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Lost Odyssey (ロストオデッセイ, Rosuto Odessei?) is an RPG developed by Mistwalker exclusively for the Xbox 360. The player takes control of Kaim, a man who has lived for a thousand years and who has no memory of his past. The game is set in a world nearing a "magical industrial revolution". Kaim, who seems to want to forget his past, struggles with the return of his memories and the pain they bring.
Lost Odyssey is produced by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the famed Final Fantasy series. This is his third project outside of Square Enix, following ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat and Blue Dragon.
Lost Odyssey's story is penned by the award-winning[who?] Japanese novelist, Kiyoshi Shigematsu who worked directly with the game's producer Hironobu Sakaguchi on Kaim's backstory, bits of which are unlocked throughout the course of the game. Heading up the artistic demands of the title is famed Japanese mangaka, Takehiko Inoue, while famed composer Nobuo Uematsu has been recruited to create a more contemporary soundtrack. Mistwalker is developing the title, with cooperation with a studio named Feel Plus, a subsidiary of Microsoft created specifically to aid Mistwalker. Feel Plus is made up of around 40 former Nautilus/Sacnoth developers, most famous for the cult favorite Shadow Hearts RPG series. (Sacnoth was officially announced as being dissolved in 2007.) [1] Former Square employees at Microsoft are also involved. The game ships on four dual layer DVDs, more than any Xbox 360 game to date. This is the first RPG developed using the Unreal Engine 3.0.
A playable demo of the game was shown at the Tokyo Game Show 2006, and was made available with the November issue of Weekly Famitsu.
On July 11, 2007, an English trailer of Lost Odyssey was shown at E3 2007.
According to Peter Moore and Microsoft's E3 press event Lost Odyssey was to be in stores worldwide for the 2007 holiday season, although it was actually released in February 2008 in both the US and Europe.
On November 19, 2007, at a special Blue Dragon/Lost Odyssey concert held in Shibuya, Tokyo, it was announced that the game had gone gold and was ready for its Japanese release date of December 6, 2007. According to a special bloggers event at which selected people were invited to play demos of the game from the very beginning, it was confirmed that English/Japanese voices were selectable in the Japanese version.[2]
An issue regarding the packaging has led to several complaints from consumers. Since the game could not fit onto a standard DVD, it requires four discs. In Japan and Australia, the solution was to use an oversized case with two disc trays to store the discs. In the United States and PAL territories, however, the first three discs were crammed onto a single 3-disc spindle inside the main game case. The fourth disc came packaged only in a paper sleeve. The concern is that the method used for the American and European versions could result in scratched discs.[3]
Disc One
The story begins with an immortal man named Kaim, in a decisive battle between the Magic Republic of Uhra and Khent, on the Highlands of Wohl. In the midst of the battle, the skies become an ominous pitch black and a giant meteor mysteriously appears over the battle field. The meteor rains molten lava from the heavens before crashing down on the field below it. All of the troops on either side of the conflict near the impact site are completely annihilated.
The Uhran council suspects a leak of magical energy from Grand Staff (a 'magic engine' under construction in the Sea of Baus) to be responsible for the meteor, and places its overseer -- the sorcerer Gongora -- under house arrest. Since he is immortal, Kaim was one of few survivors from the meteor's crater site, and thus summoned to the council. When asked precisely how he survived, Kaim confesses that he does not know. Gongora, who vouches for the man, states that he is under an immortality spell that he (Gongora) cast on him. Questioned about the secrets of the spell, Gongora explains that the spell is cursed, and that all those who hear about it die shortly thereafter. The council takes Gongora's word on the matter, and ask no further questions. The council, who have lost contact with the construction at Grand Staff, order Kaim to investigate, and return with a detailed report. The council unanimously vote to suspend construction of Grand Staff until Kaim returns, much to the dislike of Gongora, and furthermore place Gongora under house arrest and suspend him from the council. Kaim is ordered to take Seth, another immortal who survived the meteor, along with him. Gongora, who has a mysterious connection with Kaim, later orders him to take Jansen, a hired mercenary, with him to Grand Staff.
That night Kaim experiences a nightmare where he sees a young girl jump off of a cliff. It is hinted that these strange nightmares are fragments of his past.
Uhra has recently become a republic. Tolten is heir to the throne and would become King if Uhra was still a monarchy. Tolten is an honest and trusting, if naive, character. Although Tolten has agreed to Uhra being a republic, Gongora warns him that others may still resist. Later, Gongora storms into the prince's lair and tosses his soup on the floor, feeding the meal to a rat which is killed from inside by a plant-like creature that was residing in the soup. Gongora then burns the creature and the soup with a Flare spell. Tolten humbly thanks Gongora for saving his life. Gongora claims to be proud to help his majesty, however, later pays off the servant who prepared the soup in an obvious set up planned by the sorcerer.
The investigation of Grand Staff is interrupted by an impromptu assault from the army of Numara led by General Kakanas. Kaim, Seth, and Jansen are taken prisoner aboard the White Boa. While imprisoned, Kaim has another nightmare similar to the one before, this time showing Kaim and a woman weeping after the girl jumps, and a dark figure in the distance. Jansen uses a magical crystal, which erases the victim's memory and was given to him by Gongora, on a guard to escape their holding cell (even though he was ordered to use it on Kaim or Seth if their memories started to return). While escaping, Seth has a memory return to her, about the Queen of Numara, remembering that they were once friends. Their attempted escape fails, but they are set free once they reach Numara. Kakanas hopes that in freeing, and secretly following them, they will lead Numara to more information on Uhra and Grand Staff. Kakanas insists Numara prepare for war against Uhra, and begins to maintain war preparations, much to the discontent of Ming's wishes, who wishes to remain isolated.
Kaim, Seth, and Jansen then meet Cooke and Mack by a field of flowers called tenderflora, at the outskirts of Numara. After fending off soldiers who were bullying the children, they are invited to the children's home. Several memories return to Kaim when he meets the children's very ill mother, Lirum. Lirum turns out to be Kaim's daughter, now physically aged beyond Kaim. She was also the girl in Kaim's dream, and the woman from these dreams was revealed to be Sarah, Kaim's wife and Lirum's mother. Kaim also remembers that Gongora was the dark figure. Unfortunately, Lirum had been very sick for some time now, and was on her deathbed when Kaim arrives. Having seen her father one last time, Lirum passes away, entrusting her children to Kaim. Kaim realizes that Gongora is responsible for his lost memories, and that Sarah is also an immortal. With a portion of his memory regained, Kaim decides to head out in search of Sarah.
Back in Uhra, Chairman Roxian attacks Tolten, and Tolten defends himself by killing the chairman. Gongora arrives and convinces Tolten that they must claim Roxian's death was an accident, and that Tolten must accept his role as King. However, the Roxian that Tolten killed was really a monster summoned by Gongora, and the real Roxian was devoured by a snake under Gongora's control.
After Lirum's funeral, Mack wanders off to the Crimson Forest, where one may supposedly commune with the dead. The Crimson Forest is cursed from a war 500 years ago started by the Eastern Tribe. Mack is found possessed by the evil spirit of the forest. After the party saves Mack, a wind that is harsh at first but soon becomes gentle arrives and flowers begin to bloom all around. The children believe that the wind is a sign from their mother. Later, Mack is overwhelmed by a feeling of unease, and Seth explains that he has become affluent in the powers of the Eastern Tribe, as a result of being possessed by the spirits in the forest.
