Odin Sphere

[AndrewTS 0]

I'd only recently heard of this title...looks great:

 

Penny Arcade was the first I'd heard of it...

 

Gameplay looks pretty good...

 

http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/rpg/odinsphere/index.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xynxGDuId74...ted&search=

 

Impressions look positive...

http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3157062\

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/783/783630p1.html

 

 

Plus, it kind of helps that I've been playing Super Paper Mario, which is terrific, and seems to bear a lot of gameplay similarities to this game. Also, I sense a Valkyrie Profile influence in the gameplay and theme as well.

 

Anyone here able to comment on it's long lost ancestor, Princess Crown?

[AndrewTS 0]

New preview:

 

http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3159216

 

Feel free to read the preview here if you're lazy, but don't miss the screenies.

 

 

Previews: Odin Sphere

A detailed look at the PlayStation 2's two-dimensional swan song.

By Jeremy Parish 05/03/2007

 

There comes a time in every console's life when its successor makes its debut and what was once next-gen becomes last-gen. What happens next is largely contingent upon its fortunes during its prime. If it was kind of a flop, like GameCube, it's whisked under the rug so fast that not even crappy movie-licensed titles can find purchase on the platform. But insanely profitable systems like PlayStation 2 stick around for a lot longer, slowly fading into a twilight haze of kids' games and the occasional hardcore sleeper hit.

 

And Atlus' upcoming Odin Sphere is nothing if not a sleeper hit in the making. It represents the antithesis of everything that plays in Peoria with its elaborate 2D visuals, high-minded Norse fantasy setting and intricate gameplay mechanics. It is, in short, the kind of game that could only happen on a deeply-entrenched platform whose manufacturer has put it to pasture. It's a game for a very specific audience, and that audience will love it deeply and passionately.

 

And just who is that audience? It's hard to say, exactly, because Odin Sphere encompasses many genres without actually belonging to any of them. It's a role-playing game at heart, with lots of experience-mongering and inventory-juggling. But it looks like a brawler. And it controls like a platformer.

 

Even when it resembles a given style of game, Odin Sphere still plays fast and loose with genre conventions. For instance, unlike in most RPGs, killing enemies powers up your weapons but not your character; to boost heroine Gwendolyn's personal stats, you have to eat consumable goods. Those consumables, in turn, are primarily acquired by growing them (since enemies mainly drop seeds and money is scarce). This is no Harvest Moon game, though; it's a series of battles set against armies of monsters, so you'll have to tend to your agricultural endeavors in the thick of combat. The world is broken into dozens of tiny but infinitely-looping levels with multiple exits. Strange? Yes -- but charmingly compelling all the same.

 

Despite its quirkiness, Odin Sphere is fortunate enough to have one huge advantage in its favor: It's jaw-droppingly beautiful. The word "beautiful" is tossed around far too often these days, and the visual masterpiece developer Vanillaworks has crafted here makes its use for most other games ring hollow. Collectively, these graphics are a gorgeous, elaborate, hand-drawn work of art that looks stunning while still and mind-blowing when in motion. The character sprites are massive, yet manage to be fluidly, sumptuously animated; the trick is that everything is jointed, a trick pioneered a decade ago by the likes of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and the game's own predecessor, Saturn's Japan-only Princess Crown, but executed here with a far greater level of sophistication than ever seen before. The effort that's gone into the graphics is nothing less than epic; even incidental characters are imbued with extraneous detail that helps bring the game world to life. Backgrounds consist of nearly a dozen layers of independently-scrolling elements. And colors are rich, saturated, vibrant and lively, yet never garish or overbearing.

 

The visual tapestry that Odin Sphere weaves is instantly mesmerizing, and it's engaging enough to keep players hooked while they struggle to come to terms with the game mechanics. And it can be a bit of a struggle, no question -- for all that the game looks like a simple beat-em-up, button-mashing will only get you so far. Gwendolyn's attacks are essentially limited to a four-hit combo, but the recovery time for that fourth hit leaves her vulnerable, so you won't get far by simply pounding the Square button. (Plus, each successive attack depletes a power meter that, when empty, causes her to become dizzy.) She can also double-jump into the air and glide toward enemies for a 45-degree aerial attack and use a variety of spells which must be powered up by absorbing the spirits of fallen foes -- a process which leaves her vulnerable to attack. Fortunately, she also has alchemy on her side. By mixing the proper ingredients, Gwendolyn can create various potions that boost her power, damage foes and more. And like consumables, these ingredients will likely be acquired by growing plants in the heat of combat. The game's true depth and strategy comes in learning to make the most of these gameplay systems and in exploiting them to full advantage.

