Before we unpack and review this week's game, we need to talk a little bit about the console it's on and that console's history. But this isn't some lesser known 90's system like the Neo Geo or 3DO. It's a console family that in the last 20 years has become a household name for both gamers and non-gamers alike.
Whether you are a fan of the console or not, there's no denying the original XBox caused a seismic shift when it was released in 2001. The big black and green box immediately stood out physically and it wasted little time in establishing itself as one of the most unapologetically western consoles of all time. Born of a marriage between a multi-billionaire's spur-of-the-moment infatuation and excessive 90's edgelord marketing and baptized in Mountain Dew, XBox took Sega's "cool kid" strategy and turned it up to 11. There were no silly plumbers or hedgehogs here. Nintendo and Sony? Those were for anime nerds and little kids. Sega? Posers, they were never as cool as XBox. That marketing message has proven more than effective in the past and this time it was backed by Bill Gates' (perhaps you've heard of him?) money. As someone that has always sat on the fence between worlds, I had mixed feelings about this. On one hand, it was nice to see western sensibilities genuinely catered to by a gaming company. On the other, there are a lot of aspects of said sensibilities I don't like and they were on full display here. This thing courted every bro and meathead it could get its giant controller into the hands of and it did it very, very well. At any rate, the XBox was a huge success, buoyed by the genre defining Halo titles, so a follow-up console was an inevitability. The XBox 360, despite it's rough early start, continued the legacy of the original while opening itself up to a greater variety of genres.
That brings us to the 7th generation, a time in gaming where a lot of change was happening. Some of those changes were good, some were bad, but as a whole I think this might be my least favorite gaming generation. Why? Well, there are a lot of reasons, but the biggest issue for me was the absolute dearth of non-western RPGs. I've talked about the golden age of RPGs before, an era I've always kind of believed was between 1995 and 2001 or '02. The genre started to slow down during the 6th generation, but there were still plenty of options and a ton of iconic titles released for those consoles. But by the 7th generation, the well had run dry. Don't get me wrong, I love some Fallout or Elder Scrolls, but they just aren't the same experience as more traditional style RPGs. Those were harder to find during this era than ever before, you had the Tales games and that was about it. Even heavyweights like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Persona had few or no offerings during this era and the games they did feature were much maligned by critics. Things were a little better on handhelds, but on home consoles it was a tough time. If the late 90's were the golden age, then these were the dark ages of RPGs. What few examples of the genre there were mostly came out on the PlayStation 3, which probably wasn't shocking. The PlayStation consoles had become synonymous with the genre in the 5th and 6th generation and for good reason. We already talked about how XBox was for cool kids and cool kids don't play RPGs. Who wants to do nerd things when you could hit fat 540s in Tony Hawk bro! Well, someone had to see some market for it because there were actually a few RPGs for the console. Given what I've been ranting about here, you might expect that many of those games would be afterthoughts. But, believe it or not, that wasn't actually the case. Because as inclined as we are to consider the PlayStation the platform of choice for the genre, the definitive RPG of experience of the 7th generation may very well be on XBox.
Released in early 2008, Lost Odyssey stuck out like a sore thumb against the rest of the XBox 360's library. Developed by Mistwalker Studios, this was about as traditional a JRPG as you could get. A lot of people very quickly noticed its aesthetic resemblance to Final Fantasy, which was entirely understandable once you realized where the game came from. You see, Mistwalker was founded in 2004 by a gentleman named Hironobu Sakaguchi, a name anyone who loves RPGs will recognize immediately. But for those that don't know, Sakaguchi is, essentially, the creator of Final Fantasy. He decided to leave Square Enix in 2001 after the commercial and critical failure of Final Fantasy: Spirits Within, a film he directed. By 2004, Sakaguchi had reignited his passion for game development, starting Mistwalker with funding help from Microsoft. The company quickly announced a few RPG projects for the console, one of which was Lost Odyssey. I was excited to finally give this game a try, as I had heard quite a lot about it in internet circles. It's frequently called a hidden gem and some even call it the "real" Final Fantasy XIII. I guess that makes sense, it was developed by Sakaguchi with music by Nobuo Uematsu so it definitely looks and sounds like Final Fantasy. While it was largely successful, Lost Odyssey never received a sequel (though that may be changing soon) and has never been ported to any other console, it's a one-off single game that as of now is just crystalized in time. Did it deliver? Well, I guess now we can start talking about the actual game and find out.