Disc Two
When they arrive back in Numara, they see a global announcement of Tolten's claim to the throne of Uhra, and that Gongora has been appointed as royal advisor. The announcement also shows Numara's army preparing for war against Uhra, seemingly from Jansen's point of view, causing the party to suspect that Jansen is a spy.. General Kakanas attacks the party, Kaim convinces Cooke & Mack to flee and the others willingly become imprisoned as spies in order to speak with Ming.
A Numaran sorcerer removes a Spy Eye from Jansen's right eye. Jansen claims to not have known about the spy eye. Even though the Numaran sorcerer validates Jansen's claim that he was unaware of the Spy Eye, Kakanas orders Kaim, Seth, and Jansen killed. However, Cooke & Mack return and cast a spell in which Kakanas and several soldiers are stripped to their underwear. In the confusion, an escape is made to Ming's bedroom. Kakanas catches up to them, but they escape by pretending to take Ming hostage (Ming herself aids the escape by mentioning a secret passage). Kakanas intercepts them once more with a tank, but is defeated. Ming, who turns out to know Cooke and Mack (they call her Aunt Ming, because she had been befriended their mother prior to the game). agrees to join the party, hoping to regain her lost memories.
They steal the Slantnose, a ship being prepared for Kakanas, just as its engine (which was once owned by Seth) is restored. Ming is updated on what they know so far; Kaim, Seth, herself, Sarah, and Gongora are immortals sent to this world to accomplish something very important (but because their memories have not fully returned they are unable to recall the exact nature of their quest). A one thousand year pact was agreed upon by the immortals, however, at the end of the thousand years Gongora betrayed the pact and the group. Since they are immortal and he cannot kill them, he takes something very dear from each of them in an attempt to break their wills, then he cast a spell on them to erase their memories. More specifically, Gongora took Kaim and Sarah's daughter (Lirum); took Seth's son (Sed) and made Seth killing her beloved companion (Aneira); and he forced Ming to seal her own memories or else he would keep decimating the Numaran citizens by fierce magic beasts.
With a part of their past unveiled the party decides to head back to Uhra and face Gongora. However, since their current ship is not strong enough to cross the ocean back to Uhra, they decide to head to Gohtza for aid. Gohtza is considered the primer nation in the fields of science and technology, thus the party feels confident that, with the help of the wise and benevolent king of Gohtza, they will find a ship that will transport them across the ocean.
The party arrives at Tosca, a small port town, and discover that the Black Cave (the path to Gohtza) is sealed. The innkeeper informs them that an old sorceress sealed it and would be the only one capable of unsealing it. They find the old sorceress, in Kaim's old residence. The old sorceress who turns out to be Sarah, driven mad by memories of losing Lirum at the Cliff, had returned to her old home to wallow in her despair, causing her to give in to her pained emotions. Though she was trapped by Gongora's spell, the kindness in her heart did not fade. Cooke and Mack revive Sarah by singing a family lullaby.
Sarah knows that Kaim is her husband from journals that she kept. Sarah joins the others and breaks the seal on the Black Cave. A dark power is sensed in the caves and is discovered to be coming from the ocean across Saman, a small merchant town. They take a small boat from Saman and head toward the power, however during the trip they are ambushed by mutated sea creatures, shortly afterwards a bright white light knocks everyone out. They awake at the Experimental Staff and meet up with Gongora. Gongora defeats them in battle, with Tolten coming across the scene once the party is defeated.. Gongora assures Tolten that the others were assassins that must have been dealt with.
Since vital components of Experimental Staff are ready to move to Grand Staff, Experimental Staff is demolished, with the other immortals, Jansen, and the children left behind to sink into darkness for eternity. However, a power awakes the children, which they again believe to be a sign from Lirum. The children awake the others and they escape to the ship as Experimental Staff sinks into the ocean.
Disc Three
The group heads back to Saman after a narrow escape at Experimental Staff, with their ship sinking just after they reach the harbor. Just when they are about to give up of hope of ever reaching Gohtza, they learn that the massive lighting caused by the fallout of Experimental Staff melted part of the glacier that was blocking the entrance to Ice Canyon. With the path clear the group makes their way through the Ice Canyon to reach Gohtza.
Once they arrive, the group learns that they aren't allowed to enter without proof of citizenship. Soon after, a mysterious figure drops a coin-like jewel near the group; Kaim and Sarah, who seem to recognize the coin, depart to follow him. Seeing the royal train arrive, the children take off to examine it. Seth, Jansen, and Ming head toward the royal palace. In order to speak with the king, Ming is forced to show proof of her royal bloodline; she shows the guards the royal crest on her chest to prove her identity. They are finally let into the throne room, after Seth and Jansen coerce the guards at the gate. However, the man sitting on the throne is only a placeholder for the real king.
The real king of Gohtza was the mysterious figure from earlier, and the coin he dropped was a memento that Kaim and Sarah gave him 50 years ago. At a private meeting with him in a Low Town apartment building, Kaim and Sarah discover that he has arranged a secret meeting with King Tolten in a final effort to prevent war, The king asks them to attend the meeting, and serve as his mediators. Kaim and Sarah warn him about Gongora's sinister plans to take over the world. They also confirm that the Queen of Numara, Ming, is with them.
Meanwhile, an old woman tells the children about the Violet Aurora, a mysterious force that allows the living to communicate with the spirits of the departed. Mack and Cooke immediately see this as a chance to be with their mother one last time. Mack convinces Cooke to steal a train and head out to view the aurora. While the children take off in search of the Violet Aurora, the fake king informs Ming, Seth, and Jansen about the secret meeting. The three of them head out to the train and catch up with Kaim and Sarah. When they hear news that the children have stolen a train, to go in search of the Aurora; Kaim and Sarah immediately go after them. The rest of the group goes off to the meeting on the royal carriage.
At the meeting, Ming warns Tolten about Gongora and Grand Staff. Ming advises Tolten to destroy Grand Staff before another catastrophe like the one at Highlands of Wohl happens again. Tolten argues that Grand Staff is too important to be destroyed, and King Gohtza agrees. Gongora, who is back in Uhra, had placed a Spy Eye on Tolten, and uses a magical device to tell Tolten to agree to hand over plans of Grand Staff at Khent and announce an alliance with Gohtza. Tolten and King Gohtza plan a second Grand Staff to be built for Gohtza, despite Ming's protests.
Meanwhile, Gongora makes a public announcement to Uhra about the completion of Grand Staff. He also announces that King Tolten had secretly planned a meeting with King Gohtza, in an attempt to come to a compromise and thus avoid war. Gongora falsely claims that "Gohtzan officials reported that King Tolten fell ill and swiftly passed, but Uhran informants had discovered that their King had actually been set up and murdered". Gongora then announces that King Tolten, who foresaw his death, had left him in power.
He uses Grand Staff to send a meteor shower on the Gohtzan fleet stationed at Khent. He then summons a massive disc-shaped structure of ice that travels above Gohtza, freezing the castle, the city, and all those inside. Low Town then became the only inhabitable Gohtzan town. As the royal carriage is being frozen, King Gohtza orders a military response. An Uhran soldier casts a spell to warp Tolten back to Uhra, which Seth is knocked into during the chaos on the train. Ming releases her power to keep herself and Jansen from freezing. In doing so, her memories are released. She later recalls that Gongora had forced her to lock away her own memories in order to save her kingdom.