 

It's all surprisingly involved for a game that initially seems so button-mashy. It needs to be, though, because the difficulty swings dramatically upward after the first few missions, and you'll want every possible advantage on your side when it does. Foes have no compunctions about juggling Gwendolyn and taking her down with projectiles fired from way off-screen. It never feels cheap, though; the upper portion of the screen is given over to a simple yet invaluable radar system that shows every hazard a given level has to offer, all the way down to which direction your foes are facing. Since every stage is a simple loop, this means you can use your radar to sneak up behind foes or evade incoming arrows long before they appear on the screen. Most enemies have fairly simple attack patterns, but they're awfully good at applying them to painful effect. And when you do die -- which will be often -- you can restart immediately from the beginning of your most recent battle with everything you brought into the level restored, making do-overs almost entirely painless.

 

Atlus is definitely catering to their hardcore fanbase with Odin Sphere -- the game features both English and Japanese language tracks. But its unique style, sheer visual virtuosity and lush score by Hitoshi Sakimoto (Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy XII) lend it an appeal that transcends genre boundaries. It seems almost destined to become one of those highly-prized collectibles along the lines of Panzer Dragoon Saga or Suikoden II -- a niche game released in its system's latter days that slowly gains attention through word-of-mouth and sheer fan adulation. With gameplay as daring as its audacious visuals, Odin Sphere arrives in just a few weeks. We'll have a full review then, but even now we can confidently say that this is one game that RPG fanatics won't want to let slip past.

[AndrewTS 0]

Confirmed -- Japanese language track is in NA version.

[Invictus 0]

Pre-ordered.

[AndrewTS 0]

I got the game, no thanks to EB's typical never-gets-stuff-in-on-ship-date tendencies.

 

4 copies recieved at that the store, 2 were preorders.

 

I'm planning to turn in early tonight so I haven't played it yet, but will have impressions up when I do.

[EricMM 0]

I'm not very good at it, and the first boss had a lot of slowdown. but it might by my tired old PS2

[AndrewTS 0]

Naw, other folks/reviews have pointed that out too.

[AndrewTS 0]

Got the game. So far there is, as mentioned, FANTASTIC VISUALS...

 

Beyond that, while the RPG trappings are there and apparent, so far there's a heck of a lot of fighting. Attacks from the ground, attacks from the air, enemies that need to be beaten/weaked by special conditions, etc. However, you can't go all-out melee frenzy.

 

The game borrows the strength bar that Secret of Mana had. You can attack with a big combo string, but if you don't pace yourself you could be left defenseless. Enemies that are killed leave behind Phozon, which can be used to power up your sword or grow your plants. I've only gotten a small taste so far, although it can be difficult/frantic to keep up with them and defend yourself. Because of the tenacity of the baddies, you'll have to eat food/heal up a lot. Thankfully, that's trouble-free, as it also borrows Mana's ring menu system.

 

Each "stage" (battle, shop, npc hangout" is a ring. So you just need to either go left or right until you get to where you need to be. The many rings connect to each other via different doors and paths, and you can track your progress by pulling up your map with a quick button press.

 

Lots of folks who got to play farther say the difficulty ramps up really high quick. I can imagine how, just based on on how sudden I'd end up fighting for my life so far. Having lots of fun so far, but if you like your RPGs heavy on exploration and plot you may not enjoy it.

[World's Worst Man 0]

Battles sound like Rogue Galaxy, which other than the lame AI, is pretty fun.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Battles sound like Rogue Galaxy, which other than the lame AI, is pretty fun.

 

I died in the first significant battle, so I must really suck... seriously.

[EricMM 0]

Plant a lot of fruit.

 

Level up your life.

 

I just beat the third boss I believe. you have to knock four armoured talismans off of it with a few combos before you can do any real damage to it, so you have to save your magic up for THAT time, otherwise you won't really be able to hurt it...

 

Right after, I was fighting enemies who could do about 1/7th of my life to 1/4th with one power hit, and there were like five in close order.

 

You really have to watch the radar, use your magic, and be careful.

 

And I've only scratched the surface...

[AndrewTS 0]

I think he was referring to Rogue Galaxy. If you haven't played it, it's like a poor man's Kingdom Hearts.

[World's Worst Man 0]

Battles sound like Rogue Galaxy, which other than the lame AI, is pretty fun.

 

I died in the first significant battle, so I must really suck... seriously.

 

I was referring to the friendly AI. They tend to die a lot, even against enemies that I can kill without taking any damage. They also aren't anywhere near as effective on the offense.