As is customary, I will start with the story, which puts you in the shoes of Kaim Argonair, a mercenary in the service of the Republic of Uhra. The republic needs all the help it can get for what will most likely be a decisive battle with Khent, a far-off nation it has been battling for a long time. He sets off to the Highlands of Wol, where the fighting between the two sides is fierce and neither can gain an upper hand. Just when it looks like the factions are in for a long stalemate, a magically conjured meteor crashes into the battlefield, decimating the majority of both forces. Even though he's in the thick of battle, Kaim manages to survive, the lone member of his unit to make it out alive. A lot of RPG stories use this trope to set up a warrior of destiny or provide some sort of mystery, but the game makes very clear what has happened here. You see, Kaim is immortal, incapable of dying by any conventional means. He has lived for 1000 years and experienced countless battles, though much of his memory seems to have been erased. He returns to Uhra alongside Seth Ballmore, herself an immortal, to report to the newly appointed council about the events of the battle. Uhra, and the world as a whole, are in the throes of a magic industrial revolution, which is the newfound energy source to create everything from daily household conveniences to public infrastructure to weapons of war. As such, the council is very anxious about the incredible display of magic energy that caused the meteor strike. Already in a tense situation having just converted from monarchic rule, they express their concerns over the grand staff project, which has been moving along slowly and is starting to release unwanted magical energy. It's architect and biggest proponent, Lord Gongora, attempts to assuage his fellow council members, but it is to no avail. They decide to place Gongora under house arrest until things calm down and they can determine the cause of the Wol meteor and all of the other recent magical anomalies. That's a bit of an issue for Kaim and Seth, as it was Gongora who hired them in the first place. Confined to his home and stripped of his official power, he has one last task for the duo. Travel to the aforementioned grand staff and report back on what is responsible for the magic energy leak. Gongora also asks his right-hand man, a womanizing spellcaster named Jansen Friedh, to accompany the duo and provide support. This seems logical, though it quickly becomes clear the former councilman may be plotting something. He hands Jansen a magical orb and requests he use it on Kaim or Seth should they begin regaining their memories. All suspicion aside, the trio set off for grand staff, thus kicking off the story in earnest.
The story itself is solid and it definitely has some interesting twists and turns. It kind of starts out better than it ends, it pays off a lot of things a little too early. Lost Odyssey starts out fairly strong, appearing as though it's going to weave a tale of political backstabbing and cloak and dagger diplomacy. It's not that it abandons that early, it's more that it essentially completes that part of the story ark about 10 hours into the game. It sort of gets revisited a little bit later, but it becomes an afterthought as opposed to the primary plot. There are a lot of topics that are covered only briefly, some of which would have made for some really interesting deep dives. As I discussed in the synopsis, the world of Lost Odyssey is one in transition, still grappling with its ongoing magic industrial revolution. While this is kind of used as a backdrop throughout, it isn't really explored in a deeper way and I think that would be really compelling. That's probably the biggest example, but there were plenty of other things I would have liked to have seen be explored more. That's the bad news. The good news is that once the story gets its legs under it, it's absolutely excellent. I think the whole "self-discovery" plot thing is overdone in RPGs, but it definitely works here. Amnesia is such a hackneyed plot device in these games, but the nature of the players involved makes it feel different here. Unlocking a whole thousand years of memories just hits differently than what's normally on offer. It also helps, at least I think it helps, that the reason for the characters repressed memories is clearly explained. It makes it feel less like a convenient plot device and more like something the writers actually wanted to delve into. Again, I do think the game settles into its final path, a straightline journey towards a final battle with an antagonist where the characters learn about themselves and each other, way too quickly. We are talking 15 hours into a 50-hour game. But it's so well done, the antagonist so hateable and the characters so relatable that it doesn't feel nearly as much like a problem as it probably is.
I think this is largely down to two key factors, the first being the exceptional cast. Kaim is a little bit wooden as a main character, he's very stiff and unexpressive. However, the game fairly quickly establishes that its just the way he is and it shows you why he's that way. It also makes the instances where he does show some level of emotion stand out as important. He feels more real and less like a typical melodramatic RPG character, many of whom just vacillate between big emotional highs for no discernable reason. Seth is sort of a comic relief character, a plucky 1000-year-old pirate who craves adventure and always has the right words for any situation. Along the way, you will also meet up with other immortal characters. Ming, the ancient Queen of the peaceful kingdom of Numara is very docile and reserved, but learns she must break out of her shell if she wants to help her people. She's kind of meh as a character, I didn't hate her, but she really didn't seem to bring too much to the cast. Sarah serves as the matronly figure that Sakaguchi's games always seem to feature and is a much more compelling character who brings some unique scenarios to the table. Slight spoiler here, she was actually married to Kaim and the two have a daughter together, which brings about an interesting dynamic. She also seems to have better grasp of her memories than the other immortals do, for better or for worse. The dynamics between these characters are great as a whole, as they all collectively fight to recover their lost memories and struggle as they recall some of the more painful parts of their past.