Meanwhile, an ice airship attacks the train that Kaim and Sarah have stolen to catch up to the children, and they jump to the children's train as their own is destroyed. They find the children, together, protected from freezing by a spell that Cooke had cast. An ice monster was immediately next to them, which Kaim and Sarah kill to save them. Sarah then uses her power to split the car in two. The children's half slows to a stop while the half with Kaim and Sarah aboard collides with and detonates the airship. Ming and Jansen set out on the train rails in search of the others and find the children. At the meanwhile, in Uhra, soldiers believe that Tolten is an impersonator, since they were told he was dead. Tolten and Seth see a broadcast of Gongora's initiation ceremony, where a sacrifice of criminals is to take place. Among the criminals is the great pirate Sed, Seth's son. However, before the criminals can be burned, the Gohtzan underground army attacks (which is the late King Gohtza's military response set out earlier before he died). Seth and Tolten use the attack to gain access to the Amphitheater and save Sed. Sed leads them through the sewers, during which they see Grand Staff fly away. They find Sed's ship, the Nautilus, and escape also.
Seth uses a pendant she gave Ming to track her to the Burning Limestone Cavern. Ming, Jansen, Cooke and Mack were headed through the cave to find Kaim and Sarah, who was imprisoned in ice by a magic ice monster. Upon beating it, the Nautilus appears, carrying Seth's group. With the entire party reunited, they set off to take down Gongora.
Disc Four
Seth explains to the others that Gongora is no longer in Uhra, but aboard Grand Staff. Sed suggests that they search an Ancient Temple of the Eastern Tribe, where there is said to be a magical stone that may amplify magic energy. Even though the party retrieves the magic stone to power the Nautilus, they still cannot penetrate the hypercurrents, due to large glaciers which formed around the base of Grand Staff, because of the high density of magic energy in the area. As the party approaches Numara, they witness the rebirth of the Arthrosaurus. An ancient dinosaur like beast, that was released by Gongora once Ming had regained her full memories. A pack of Arthrosauruses, storms toward Numara. The group is able to thwart their attack aboard the Nautilus. Ming suggests they return to Numara. Although Kakanas has taken over Numara, he unexpectedly welcomes her back. However, during nightfall, he attacks the palace. Suspecting this, the palace has already been evacuated, and the party defeats Kakanas. Ming asks her ladies in waiting to rule during their absence, and the party seek out Grand Staff aboard the White Boa.
The party arrives at Grand Staff, but fail to meet up with Gongora, who flies off in the upper half. The lower base sinks, and the party jumps off of it into the White Boa to escape. When a large beam of magical energy emerges from the ocean, the party realizes that Gongora intends to use Grand Staff to align the stars with the Tower of Mirrors, and then use Grand Staff to destroy the mirrors and sever the link between the normal and immortal worlds. They use the Nautilus to crash into and board the airborne Grand Staff. They finally catch up to Gongora, who proceeds to possess Jansen and manipulate him like a puppet. Grand Staff then collides with the Tower of Mirrors. Gongora releases Jansen and escapes to the Tower, and the party makes their way back to the Nautilus to escape.
The final confrontation takes place at the Tower of Mirrors. The light from the mirrors comes from the same world the immortals came from, making them mortal. Gongora is somehow able to absorb power from the light emitted. Sed, Jansen, Tolten and the children use their power to create a dark shield to block out the light. While doing so, the immortals battle and defeat Gongora; Seth strikes the final blow to knock him out. During the battle, the mortals had become trapped in their own shield, and begin to die. The weakened Gongora awakens and claims victory, since the only way to save the mortals is to destroy the mirrors. Seth sacrifices herself to push Gongora back through to their home world as the other immortals destroy the mirrors.
Later, Sarah writes a letter for Seth in her journal, writing about what has become of the rest of the party and the world in general. Sarah, Kaim and the children have moved to a farm. Sed takes them on the Nautilus to a wedding ceremony where King Tolten weds Jansen and Ming. The game's final scene occurs on the Northern Cape, where Kaim and Sarah watch over Cooke and Mack. As Sarah wonders aloud what's in store for the couple after their promise to raise the two to adulthood has been fulfilled, Kaim suggests that they can always "try for another millennium" - one which he hopes will be filled with happier memories than the last.
Immortals
Supposedly all of the immortals have lived for 1000 years, and come from another world, through the Tower of Mirrors. All of them had their memories sealed within them by Gongora (with the exception of Gongora himself). They also must learn skills from others; they do not learn skills by themselves. When knocked out in battle, they arise after two turns with a small amount of health. While the immortals in the game are free to conceive children, their offspring do not possess eternal life; Sed (Seth's son) and Lirum (Sarah and Kaim's daughter) are mortals.
Kaim Argonar
Kaim is a Lieutenant in the Uhran army. Normally quiet and kept to himself, Kaim tries to maintain a nonchalant and serious attitude, but there are clues to reveal a caring, loving individual underneath. Kaim recollects his forgotten memories in the form of dreams; these memories are called A Thousand Years of Dreams in-game. Occasionally, Kaim recollects things outside of dreams, often signaled by glass breaking across the screen. He is currently married to Sarah Sisulart; has a daughter, the late Lirum Argonar; and has two grandchildren, Cooke and Mack.
Seth Balmore
A former pirate, Seth also ended up in the Uhran army. She is tough and speaks coarsely. Her appearance is distinguishable by her blue hair. Seth has recollections in 2 dreams, the rest are naturally recollected. Her son, Sed, is also a pirate, and despite having aged physically beyond her, he still lovingly refers to her as "Momma". She fights using swords, albeit in a different style to Kaim and Tolten.
Ming Numara
Also known as The Thousand-Year Queen for the length of her reign, Ming is the founder (and reigning queen) of the Free Ocean State of Numara. She speaks with a regal accent, laden with formalities. Even though she maintains the facade of a weak damsel-in-distress, she is an able sorceress. She is now married to Jansen Friedh.
Sarah Sisulart
Kaim's wife, Sarah, is a quiet person, renowned for her sorcery. After witnessing Lirum's death, she spiraled into depression, returned to their home near Tosca Village and took on the visage of an old woman. Sarah is brought back to reality upon meeting her own grandchildren, after her disguise is lifted by Kaim's group. She has studied many pieces of literature, and is the group's primary source for information unrelated to the ocean.
[edit] Mortals
All mortals can permanently die in battle, and require resurrection by items or spells. They also learn skills as they level up, and cannot learn skills from others. They learn their last skill at level 52.
Jansen Friedh
A womanizing drunk, Jansen is hired by Gongora to keep an eye on Kaim and Seth on their initial mission to check on Grand Staff. After discovering that Gongora is only using him, he sincerely joins the team's mission to bring down Gongora. He is constantly fighting with Seth. Over the course of the story, he falls in love with Ming. He weds her, and he is now the King of Numara. He specializes in black magic, but also knows a limited amount of white magic.
