter like COD is your thing, it’s unlikely (but not impossible!) that this is your cup of tea. If you’re still reading, then good. I’ll now explain why you should buy Lost Odyssey.

The story is a huge part of the game, but it definitely doesn’t detract from its quality. If anything it enhances it. The key character of the plot is Kaim Argonar, an immortal man wandering the world aimlessly, having lost a millennium’s worth of memories thirty years before and now remembering only a painful but blurred tragedy in his past. There are also three other immortals in the world, who too have lost their memories, and the story features Kaim teaming up with these three others, and a bunch of mortals, to discover the truth behind their stolen memories and who is responsible, and naturally trying to save the planet from doom. This may sound like a cliché, but really the story is pretty elaborate, and as the game progresses you will find yourself growing endeared towards most of the characters, and wanting to delve further into the surprisingly dramatic story. There is also the ‘Thousand Years of Dreams’ element in the game, which has Kaim occasionally recall a memory from his past, triggered by some minor event you encounter, such as a mother scolding her child. However, this can be a hiccup in the game, as these ‘memories’ are no more than several pages of writing for you to read in the midst of the game. For the most part, they’re actually very well written, but if you don’t really want to read from a television screen, or don’t have the patience, as I sometimes found, to read about a dozen screens when you’d rather be fighting, then you can always just skip these dreams. It’s a nice touch, even if it is, for some, a nuisance.

The game-play takes the form of a classic RPG; tactical, but not dull, fighting, where each side of the fight takes turns to choose from a huge (and I mean huge) array of attacks, spells and skills. At first the arsenal is small, yes, but as you gain levels from fighting you learn more and more abilities, and this results in the possibility of very diverse ways of playing for each person. If you’re more of a defensive fighter, eager to heal and protect your team-mates, you can do just that, using ‘White Magic’ more often, a protecting magic. But if you prefer killing your enemies quickly, then send in your warriors to hack them down, and have your casters use ‘Black Magic’, the more offensive type which lets you use a lot of very cool spells, made even better by the pretty great visuals of the game, considering it’s a good three years old. There are nine characters to choose from, and your ‘party’ (the group of players you choose to fight) can hold up to five at any time, so this too adds to the sense of unique play styles, using different combinations of characters to give your party its maximum potential.

On top of the entertaining play style, great soundtrack and impressive story, Lost Odyssey can keep you entertained for a long time. Even after fifty hours of play time, there are still several large side-quests which can be completed, not to mention the achievements to be earned. If you have some spare time on your hands, and fancy a good gaming session or two, this is pretty much perfect for you. Even if you’re doubtful as to whether you’ll enjoy it, it’s very cheap for what it is, at a tenner on Amazon, give or take a pound. If you’ve ever enjoyed an RPG before, or even if you just want to give it a try, this is fantastic value for money. I think the only fault I can give this game is that there are quite a few loading screens… That’s about it. I give it a 4.5, and that’s only because I don’t believe in perfection. If I wasn’t a cynic, it’d get a perfect score.

by Joseph Carey