Of course, they are also joined by a handful of mortal characters as well. Jansen is another JRPG stereotype, the womanizing drunk who learns there's more to life than his favorite vices. He may be fairly archetypal, but he plays his role perfectly and he comes off more genuine than most characters like this. Speaking of RPG tropes, we have not one, but two "RPG kids" this time around with Cooke and Mack, a brother/sister duo of mages. Stop me if you've heard that one before. You know what though? These two are actually great characters. Again, the game is so well written and translated they feel like actual people. They are children who have had their lives shaped by tragedy around them and thus have a certain level of maturity. But at the end of the day, they are still kids with senses of childlike wonder and siblings who bicker over silly things. Family dynamics are a big theme in Lost Odyssey, as are the consequences of immortality. This is why I think Sed may be my favorite character here. Slight spoilers coming here, but Sed is Seth's son, raised on the high seas and a feared and respected pirate like his mother. He's also old, well into his 60's. Of course, his mother is an immortal and thus doesn't age. So you have a weird and also hilarious dynamic where the party's resident old geezer (another RPG trope) is actually the son of another party member who looks like she's 25. I couldn't help but chuckle every time he called her "mama." Even on his own though, he's a great character, sarcastic and witty while also having a strong sense of purpose. Overall, I think it's a great cast and one that perfectly encapsulates a lot of the game's themes. Even the more stereotypical characters (I should note there's one more here, but saying who would be too big a spoiler) are so well done that they stand out amongst other examples of their archetypes. The plot is good, but the cast is really what carries the game here and they are all more than up to the task.
A lot of this development is driven home through the "1000 years of dreams," which works as both a sidequest and a story element. As you progress through the game, Kaim will gradually regain his memories based on certain events. Some of these will happen throughout the story, while others need to be sought out. These stories are presented with dramatized text almost like you would see nowadays in an "indie walking simulator" or something of the like. They are incredibly well written and it's been a long time since I've had something from a video game get me so emotionally invested. While there are a wide range of stories, many of these are...depressing, to say the least. But again, it kind reinforces Kaim's character. His life has been difficult, and it really comes off in these dream sequences. A lot of these brooding, quiet characters don't hit because it just feels like they don't have a justifiable reason for being the way they are. But Kaim truly does have 1000 years of pain to dwell on, from a wife and child he lost hundreds of years ago to the pandemic he lived through to the long prison sentence he served. It all plays into the core theme of the negatives of an eternal life, something Kaim and the other characters struggle with. I do wish there were more of these stories for the other immortals, of the 34 I think Seth gets two and Sarah and Ming get one each, but I don't think a single one of these memories felt like a waste of time. I also like that they do throw in the occasional happy or hopeful story, I mean poor Kaim had to have some level of positivity in the last 1,000 years, right?
If the characters aren't the strongest part of the game, then the world building most certainly is. This might be one of the most compelling game worlds I've ever seen, it kind of skirts the whole steampunk vibe without diving fully into it. You can really see evidence of the so called magic industrial revolution anywhere you look, with jury-rigged magic engines and primitive vehicles clearly out of place amongst stone monoliths and castle keeps. This isn't the first time this aesthetic was done, but it might be one of the best examples. There is a lot of variety in location, especially when it comes to towns. Each one you visit has a unique backstory and the vibe and personality to match. Uhra feels like a bustling castle town in the throes of a major transition, while Numara's chill seaside atmosphere and Mediterranean style just screams "kingdom full of pacifists." You also have Gohtza, a fully industrialized town that adopted magic technology years before the others, Samaan, a port town full of shops and traders and Tosca, a small backwoods hamlet that idolize the frog-like Keolon that populate the world. The dungeons are similarly aesthetically well done, the Ipsilon Mountains provided a beautiful outdoor area while the Old Sorceress' Mansion would have been at home in a survival horror game. The transitional areas are a little less well done, most of them are your standard cave, standard ice area, your typical RPG settings. They aren't bad though and they really fit the world well. All of it is tied together by some really great dialogue, this is up there with some of the best NPC dialogue I've ever seen. Honestly, it might be the best, it's up there with the Lunar games for me. The translation as a whole is excellent and it makes sure that all of the game's elements, from the story to the twists to the world building, actually hit. This was around the time where developers started to finally get this right and it showed here.
Overall, Lost Odyssey does a great job with its plot and characters. It has great party members with relatable backstories and a strong villain. Any fan of early or mid-era Final Fantasy is going to absolutely be right at home here, for obvious reasons. You can really see the direct link here, especially between with FFX. After playing this, it's no wonder people call it "the Real FFXIII." I don't know if I agree with that sentiment, but I definitely understand it. As a longtime FF fan and RPG connoisseur, I'm going to say this: this is what I wish FF looked and felt like now and I think it's a shame that this wasn't the direction the franchise ended up going. I am sure a lot of longtime fans would feel the same way. That ship has sailed and it's not worth belaboring the point, but it is doubly sad because Lost Odyssey never got any sort of follow-up. If recent rumors are to be believed, that may change soon. Apparently, a sequel has been teased before but to no avail, though maybe this time will be different. From a story perspective, I would love to see a second game starring Kaim and friends, maybe even set 1000 more years in the future. But that's from a story standpoint. What about gameplay? Does it match up to the story? You will have to come back next week to find out.
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