Cooke
Lirum's daughter, and the granddaughter of Kaim and Sarah. She is a bit of a tomboy, and generally assumes the role of Mack's boss. She excels in white magic, and supporting her peers. She also wishes to be Seth's apprentice, her being a "female" pirate.
Mack
Lirum's son, and Kaim and Sarah's grandson, Mack has a meek personality, but wishes to be strong like Kaim. He is childish and mischievous in nature, but there are moments of maturity that flare out of his playful behavior. There are traces of a deep genuine strength inside him. Despite being a strong melee attacker, Mack becomes affluent in spirit magic after being possessed by the spirits of the Eastern Tribe in the Crimson Forest.
Sed
Seth's son, Sed is a famous pirate who has aged beyond his mother. Despite being in his sixties, he refers to Seth as "Momma", much to the surprise of Jansen. He is the captain of the Nautilus, and has a small crew lost across the world. He fights using magic rifles, the only character that uses ranged weapons in the game. Sed is also a capable mechanic, seemingly able to repair almost any broken device he comes across. In the set of "Seth Dreams" in the Thousand years of dreams feature, he supossedly got his leg bitten off when he was a baby; however. in the main story mode of Lost Odyssey, they never bring up that idea shown in the dreams.
Tolten
The King of Uhra, Tolten initially holds the position of Crown Prince in name only, as the Uhran monarchy abdicated the throne upon the death of his father, Zypha. Due to Gongora's manipulations, however, Tolten is persuaded to retake the throne after the death of the Republic's Chairman. Soon afterwards, Gongora declares that Tolten had died and assumes the throne for himself, leaving Tolten to join up with Kaim's group to liberate his country. Tolten is refined and educated, he is studied in the art of combat, however, upon encountering the real world he realizes that true wisdom comes through practice and hands on experience and not just the study of theory. He wishes to be strong and brave like Sed, and takes active steps toward achieving this goal toward the end of the story.
[edit] Antagonists
Gongora
The primary antagonist in the story, Gongora was Uhra's magic advisor. Like Kaim, Gongora is also immortal, came from another world, and has lived for 1000 years. Thirty years prior to the story's commencement, Gongora had wiped the memories of the other immortals in the world with deceit. At the story's beginning, he was head of Uhra's Grand Staff project, in charge of building the largest magic engine in existence. Eventually, after a careful, underhanded scheme, he eliminated the entire Uhran council, restoring the country to a monarchy with Tolten at the helm. After declaring Tolten dead (through a fictional plot by Gohtza), Gongora took the throne. Immediately after taking the throne, he moved to Grand Staff to control it, following his plans to rise to his goal of being a god. Kaim and company defeated him, and sent him back with Seth to the immortal world, both unable to return due to the destruction of the Tower of Mirrors.
Kakanas
The general in the Numaran Army, Kakanas is tired of Queen Ming's strict isolationist, pacifist policies. As such, he plots to become King and re-militarize the nation, in fear (both founded and unfounded) of the nations of Uhra and Gohtza. He had disappeared since, after the party defeated his combat tanks a second time; no scenes have shown him leaving the tank. To atone for his sins, Maya, Ming's lady in waiting places him on the construction committee, to rebuild the palace that he had attempted to destroy.
[edit] Novel
On November 21, 2007 a book of short stories based on the main character of Kaim was released in Japan called He Who Journeys Eternity: Lost Odyssey: A Thousand Years of Dreams (永遠を旅する者 ロストオデッセイ 千年の夢, Eien o tabisuru mono Rosuto Odessei sennen no yume?). It is penned by Kiyoshi Shigematsu and features 31 of 34 stories found in the "A Thousand Years of Dreams" sequences throughout the game itself.[4]
[edit] Reception
[hide]Reviews
Publication Score
1UP.com 8.0/10[5]
Edge 7/10 [6]
Famitsu 36/40
Game Informer 8.5/10
GameSpot 7.5/10
GameSpy 2.5/5
GameTrailers 8.8/10
IGN 8.2/10
Official Xbox Magazine 7.5/10
X-Play 3/5
Compilations of multiple reviews
Compiler Score
Metacritic 78%[7]
Famitsu awarded the game a score of a 36/40, with all four critics each giving the game a 9.[8] This was one point less than the 37/40 score Mistwalker's debut RPG, Blue Dragon, was given by the publication. As with Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey received somewhat mixed, although generally favorable, scores from Western critics.
The issue many took with Lost Odyssey was its deliberately old-school gameplay mechanics, particularly the traditional combat system, which several critics found to be dull and dated, as well as the game's use of random battles, which were further deemed an issue by their purportedly lengthy load times.[9] XboxFocus gave the game a 4/5 rating, declaring its story as profound, but taking an issue with the camera control and the odd character design. Unlike other critics, however, XboxFocus deemed the combat and random battles as exhilarating, and that "it’s better to take a tried and true technique and make it better than introduce a completely new idea that could possibly screw up an entire game."[10] RPGfan stated that the story and gameplay were both "overused, uninspired, and stilted", but that the memory sequences, penned by Kiyoshi Shigematsu, were "some of the richest, most emotionally charged storytelling seen in any RPG to date". [11] Critics were divided on the story, with some, like Gamespy, calling the plot and characters, "shamelessly derivative." [12] Gamepro Magazine agreed, declaring that the main story was not particularly compelling, although it noted that many subplots carried plenty of emotional weight.[13] On the other hand, Game Informer Magazine deemed the story line as being "one of the most compelling tales ever told on the Xbox 360," and praised the "cool combat system."[14] Gamespot praised Lost Odyssey's "fascinating cast," and character development, and also called the combat system "solid."[15] Gametrailers said, "what sets Lost Odyssey apart is a deeply moving story that places an emotional focal point on its characters." [16] IGN found that the ring-building system, immortals, and skill system added a fresh feel to the game's otherwise traditional combat,[17] and 1up.com praised the "timed button press" aspect of the battles, saying it makes them "more engaging than you'd think."[18]
Despite critics' differing opinions in other areas, the game's graphics and high production values have received universal acclaim, although load times and framerate issues were also universally pointed out.[19][20][21][22] However, it transpired that the copy that some reviewers received apparently had longer loading times than those of the retail version. Gamespot amended their review on February 19, 2008 to reflect this, but did not change their original score.[23]
Lost Odyssey reportedly sold 40,000 copies in Japan on its first day at retail, around 50% of the shipment.[24] As of February 17, 2008, the game has sold 104,417 copies in Japan according to Famitsu numbers.[25] The game has done much better in the West; according to NPD numbers Lost Odyssey debuted at #7, selling 203,000 in its debut month of February in North America.[26]
Developer(s) Mistwalker, Feelplus
Publisher(s) Microsoft Game Studios
Designer(s) Hironobu Sakaguchi (game producer and scenario writer)
Daisuke Fukugawa (game director)
Takehiko Inoue (character designer)
Kiyoshi Shigematsu (A Thousand Years of Dreams author)
Nobuo Uematsu (music composer)
Engine Unreal Engine 3.0
Platform(s) Xbox 360
Release date JP December 6, 2007
AU February 8, 2008
NA February 12, 2008
EU February 29, 2008
Genre(s) Console role-playing game
Mode(s) Single player
Rating(s) ESRB: Teen (T)
CERO: C
OFLC: MA15+
OFLC (NZ): M
PEGI: 16+
Media 4 × DVD-DL
so any comments?
