I just finished writing up my feelings on Odin Sphere for another forum, and since the game is that great I thought I'd share my feelings of it with you guys here as well. I know Lizard Dude plans on purchasing this game, and I hope some of you guys will do that as well. Since I don't particularly want to make a new topic for this, since it would most likely result in no replies, I'll pop it in here under the guise of hoping you guys buy it. It's probably not the most well written post, but I think it will serve its purpose.
I picked up Odin Sphere yesterday and I can attest that this game is amazing.
Odin Sphere delivers in every aspect: Art direction/Graphics, music, game play, simplicity + complexity, and voice acting. I'm in love with this game, and surely I can only imagine Valkyrie Profile topping it as my favorite, and I haven't even completed it yet.
The art is wonderful. Certainly the biggest draw, and what would cause many people to buy it in the first place. Amazingly well animated, and with painstaking detail. You can see the devotion of the animators, as there are specific animations used only in the cutscenes maybe used only once or twice in the game. That's the kind of detail that shows a developer really cares about making a quality game.
The music, composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto, is absolutely amazing. It's truly Sakimoto at his best and he's put out some absolutely wonderful soundtracks. He's renowned enough to where I don't really need to say much more about that.
The game play is also great. It's been akin to a brawler or fighting game, and that's certainly true. It's very simplistic in execution, tap Square to combo, jump and tap Square to air combo, and jump twice and hit down and Square to do a downward attack. It's very simple, but battles require more than just tapping Square. When you're in a jam, you can plant seeds which can result in various results. For example, after collecting Phozons (Which appear from downed enemies) a seed can grow into a plant which blossoms into fruit, which you can then use to restore your HP. There's a variety of different plants and seeds, each with their own draw backs and benefits.
The complexity of the game comes from the EXP system and the Alchemy system. You can gain EXP for your weapon, called a Psypher, by absorbing the Phozons that drop from enemies. Collecting these Phozons increases your weapon's Exp as well as fills a gauge that allows you to use various skills and magic. The other form of Exp is for your HP, which you gain by eating various fruit. Each fruit can restore a certain amount of HP, and results in a certain amount of Exp. This is where choosing what seeds to plant becomes important. Do you want high restorative fruit with low Exp, or lower restoration yielding a higher Exp return?
The Alchemy system is in place to allow you to create items from using a catalyst called "Material." Each Material bottle has a number associated with it. Depending on the number of the Material you use, combining it with another item will result in a new item as well as more Phozons. The higher the number of your Material, the higher the Phozon count will be.
And finally, the voice acting. I've only listened to the Japanese cast as of now, but it's amazing. Every character is voiced, even NPCs you find as you walk around. There are very familiar voice actors and actresses for those who are well versed in Anime. The quality is just stunning. I've also read that the English cast do a good job as well, but I cannot personally attest to that yet.
This turned out to be more of a preview of the game than what I intended, but really it's just more of me gushing over this game. It's really amazing, and I implore any of you who enjoy quality games to pick this up. It also helps if you're acquainted with Princess Crown, as it's plays similarly to that. And if you're not,
pick it up for your PSP for it, too, is a great game.
Honestly, I can't say enough good things about this game. It's just that great.
