Lost Odyssey Review

What I didn't like about Lost Odyssey and that became apparent after a few hours of gameplay, is that it basically lacks a wider variety of items to tamper with. Okay, before you light the torches and burn me at the stake, just hear me out first. Lost Odyssey does allow you to craft items. Rings can be assembled by gathering specific components found along the way. While that adds further to the RPG-esque tone of the game, it doesn't quite make up for the lack of more weapons and items. The absence of armor was also a bugger. Yes, that's right there is no "real armor." You increase your defense via different accessories, rings, necklaces and so on. In the absence of such elements, Lost Odyssey compensates with generally fun combat. The bad news is that, after a while, it can become a tad repetitive, as you take part in endless turn-based battles.

It doesn't take you too long to get into the spirit of this game, but there are some peculiar technical flaws. First of all, the jerky and often weird camera could make you miss crucial objects in the nearby surroundings, like chests and boxes that usually contain useful goodies. You can partially zoom in and tilt the camera left or right (only slightly). Still, to adjust the camera angle and lock on a particular spot in the environment is often a frustrating chore.

Lost Odyssey uses the ever-popular Unreal Engine 3 and for the most part it works well. Although it would have been great if the developers decided to include more details in certain areas. Most of them appear a bit lifeless and even a tad static at times, with very little active elements in the backdrop. Any extra animated elements in the background would've certainly been a welcomed addition - the Unreal Engine 3 can certainly handle it.

To wrap things up, it's safe to say Lost Odyssey has many fun and engaging moments, featuring a solid story, good voiceovers, a beautiful soundtrack (the work of Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu) and pleasing visuals (if a bit underdone in some aspects).

The four-disc 360-exclusive could treat you to somewhere between 35 and 50 hours of gameplay. I recommend it to JRPG fans. Should you be the kind of person who prefers western-style RPGs the likes of KotOR or Mass Effect, Lost Odyssey may feel as a slight disappointment. The immersion is there, the gameplay can be fun, but overall, Lost Odyssey fails to "go the distance" as a modern-day RPG. Whilst it offers a unique twist to the genre, it definitely lacks more content and depth to be regarded as a truly great RPG. Hardcore RPG gamers won't find it rewarding enough.