It’s amazing how mesmerized I am by this game. Usually I lose interest in console games after only playing for a day or two, but Odin Sphere has kept me hooked for quite some time (though I’ve heard reports that other people have gotten tired of it after only a day…) I’m just starting Oswald’s campaign at the moment. Gwendolyn’s was by far the hardest, since I didn’t have a good feel of how to prioritize potion development, ingredient conservation, and fruit growing. Her limited flight capability in combination with her melee attack actually ended up being more of a liability since she can’t execute fast double-somersaults, which is crucial for flanking many of the slower bosses. Cornelius, on the other hand, was an ideal melee character, and his campaign was sooo much easier. His spinning attack was incredibly useful for bouncing off masses of projectiles that would otherwise be difficult to dodge, and his attack combos were fast, powerful, and decently ranged. Mercedes was definitely a unique experience, after having played two melee characters. The mechanics of her perma-flight ability, ranged attacks, and forced reload are well-balanced and meaningfully different than the other characters. I was perennially annoyed by her sluggish responses due to her floaty movement, but her awesome ranged attacks more than make up for it. I still haven’t been able to get her homing charge to work consistently though, for some reason. I must be doing something wrong.
I think part of the draw is that grinding in the traditional RPG sense is not required. Though the option exists to replay previous areas for loot and materials, it’s very viable to complete the campaigns without doing so if you’re competent in battle. An RPG where a skill matters… imagine that! Then of course, there’s the gorgeous artwork, attention to detail, sweeping cinematic score (by Hitoshi Sakimoto, who also did Ogre Battle, FFXII, and… Romeo X Juliet?), and five intertwined character stories. I especially like how the lore gradually unfolds and each successive campaign brings a new perspective and sheds new light on all the subplots. Loved the Japanese voice option; Atlus seems like the only company that actively includes this feature in their games.
The battle system at first glance is simplistic, but the fights are actually very challenging (without the blatant abuse of unlimited POW potions/Painkillers/Overload or Invis + Napalm) and have more depth than you might think. I was on the edge of my seat through all of Gwendolyn’s campaign due to the tendency for fights to consume more hp and materials than I would regain from clearing the area, due to the time-based rewards system. Luckily though, the difficulty scales well, as I have had an easier time with subsequent characters due to my improving battle skills. Keep in mind though, that the fights are more about positioning and strategy rather than complex quarter circle-forward/half-circle back/up/up/A+B button combinations. Figuring out enemy attack patterns naturally is important, as well as knowing when to run away. Luring the enemy to a more favorable battle position is critical to dealing with large waves of enemies.
Some folks complain about the item management aspect, but much of that is due to the natural packrat tendencies of RPG players. People just don’t like having limited inventory space, but I find that this is a minigame in itself. Making tradeoffs and deciding what items are more worthwhile to keep for the upcoming battles or for restaurant recipes is part of the fun, and in the end nothing goes to waste since every item can be consumed with alchemy to alter the potion base numbers. The inventory system could definitely be more automated (grouping by item type or whatnot instead of literal item placement) though, similar to the Seiken Densetsu/Secret of Mana series, which also has ring-style inventory management. The limitation on inventory space is also a critical game balance mechanic, as many of the items are quite powerful and readily obtained, with inventory space being the only limitation on their abuse.
There certainly are some valid complaints against the game though; the load times are somewhat ridiculous, for example. It’s not that the load times are long, but that they are incredibly frequent. And for boss fights, which you’ll undoubtedly have to repeat many times before successfully conquering, the load times are even longer, and the stage is not cached for quick retrieval upon death. The most ridiculous instance of long loading times is in the Pooka restaurant and cafe. The load times to enter these shops are the longest in the game, and they consist only of a SINGLE SCREEN. Granted, the shops feature some incredibly beautiful artwork, but still! Another common complaint is the massive slowdown experienced during some boss fights. Now, slowdown can sometimes be a good thing when things are too hectic and projectiles are flying everywhere, but during one particular boss fight, the frame rate can drop to single digits, often resulting in your death. Strangely enough, the slowdown still exists when the game is played on a PS3. Perhaps its PS2 emulation is a little *too* accurate [snicker]. I’m surprised that the game was released with such a glaring problem, but I suppose the design team was unwilling to sacrifice some of the features of that boss fight (which looks absolutely spectacular) or did not have enough time to polish the rough spots.
Some more random thoughts:
- Pookas are so cute! Velvet probably just wants to keep Cornelius as her pet.
- Nothing beats wandering the battlefield, disturbing cute little veggie creatures out of their underground dens, and whacking them with a giant sword.
- Odette gets her ass kicked by so many different characters, I wonder if anyone is really scared of her anymore. She’s totally losing street cred, I tell ya.
Overall I feel that Odin Sphere is a magnificent niche product that happens to scratch all my itches at once. While it may not appeal to hardcore platform or traditional RPG purists, those who are looking for a different experience will likely find Odin Sphere a satisfying venture.