 

Rogue Galaxy is essentially a non-mind numbingly repetitive version of Kingdom Hearts. For anyone who liked Kingdom Hearts, try it. It's the same idea with the hack and slash real time battles, but the enemies are larger and less numerous (ie. so it's not as repetitive) and there's a bit more strategy to it (although still not much).

[AndrewTS 0]

ON ROGUE GALAXY:

 

I tried it. And yeah, your cpu-controlled party members are brain dead. You can change which character you control, but regardless with them in tow the game has way too much of an escorting feel to it than I'm willing to tolerate. That would be fine if you could go it solo, but you tend to *need* those assholes for the boss battles.

 

I wouldn't recommend to anyone, really.

[World's Worst Man 0]

Yea, because the Kingdom Hearts AI partners didn't have to be baby-sat at all. Truthfully, you don't need the AI in boss battles if you know what you're doing. I keep them alive so they gain exp, that's about it. But to each their own.

[AndrewTS 0]

I got a bit too annoyed with the clunkiness of the interface as well as the CPU partners' incompetence to look into working around it. Too bad, because the concept and characters looked interesting. Level 5 can do good work, but not consistently. DQVIII undoubtedly involved lots of Squeenix whip-cracking to get out a much more (relatively) polished product.

[Invictus 0]

Slowdown is a real killer in this game. It looks so fantastic that it's just a horrible shame to see the framerate chug so often. I just got to Chapter 5 of Gwendolyn's story, and the difficulty is picking up pretty considerably.

 

The game's story is pretty simple, but also presented fairly well. I wish it had more exploration, but that's really not what this game is trying to do, so I can't penalize it for that. I think overall it's a very successfully mixed formula, it certainly feels really fresh. One thing I wish they had done in this game, however, is made it so status effects from potions you make would carry over from each sphere. It gets really wasteful in

Horn Mountain with the cold

and even more wasteful where I am in the

volcano with intense heat that easily drops 4-5 hp every 2 seconds

to constantly be drinking potions every time you switch spheres to combat the ambient conditions.

[EricMM 0]

once you clear a stage you shouldn't have to use the potions anymore...

 

and the proper vegetables seem to be readily available...

[Matt Young 0]

I really want this game (and Rogue Galaxy). Do you guys think that Odin Sphere will be hard to find after a while like the other games from Atlus?

[AndrewTS 0]

I really want this game (and Rogue Galaxy). Do you guys think that Odin Sphere will be hard to find after a while like the other games from Atlus?

 

Odin Sphere's rather hard to find now.

 

Atlus does low initial print runs all the time. More printings should come, and remember that Gamequest Direct might help out afterwards.

[Invictus 0]

My advice is to get it now if you even can, because this game is likely to be incredibly rare.

[EricMM 0]

Got this along with Etria Oddessy.

 

Combined with Disgaea 2, I'm on a Atlus binge.

[AndrewTS 0]

Got this along with Etria Oddessy.

 

I think I know the game you're referring to--how's the music? It's Koshiro, so I expect awesome.

[EricMM 0]

Pretty good.

 

That game is HARD though.

[World's Worst Man 0]

Game would be solid if not for the awful, unresponsive control and the mind-boggling gameplay mechanics. Getting hit by your own spells is ridiculous. Not being able to use items unless you're completely still is an unnecessary inconvenience. As for the controls, there's no excuse for having a delay for simply turning around or jumping, especially in a supposedly fast-paced game. The single plain nature of the game makes for some interesting combat, but the poor control often makes it a chore. Ironically if the battles were just mind-numbing hack and slash, the control problems wouldn't be so pronounced.

 

Edit: The control problems seem to stem from the character sliding around too much when stopping. Therefore if you're moving one way, and want to stop, there's a fairly significant delay between taking your finger off the button, and the character coming to a complete stop. It's a pretty big issue in a game where a split-second can mean life or death.

[EricMM 0]

actually, I like the fact that you get hit by your own spell.

 

You conjure up a tornado and then charge directly into it? Yeah, that's smart.

 

The game specifically tells you NOT to charge into things because the enemies will just beat you up...

[World's Worst Man 0]

Who said anything about charging into anything? It's actually quite easy to jump into it considering how unresponsive the air control is. And it doesn't help that it's basically instant death for the character, while it's not for most enemies. I guess it wouldn't be a problem if not for the control.

[EricMM 0]

I have not found it to be a problem.

[AndrewTS 0]

Most annoying part to me is the combination of the guard and attack buttons.

[EricMM 0]

That is silly, but on the other hand, I haven't mixed them up, yet......