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Lost odyssey8/3/2023 ![]() ![]() The better your timing, the more potent the bonus, and if you are too far off, you don't get any benefit at all. To receive the full benefit of your ring, you hold a trigger down to shrink the larger circle and release it when it has shrunken to the size of the smaller one. Whenever you order a party member to perform a standard attack, a circle will appear around your target while a larger one encircles the screen. This isn't so special on its own, but the effectiveness of the bonus is completely reliant on your actions in battle. Any character can wear a ring that confers upon its wearer one or more bonuses, such as a chance of inflicting poison, extra damage against spirit enemies, and so on. Combat is your standard turn-based affair, though there are some twists, chief among them the aim rings. The game play itself doesn't reach the same zenith as the story, though it's solid in and of itself. Regardless, there are other language options, so if you'd rather listen to the original Japanese voice cast, you have the alternative. ![]() On the other hand, Mack and Cooke are acted with the usual hyperactive hamming that child characters so often fall victim to. The English voice acting isn't bad, and Jansen, Ming, and Kaim are particularly well voiced. In particular, the atmospheric strains played during unlocked memories are wonderfully moody and match the text perfectly. Still, many of the tracks are stand-outs. Some of the soundtrack is predictable, like the Final Fantasy-tinged battle music, although that's not too surprising when you consider that the score was created by long-time FF composer Nobuo Uematsu. Thankfully, the game is an aural delight, and it owes a lot to its pretty soundtrack. You will also experience some loading times between areas and before cutscenes, and while they are semi-frequent, they aren't excessively long. The framerate is inconsistent, and the game hitches noticeably during game play and cut-scenes, even during on-screen events that wouldn't seem to tax the Unreal 3 engine, such as the map overview that occurs prior to region transitions. On the technical side, the game isn't quite as strong. The depth-of-field blurring that stuck out in Blue Dragon is used more subtly and to greater effect here, particularly during the game's most dramatic scenes. Lost Odyssey's art design clicks, from Kaim's lazy strand of hair to detailed enemy-character models. On your journey you'll certainly see your share of clichéd caves and forests, but there are plenty of beautiful vistas to behold: rocky seaside cliffs, looming castles swarming with mysterious spirits, and portside towns with colourful cobbled streets. This yarn takes place in a fully realised fantasy world in the midst of revolution both political and magical. Yet Lost Odyssey's concluding hours, as predictable as they are, make you feel, and that alone makes this a saga worth experiencing. The main story doesn't often reach those same heights, and a good number of the game's countless cutscenes ramble aimlessly and end up feeling like filler. It makes for a good amount of reading, but if you skip past these memories, you will miss the game's most touching and heartfelt moments. Kaim and his immortal companions unlock memories during the course of the game, and they are presented in simple but effective sequences in which the memory is recounted via stylised text, accompanied by pretty static images and subtle music cues. ![]() No, it's about self-discovery and the timelessness of the relationships we develop. In fact, the main story follows a more or less predictable path, pitting you against a villain you spend half the game knowing very little about. Lost Odyssey is about its characters, not about its plot. ![]()
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