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22 Comments
i agree with u on EVERY POINT. The story line is engaging the the chars interesting and varied. The jp voices rules as well (Ayako 4tw) Currently on Mercedes. Already i miss Gwendolyn’s cheap air dives @@
anyways, Odin Sphere FREAKING ROCKS
the point about Odette is especially true. shes supposed to be a freaking QUEEN of the dead, and she gets her ass whooped as early as the 1st boss for Cornelius’ path. LOL
you beat it already? damn! that’s fast
I avoid grinding and I’m still on Mercedes
what difficulty were you on?
I haven’t beated the entire game yet; I’m on Oswald’s tale (4th character), Act III. I’m playing it on normal difficulty right now, and some of those boss fights are really making me pull my hair out! They aren’t impossible by any means, but I keep making silly mistakes at key moments (like running out of POW in the middle of a horde of enemies). I think only a masochist would choose hard difficulty.
a masochist indeed..
Looks like yet another game I need to get…move aside, anime DVD purchasing, the gaming era is back.
after stopping a bit as i found the game a bit repetitve. i went all out the past couple of days and i just started velvet’s story (i wuv her so much for obvious reasons ^^). i’ve never found the game too hard (as i’m just playing on normal) but i guess it can be challenging. it’s not too different (or difficult) from old school action games. so if one was used to the mechanics of those good old (and crazy hard) games, then this is nothing. it’s all just patterns and remembering when to go in for the opening. This old school aspect of fighting is one of the biggest reasons why i enjoy this game a lot.
from my gameplay experience so far, gwendolyn’s story is indeed the ‘hardest’ as it serves as an intro to the game mechanics. the rest of the characters are just easier overall and you don’t need to level as much.
i’m on the same boat about the complaints. i hate going to the restaurant and cafe cuz it takes like 10 secs to load (WTF?!). The lag in this game is really gross. i’ve had slowdown so many times on 3-5 stars levels. the netherworld is the worse, it should be called ’slowdown hell’. stupid candle holders. my fight w/ odette on gwen’s story was really bad where it freaking froze for 1 sec. as for no one being scared of odette, don’t think they ever were. instead, i think they’re more amazed by her massive bosoms :D.
Quite right, especially seeing the lack of ANY flesh on her limbs and torso,
Perhapas there’s a law of conservation of cleavage?
If you love rpgs, another awesome one everyone should try is Etrian Odyssey for the DS. Old school action (Earthbound and Dragonquest) mixed with 3d environments.
The worst part about the Pooka restaurants is when you go in and then realize you are missing an ingredient from the vendor *outside* the shop. Agony!
While it can’t fix the lag, if you put the game on the harddrive the load times are much faster(ugh I hated going to the kitchen and cafe before)
Be warned, the loading for the battles on screen will start as soon as it loads, compared to 2-10 seconds.
The loading times don’t bother me too much (except in the Pooka village, of course). What I find more irritating is the terrible lag in some (all ?) boss battles.
Except for that though, Odin Sphere is excellent.
It is fortunate that Pookas have opposable thumbs. The lag sounds like the result of shoddy programming, if even the hardware upgrade does not help the framerates.
Long loading times are there for you so that you can take a nap, do your homework, go to school etc.
Odin Sphere is an excellent and beautiful game and the lag really isn’t any big deal once you get used to it. It reminds me of the old SNES or Genesis games (Gunstar Heroes especially). The art is beautiful and I’m looking for a copy of the artbook, obviously only the Japanese pre-orders get that.
Currently I’m on the 4th book. I was playing on normal, but switched to hard halfway through Gwendolyn’s story. The damage difference is astonishing; and I found Cornelius to be absolutely brutal compared to the other characters. I actually had to go back and grind up ingredients for the Cafe to gain some HP levels it got so bad fighting Belial. Every freaking attack the dragon does past making it rain metal kills you in one shot. That’s frustrating.
Supposedly on Heroic you have an HP cap, so it’s essentially playing a 1 Level game. I’ll be amazed at who has the patience to make it through -that-.
I went to the GameStop and overheard clerks talking about how they were lucky to get two copies of Odin Sphere in that day, but the copies were immediately sold… Dang!
What were you looking for at Gamestop?
Looking at prices of old school PS2 units. Saw ShadowRun listed as requiring Vista, lol.
Vista runs on a Megadrive?
I bought mine used for about 100 bucks online; came with 2 controllers, memory card, and a giant arcade joystick controller. What were the prices like over at Gamestop?
I think he was referring to the new Shadowrun FPS, which has ridiculous PC requirements. The Xbox360 version is selling pretty well though, I hear.
It was like $129 for a unit, but I don’t know what came with it.
Totally have to say i agree with you 100%
Since I’ve bought this game, I’ve been unable to tear myself away. It’s just so damn good lol.
However I seriously don’t see it having much longevity once the ‘newness’ wears off. Unfortunate, because at the moment I’m enjoy it a lot.