Lost Odyssey (ロストオデッセイ, Rosuto Odessei?) is an RPG developed by Mistwalker exclusively for the Xbox 360. The player takes control of Kaim, a man who has lived for a thousand years and who has no memory of his past. The game is set in a world nearing a "magical industrial revolution". Kaim, who seems to want to forget his past, struggles with the return of his memories and the pain they bring.
Lost Odyssey is produced by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the famed Final Fantasy series. This is his third project outside of Square Enix, following ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat and Blue Dragon.
Lost Odyssey's story is penned by the award-winning[who?] Japanese novelist, Kiyoshi Shigematsu who worked directly with the game's producer Hironobu Sakaguchi on Kaim's backstory, bits of which are unlocked throughout the course of the game. Heading up the artistic demands of the title is famed Japanese mangaka, Takehiko Inoue, while famed composer Nobuo Uematsu has been recruited to create a more contemporary soundtrack. Mistwalker is developing the title, with cooperation with a studio named Feel Plus, a subsidiary of Microsoft created specifically to aid Mistwalker. Feel Plus is made up of around 40 former Nautilus/Sacnoth developers, most famous for the cult favorite Shadow Hearts RPG series. (Sacnoth was officially announced as being dissolved in 2007.) [1] Former Square employees at Microsoft are also involved. The game ships on four dual layer DVDs, more than any Xbox 360 game to date. This is the first RPG developed using the Unreal Engine 3.0.
A playable demo of the game was shown at the Tokyo Game Show 2006, and was made available with the November issue of Weekly Famitsu.
On July 11, 2007, an English trailer of Lost Odyssey was shown at E3 2007.
According to Peter Moore and Microsoft's E3 press event Lost Odyssey was to be in stores worldwide for the 2007 holiday season, although it was actually released in February 2008 in both the US and Europe.
On November 19, 2007, at a special Blue Dragon/Lost Odyssey concert held in Shibuya, Tokyo, it was announced that the game had gone gold and was ready for its Japanese release date of December 6, 2007. According to a special bloggers event at which selected people were invited to play demos of the game from the very beginning, it was confirmed that English/Japanese voices were selectable in the Japanese version.[2]
An issue regarding the packaging has led to several complaints from consumers. Since the game could not fit onto a standard DVD, it requires four discs. In Japan and Australia, the solution was to use an oversized case with two disc trays to store the discs. In the United States and PAL territories, however, the first three discs were crammed onto a single 3-disc spindle inside the main game case. The fourth disc came packaged only in a paper sleeve. The concern is that the method used for the American and European versions could result in scratched discs.[3]
Disc One
The story begins with an immortal man named Kaim, in a decisive battle between the Magic Republic of Uhra and Khent, on the Highlands of Wohl. In the midst of the battle, the skies become an ominous pitch black and a giant meteor mysteriously appears over the battle field. The meteor rains molten lava from the heavens before crashing down on the field below it. All of the troops on either side of the conflict near the impact site are completely annihilated.
The Uhran council suspects a leak of magical energy from Grand Staff (a 'magic engine' under construction in the Sea of Baus) to be responsible for the meteor, and places its overseer -- the sorcerer Gongora -- under house arrest. Since he is immortal, Kaim was one of few survivors from the meteor's crater site, and thus summoned to the council. When asked precisely how he survived, Kaim confesses that he does not know. Gongora, who vouches for the man, states that he is under an immortality spell that he (Gongora) cast on him. Questioned about the secrets of the spell, Gongora explains that the spell is cursed, and that all those who hear about it die shortly thereafter. The council takes Gongora's word on the matter, and ask no further questions. The council, who have lost contact with the construction at Grand Staff, order Kaim to investigate, and return with a detailed report. The council unanimously vote to suspend construction of Grand Staff until Kaim returns, much to the dislike of Gongora, and furthermore place Gongora under house arrest and suspend him from the council. Kaim is ordered to take Seth, another immortal who survived the meteor, along with him. Gongora, who has a mysterious connection with Kaim, later orders him to take Jansen, a hired mercenary, with him to Grand Staff.
That night Kaim experiences a nightmare where he sees a young girl jump off of a cliff. It is hinted that these strange nightmares are fragments of his past.
Uhra has recently become a republic. Tolten is heir to the throne and would become King if Uhra was still a monarchy. Tolten is an honest and trusting, if naive, character. Although Tolten has agreed to Uhra being a republic, Gongora warns him that others may still resist. Later, Gongora storms into the prince's lair and tosses his soup on the floor, feeding the meal to a rat which is killed from inside by a plant-like creature that was residing in the soup. Gongora then burns the creature and the soup with a Flare spell. Tolten humbly thanks Gongora for saving his life. Gongora claims to be proud to help his majesty, however, later pays off the servant who prepared the soup in an obvious set up planned by the sorcerer.
The investigation of Grand Staff is interrupted by an impromptu assault from the army of Numara led by General Kakanas. Kaim, Seth, and Jansen are taken prisoner aboard the White Boa. While imprisoned, Kaim has another nightmare similar to the one before, this time showing Kaim and a woman weeping after the girl jumps, and a dark figure in the distance. Jansen uses a magical crystal, which erases the victim's memory and was given to him by Gongora, on a guard to escape their holding cell (even though he was ordered to use it on Kaim or Seth if their memories started to return). While escaping, Seth has a memory return to her, about the Queen of Numara, remembering that they were once friends. Their attempted escape fails, but they are set free once they reach Numara. Kakanas hopes that in freeing, and secretly following them, they will lead Numara to more information on Uhra and Grand Staff. Kakanas insists Numara prepare for war against Uhra, and begins to maintain war preparations, much to the discontent of Ming's wishes, who wishes to remain isolated.
Kaim, Seth, and Jansen then meet Cooke and Mack by a field of flowers called tenderflora, at the outskirts of Numara. After fending off soldiers who were bullying the children, they are invited to the children's home. Several memories return to Kaim when he meets the children's very ill mother, Lirum. Lirum turns out to be Kaim's daughter, now physically aged beyond Kaim. She was also the girl in Kaim's dream, and the woman from these dreams was revealed to be Sarah, Kaim's wife and Lirum's mother. Kaim also remembers that Gongora was the dark figure. Unfortunately, Lirum had been very sick for some time now, and was on her deathbed when Kaim arrives. Having seen her father one last time, Lirum passes away, entrusting her children to Kaim. Kaim realizes that Gongora is responsible for his lost memories, and that Sarah is also an immortal. With a portion of his memory regained, Kaim decides to head out in search of Sarah.
Back in Uhra, Chairman Roxian attacks Tolten, and Tolten defends himself by killing the chairman. Gongora arrives and convinces Tolten that they must claim Roxian's death was an accident, and that Tolten must accept his role as King. However, the Roxian that Tolten killed was really a monster summoned by Gongora, and the real Roxian was devoured by a snake under Gongora's control.
After Lirum's funeral, Mack wanders off to the Crimson Forest, where one may supposedly commune with the dead. The Crimson Forest is cursed from a war 500 years ago started by the Eastern Tribe. Mack is found possessed by the evil spirit of the forest. After the party saves Mack, a wind that is harsh at first but soon becomes gentle arrives and flowers begin to bloom all around. The children believe that the wind is a sign from their mother. Later, Mack is overwhelmed by a feeling of unease, and Seth explains that he has become affluent in the powers of the Eastern Tribe, as a result of being possessed by the spirits in the forest.
