Lost Odyssey (release in the USA on February 12th and in Europe on February 29th, 2008) is the second of two epic Xbox 360-exclusive RPG projects for Microsoft by Mistwalker, the studio founded by Square-Enix’s Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. You play as Kaim, a man who’s been sentenced to live for 1,000 years. The game’s storyline takes you through Kaim’s life as he lives through multiple generations, becomes a part of many families, falls in and out of love and gets into conflicts. All this is set in a world that is on the verge of a “mystical industrial revolution,” where mankind has attained dark powers.
Is this the crossover Japanese RPG the Xbox 360’s been waiting for? Find out in the Lost Odyssey video review:
To quote the video review: “If you think there’s no life after Final Fantasy, you’re wrong. Lost Odyssey is finally here, and it’s been built from the ground up by former Square-Enix employees and the father of Final Fantasy himself, Hironobu Sakaguchi. With one foot planted firmly in the past and the other in the realm of the unexpected, Lost Odyssey is one of the first Japanese RPGs to finally make the leap into the future.
Amid its many peaks and valleys, Lost Odyssey is the first exciting realization of a compelling, next-gen Japanese RPG. While its gameplay may not even come close to the depth or complexity of a title like Mass Effect, Lost Odyssey’s story and visuals stand toe to toe with some of the best the genre has seen. If it’s an epic voyage into the realm of fantasy you’re after, you’ve found it: Lost Odyssey is a role-playing adventure that shouldn’t be missed.”
Story: 9.6
Design: 8.0
Gameplay: 8.3
Presentation: 9.5
Overall: 8.8