Disc Two
When they arrive back in Numara, they see a global announcement of Tolten's claim to the throne of Uhra, and that Gongora has been appointed as royal advisor. The announcement also shows Numara's army preparing for war against Uhra, seemingly from Jansen's point of view, causing the party to suspect that Jansen is a spy.. General Kakanas attacks the party, Kaim convinces Cooke & Mack to flee and the others willingly become imprisoned as spies in order to speak with Ming.
A Numaran sorcerer removes a Spy Eye from Jansen's right eye. Jansen claims to not have known about the spy eye. Even though the Numaran sorcerer validates Jansen's claim that he was unaware of the Spy Eye, Kakanas orders Kaim, Seth, and Jansen killed. However, Cooke & Mack return and cast a spell in which Kakanas and several soldiers are stripped to their underwear. In the confusion, an escape is made to Ming's bedroom. Kakanas catches up to them, but they escape by pretending to take Ming hostage (Ming herself aids the escape by mentioning a secret passage). Kakanas intercepts them once more with a tank, but is defeated. Ming, who turns out to know Cooke and Mack (they call her Aunt Ming, because she had been befriended their mother prior to the game). agrees to join the party, hoping to regain her lost memories.
They steal the Slantnose, a ship being prepared for Kakanas, just as its engine (which was once owned by Seth) is restored. Ming is updated on what they know so far; Kaim, Seth, herself, Sarah, and Gongora are immortals sent to this world to accomplish something very important (but because their memories have not fully returned they are unable to recall the exact nature of their quest). A one thousand year pact was agreed upon by the immortals, however, at the end of the thousand years Gongora betrayed the pact and the group. Since they are immortal and he cannot kill them, he takes something very dear from each of them in an attempt to break their wills, then he cast a spell on them to erase their memories. More specifically, Gongora took Kaim and Sarah's daughter (Lirum); took Seth's son (Sed) and made Seth killing her beloved companion (Aneira); and he forced Ming to seal her own memories or else he would keep decimating the Numaran citizens by fierce magic beasts.
With a part of their past unveiled the party decides to head back to Uhra and face Gongora. However, since their current ship is not strong enough to cross the ocean back to Uhra, they decide to head to Gohtza for aid. Gohtza is considered the primer nation in the fields of science and technology, thus the party feels confident that, with the help of the wise and benevolent king of Gohtza, they will find a ship that will transport them across the ocean.
The party arrives at Tosca, a small port town, and discover that the Black Cave (the path to Gohtza) is sealed. The innkeeper informs them that an old sorceress sealed it and would be the only one capable of unsealing it. They find the old sorceress, in Kaim's old residence. The old sorceress who turns out to be Sarah, driven mad by memories of losing Lirum at the Cliff, had returned to her old home to wallow in her despair, causing her to give in to her pained emotions. Though she was trapped by Gongora's spell, the kindness in her heart did not fade. Cooke and Mack revive Sarah by singing a family lullaby.
Sarah knows that Kaim is her husband from journals that she kept. Sarah joins the others and breaks the seal on the Black Cave. A dark power is sensed in the caves and is discovered to be coming from the ocean across Saman, a small merchant town. They take a small boat from Saman and head toward the power, however during the trip they are ambushed by mutated sea creatures, shortly afterwards a bright white light knocks everyone out. They awake at the Experimental Staff and meet up with Gongora. Gongora defeats them in battle, with Tolten coming across the scene once the party is defeated.. Gongora assures Tolten that the others were assassins that must have been dealt with.
Since vital components of Experimental Staff are ready to move to Grand Staff, Experimental Staff is demolished, with the other immortals, Jansen, and the children left behind to sink into darkness for eternity. However, a power awakes the children, which they again believe to be a sign from Lirum. The children awake the others and they escape to the ship as Experimental Staff sinks into the ocean.
Disc Three
The group heads back to Saman after a narrow escape at Experimental Staff, with their ship sinking just after they reach the harbor. Just when they are about to give up of hope of ever reaching Gohtza, they learn that the massive lighting caused by the fallout of Experimental Staff melted part of the glacier that was blocking the entrance to Ice Canyon. With the path clear the group makes their way through the Ice Canyon to reach Gohtza.
Once they arrive, the group learns that they aren't allowed to enter without proof of citizenship. Soon after, a mysterious figure drops a coin-like jewel near the group; Kaim and Sarah, who seem to recognize the coin, depart to follow him. Seeing the royal train arrive, the children take off to examine it. Seth, Jansen, and Ming head toward the royal palace. In order to speak with the king, Ming is forced to show proof of her royal bloodline; she shows the guards the royal crest on her chest to prove her identity. They are finally let into the throne room, after Seth and Jansen coerce the guards at the gate. However, the man sitting on the throne is only a placeholder for the real king.
The real king of Gohtza was the mysterious figure from earlier, and the coin he dropped was a memento that Kaim and Sarah gave him 50 years ago. At a private meeting with him in a Low Town apartment building, Kaim and Sarah discover that he has arranged a secret meeting with King Tolten in a final effort to prevent war, The king asks them to attend the meeting, and serve as his mediators. Kaim and Sarah warn him about Gongora's sinister plans to take over the world. They also confirm that the Queen of Numara, Ming, is with them.
Meanwhile, an old woman tells the children about the Violet Aurora, a mysterious force that allows the living to communicate with the spirits of the departed. Mack and Cooke immediately see this as a chance to be with their mother one last time. Mack convinces Cooke to steal a train and head out to view the aurora. While the children take off in search of the Violet Aurora, the fake king informs Ming, Seth, and Jansen about the secret meeting. The three of them head out to the train and catch up with Kaim and Sarah. When they hear news that the children have stolen a train, to go in search of the Aurora; Kaim and Sarah immediately go after them. The rest of the group goes off to the meeting on the royal carriage.
At the meeting, Ming warns Tolten about Gongora and Grand Staff. Ming advises Tolten to destroy Grand Staff before another catastrophe like the one at Highlands of Wohl happens again. Tolten argues that Grand Staff is too important to be destroyed, and King Gohtza agrees. Gongora, who is back in Uhra, had placed a Spy Eye on Tolten, and uses a magical device to tell Tolten to agree to hand over plans of Grand Staff at Khent and announce an alliance with Gohtza. Tolten and King Gohtza plan a second Grand Staff to be built for Gohtza, despite Ming's protests.
Meanwhile, Gongora makes a public announcement to Uhra about the completion of Grand Staff. He also announces that King Tolten had secretly planned a meeting with King Gohtza, in an attempt to come to a compromise and thus avoid war. Gongora falsely claims that "Gohtzan officials reported that King Tolten fell ill and swiftly passed, but Uhran informants had discovered that their King had actually been set up and murdered". Gongora then announces that King Tolten, who foresaw his death, had left him in power.
He uses Grand Staff to send a meteor shower on the Gohtzan fleet stationed at Khent. He then summons a massive disc-shaped structure of ice that travels above Gohtza, freezing the castle, the city, and all those inside. Low Town then became the only inhabitable Gohtzan town. As the royal carriage is being frozen, King Gohtza orders a military response. An Uhran soldier casts a spell to warp Tolten back to Uhra, which Seth is knocked into during the chaos on the train. Ming releases her power to keep herself and Jansen from freezing. In doing so, her memories are released. She later recalls that Gongora had forced her to lock away her own memories in order to save her kingdom.
Meanwhile, an ice airship attacks the train that Kaim and Sarah have stolen to catch up to the children, and they jump to the children's train as their own is destroyed. They find the children, together, protected from freezing by a spell that Cooke had cast. An ice monster was immediately next to them, which Kaim and Sarah kill to save them. Sarah then uses her power to split the car in two. The children's half slows to a stop while the half with Kaim and Sarah aboard collides with and detonates the airship. Ming and Jansen set out on the train rails in search of the others and find the children. At the meanwhile, in Uhra, soldiers believe that Tolten is an impersonator, since they were told he was dead. Tolten and Seth see a broadcast of Gongora's initiation ceremony, where a sacrifice of criminals is to take place. Among the criminals is the great pirate Sed, Seth's son. However, before the criminals can be burned, the Gohtzan underground army attacks (which is the late King Gohtza's military response set out earlier before he died). Seth and Tolten use the attack to gain access to the Amphitheater and save Sed. Sed leads them through the sewers, during which they see Grand Staff fly away. They find Sed's ship, the Nautilus, and escape also.
Seth uses a pendant she gave Ming to track her to the Burning Limestone Cavern. Ming, Jansen, Cooke and Mack were headed through the cave to find Kaim and Sarah, who was imprisoned in ice by a magic ice monster. Upon beating it, the Nautilus appears, carrying Seth's group. With the entire party reunited, they set off to take down Gongora.
Disc Four
Seth explains to the others that Gongora is no longer in Uhra, but aboard Grand Staff. Sed suggests that they search an Ancient Temple of the Eastern Tribe, where there is said to be a magical stone that may amplify magic energy. Even though the party retrieves the magic stone to power the Nautilus, they still cannot penetrate the hypercurrents, due to large glaciers which formed around the base of Grand Staff, because of the high density of magic energy in the area. As the party approaches Numara, they witness the rebirth of the Arthrosaurus. An ancient dinosaur like beast, that was released by Gongora once Ming had regained her full memories. A pack of Arthrosauruses, storms toward Numara. The group is able to thwart their attack aboard the Nautilus. Ming suggests they return to Numara. Although Kakanas has taken over Numara, he unexpectedly welcomes her back. However, during nightfall, he attacks the palace. Suspecting this, the palace has already been evacuated, and the party defeats Kakanas. Ming asks her ladies in waiting to rule during their absence, and the party seek out Grand Staff aboard the White Boa.
The party arrives at Grand Staff, but fail to meet up with Gongora, who flies off in the upper half. The lower base sinks, and the party jumps off of it into the White Boa to escape. When a large beam of magical energy emerges from the ocean, the party realizes that Gongora intends to use Grand Staff to align the stars with the Tower of Mirrors, and then use Grand Staff to destroy the mirrors and sever the link between the normal and immortal worlds. They use the Nautilus to crash into and board the airborne Grand Staff. They finally catch up to Gongora, who proceeds to possess Jansen and manipulate him like a puppet. Grand Staff then collides with the Tower of Mirrors. Gongora releases Jansen and escapes to the Tower, and the party makes their way back to the Nautilus to escape.
The final confrontation takes place at the Tower of Mirrors. The light from the mirrors comes from the same world the immortals came from, making them mortal. Gongora is somehow able to absorb power from the light emitted. Sed, Jansen, Tolten and the children use their power to create a dark shield to block out the light. While doing so, the immortals battle and defeat Gongora; Seth strikes the final blow to knock him out. During the battle, the mortals had become trapped in their own shield, and begin to die. The weakened Gongora awakens and claims victory, since the only way to save the mortals is to destroy the mirrors. Seth sacrifices herself to push Gongora back through to their home world as the other immortals destroy the mirrors.
Later, Sarah writes a letter for Seth in her journal, writing about what has become of the rest of the party and the world in general. Sarah, Kaim and the children have moved to a farm. Sed takes them on the Nautilus to a wedding ceremony where King Tolten weds Jansen and Ming. The game's final scene occurs on the Northern Cape, where Kaim and Sarah watch over Cooke and Mack. As Sarah wonders aloud what's in store for the couple after their promise to raise the two to adulthood has been fulfilled, Kaim suggests that they can always "try for another millennium" - one which he hopes will be filled with happier memories than the last.
Immortals
Supposedly all of the immortals have lived for 1000 years, and come from another world, through the Tower of Mirrors. All of them had their memories sealed within them by Gongora (with the exception of Gongora himself). They also must learn skills from others; they do not learn skills by themselves. When knocked out in battle, they arise after two turns with a small amount of health. While the immortals in the game are free to conceive children, their offspring do not possess eternal life; Sed (Seth's son) and Lirum (Sarah and Kaim's daughter) are mortals.
Kaim Argonar
Kaim is a Lieutenant in the Uhran army. Normally quiet and kept to himself, Kaim tries to maintain a nonchalant and serious attitude, but there are clues to reveal a caring, loving individual underneath. Kaim recollects his forgotten memories in the form of dreams; these memories are called A Thousand Years of Dreams in-game. Occasionally, Kaim recollects things outside of dreams, often signaled by glass breaking across the screen. He is currently married to Sarah Sisulart; has a daughter, the late Lirum Argonar; and has two grandchildren, Cooke and Mack.
Seth Balmore
A former pirate, Seth also ended up in the Uhran army. She is tough and speaks coarsely. Her appearance is distinguishable by her blue hair. Seth has recollections in 2 dreams, the rest are naturally recollected. Her son, Sed, is also a pirate, and despite having aged physically beyond her, he still lovingly refers to her as "Momma". She fights using swords, albeit in a different style to Kaim and Tolten.
Ming Numara
Also known as The Thousand-Year Queen for the length of her reign, Ming is the founder (and reigning queen) of the Free Ocean State of Numara. She speaks with a regal accent, laden with formalities. Even though she maintains the facade of a weak damsel-in-distress, she is an able sorceress. She is now married to Jansen Friedh.
Sarah Sisulart
Kaim's wife, Sarah, is a quiet person, renowned for her sorcery. After witnessing Lirum's death, she spiraled into depression, returned to their home near Tosca Village and took on the visage of an old woman. Sarah is brought back to reality upon meeting her own grandchildren, after her disguise is lifted by Kaim's group. She has studied many pieces of literature, and is the group's primary source for information unrelated to the ocean.
[edit] Mortals
All mortals can permanently die in battle, and require resurrection by items or spells. They also learn skills as they level up, and cannot learn skills from others. They learn their last skill at level 52.
Jansen Friedh
A womanizing drunk, Jansen is hired by Gongora to keep an eye on Kaim and Seth on their initial mission to check on Grand Staff. After discovering that Gongora is only using him, he sincerely joins the team's mission to bring down Gongora. He is constantly fighting with Seth. Over the course of the story, he falls in love with Ming. He weds her, and he is now the King of Numara. He specializes in black magic, but also knows a limited amount of white magic.
Cooke
Lirum's daughter, and the granddaughter of Kaim and Sarah. She is a bit of a tomboy, and generally assumes the role of Mack's boss. She excels in white magic, and supporting her peers. She also wishes to be Seth's apprentice, her being a "female" pirate.
Mack
Lirum's son, and Kaim and Sarah's grandson, Mack has a meek personality, but wishes to be strong like Kaim. He is childish and mischievous in nature, but there are moments of maturity that flare out of his playful behavior. There are traces of a deep genuine strength inside him. Despite being a strong melee attacker, Mack becomes affluent in spirit magic after being possessed by the spirits of the Eastern Tribe in the Crimson Forest.
Sed
Seth's son, Sed is a famous pirate who has aged beyond his mother. Despite being in his sixties, he refers to Seth as "Momma", much to the surprise of Jansen. He is the captain of the Nautilus, and has a small crew lost across the world. He fights using magic rifles, the only character that uses ranged weapons in the game. Sed is also a capable mechanic, seemingly able to repair almost any broken device he comes across. In the set of "Seth Dreams" in the Thousand years of dreams feature, he supossedly got his leg bitten off when he was a baby; however. in the main story mode of Lost Odyssey, they never bring up that idea shown in the dreams.
Tolten
The King of Uhra, Tolten initially holds the position of Crown Prince in name only, as the Uhran monarchy abdicated the throne upon the death of his father, Zypha. Due to Gongora's manipulations, however, Tolten is persuaded to retake the throne after the death of the Republic's Chairman. Soon afterwards, Gongora declares that Tolten had died and assumes the throne for himself, leaving Tolten to join up with Kaim's group to liberate his country. Tolten is refined and educated, he is studied in the art of combat, however, upon encountering the real world he realizes that true wisdom comes through practice and hands on experience and not just the study of theory. He wishes to be strong and brave like Sed, and takes active steps toward achieving this goal toward the end of the story.
[edit] Antagonists
Gongora
The primary antagonist in the story, Gongora was Uhra's magic advisor. Like Kaim, Gongora is also immortal, came from another world, and has lived for 1000 years. Thirty years prior to the story's commencement, Gongora had wiped the memories of the other immortals in the world with deceit. At the story's beginning, he was head of Uhra's Grand Staff project, in charge of building the largest magic engine in existence. Eventually, after a careful, underhanded scheme, he eliminated the entire Uhran council, restoring the country to a monarchy with Tolten at the helm. After declaring Tolten dead (through a fictional plot by Gohtza), Gongora took the throne. Immediately after taking the throne, he moved to Grand Staff to control it, following his plans to rise to his goal of being a god. Kaim and company defeated him, and sent him back with Seth to the immortal world, both unable to return due to the destruction of the Tower of Mirrors.
Kakanas
The general in the Numaran Army, Kakanas is tired of Queen Ming's strict isolationist, pacifist policies. As such, he plots to become King and re-militarize the nation, in fear (both founded and unfounded) of the nations of Uhra and Gohtza. He had disappeared since, after the party defeated his combat tanks a second time; no scenes have shown him leaving the tank. To atone for his sins, Maya, Ming's lady in waiting places him on the construction committee, to rebuild the palace that he had attempted to destroy.
[edit] Novel
On November 21, 2007 a book of short stories based on the main character of Kaim was released in Japan called He Who Journeys Eternity: Lost Odyssey: A Thousand Years of Dreams (永遠を旅する者 ロストオデッセイ 千年の夢, Eien o tabisuru mono Rosuto Odessei sennen no yume?). It is penned by Kiyoshi Shigematsu and features 31 of 34 stories found in the "A Thousand Years of Dreams" sequences throughout the game itself.[4]
[edit] Reception
[hide]Reviews
Publication Score
1UP.com 8.0/10[5]
Edge 7/10 [6]
Famitsu 36/40
Game Informer 8.5/10
GameSpot 7.5/10
GameSpy 2.5/5
GameTrailers 8.8/10
IGN 8.2/10
Official Xbox Magazine 7.5/10
X-Play 3/5
Compilations of multiple reviews
Compiler Score
Metacritic 78%[7]
Famitsu awarded the game a score of a 36/40, with all four critics each giving the game a 9.[8] This was one point less than the 37/40 score Mistwalker's debut RPG, Blue Dragon, was given by the publication. As with Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey received somewhat mixed, although generally favorable, scores from Western critics.
The issue many took with Lost Odyssey was its deliberately old-school gameplay mechanics, particularly the traditional combat system, which several critics found to be dull and dated, as well as the game's use of random battles, which were further deemed an issue by their purportedly lengthy load times.[9] XboxFocus gave the game a 4/5 rating, declaring its story as profound, but taking an issue with the camera control and the odd character design. Unlike other critics, however, XboxFocus deemed the combat and random battles as exhilarating, and that "it’s better to take a tried and true technique and make it better than introduce a completely new idea that could possibly screw up an entire game."[10] RPGfan stated that the story and gameplay were both "overused, uninspired, and stilted", but that the memory sequences, penned by Kiyoshi Shigematsu, were "some of the richest, most emotionally charged storytelling seen in any RPG to date". [11] Critics were divided on the story, with some, like Gamespy, calling the plot and characters, "shamelessly derivative." [12] Gamepro Magazine agreed, declaring that the main story was not particularly compelling, although it noted that many subplots carried plenty of emotional weight.[13] On the other hand, Game Informer Magazine deemed the story line as being "one of the most compelling tales ever told on the Xbox 360," and praised the "cool combat system."[14] Gamespot praised Lost Odyssey's "fascinating cast," and character development, and also called the combat system "solid."[15] Gametrailers said, "what sets Lost Odyssey apart is a deeply moving story that places an emotional focal point on its characters." [16] IGN found that the ring-building system, immortals, and skill system added a fresh feel to the game's otherwise traditional combat,[17] and 1up.com praised the "timed button press" aspect of the battles, saying it makes them "more engaging than you'd think."[18]
Despite critics' differing opinions in other areas, the game's graphics and high production values have received universal acclaim, although load times and framerate issues were also universally pointed out.[19][20][21][22] However, it transpired that the copy that some reviewers received apparently had longer loading times than those of the retail version. Gamespot amended their review on February 19, 2008 to reflect this, but did not change their original score.[23]
Lost Odyssey reportedly sold 40,000 copies in Japan on its first day at retail, around 50% of the shipment.[24] As of February 17, 2008, the game has sold 104,417 copies in Japan according to Famitsu numbers.[25] The game has done much better in the West; according to NPD numbers Lost Odyssey debuted at #7, selling 203,000 in its debut month of February in North America.[26]
Developer(s) Mistwalker, Feelplus
Publisher(s) Microsoft Game Studios
Designer(s) Hironobu Sakaguchi (game producer and scenario writer)
Daisuke Fukugawa (game director)
Takehiko Inoue (character designer)
Kiyoshi Shigematsu (A Thousand Years of Dreams author)
Nobuo Uematsu (music composer)
Engine Unreal Engine 3.0
Platform(s) Xbox 360
Release date JP December 6, 2007
AU February 8, 2008
NA February 12, 2008
EU February 29, 2008
Genre(s) Console role-playing game
Mode(s) Single player
Rating(s) ESRB: Teen (T)
CERO: C
OFLC: MA15+
OFLC (NZ): M
PEGI: 16+
Media 4 × DVD-DL
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