is a console role-playing game developed by Mistwalker and feelplus and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360. The player takes control of Kaim, a man who has lived for a thousand years and who has no memory of his past. The game is set in a world nearing a "magical industrial revolution". Kaim, who seems to want to forget his past, struggles with the return of his memories and the pain they bring.

Lost Odyssey was produced by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the famed Final Fantasy series. This is his third project outside of Square Enix, following ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat and Blue Dragon.

Gameplay

Lost Odyssey uses a traditional turn-based battle system seen in most Japanese role-playing games, similar to early Final Fantasy iterations. A world map allows the player to move the party between adjacent towns or fields on the map, while later in the game the player is given more freedom to explore the world through the use of ocean-going ships. Towns and cities provides inns for the player to recover the party's health, stores for buying and selling of equipment, and save points for the game. When in specific fields or inside cities in some cases, the player will randomly encounter monsters to fight as they explore the area.

The combat system is based on traditional turn-based systems, incorporating aspects of battle initiative and length of actions to determine how events resolve each turn. Using items and most melee attacks are fast, while casting spells or using special abilities take additional time, and in some cases, require one or more turns to power up, depending on the character's current speed. Such actions can be delayed with certain attacks. The player has the option to cancel an action on a subsequent turn if necessary. Melee attacks include a "Ring System"; as the character launches the attack, a ring icon appears on screen. The player must press and hold the right shoulder trigger for just long enough to stop a ring icon at the right point to alter the effects of the attack. "Perfect" strikes can do more damage, while "bad" strikes may fail to land. The accuracy of hitting the ring icon also affects the benefits gains by rings worn by the character, which include damage specific to certain types of monsters, hit point or mana adsorption, or stealing items from monsters. These rings are created by synthesizing spoils of war or other rings into more potent versions; advanced rings can be made by combining two or more rings at special vendors.

In combat, both the player's party and enemies are arranged in two lines, front or back. At the start of battle, the back line will be protected by a special "wall" which is based on the combined hit points of the front line. This wall will reduce damage that the characters in the back experience. However, as the front line takes damage, the wall will weaken, and can only be recovered through the use of certain spells and items. When the wall is completely gone, the back row will have no damage reduction. This mechanic also applies to enemies parties. The player can choose which line to put the characters into battle, and while formation can be changed during battle, the strength of the wall remains unchanged.

There are two types of characters that the player controls. "Mortals" gain skills as a function of experience level, but can benefit from additional skills by equipping accessories. "Immortals" do not know any skills initially, but instead gain skills by "linking" with a "mortal" character that is currently part of the battle formation, earning skill points in battle towards complete learning of the skill. Immortals can also learn skills from accessories by equipping them in the same manner. Once a skill is learned, the player can then assign these skills to a limited number of skill slots, initially starting at three but can be expanded via a special item in the game. Immortals also have the ability to auto-revive in battle should they lose all their hit points after a few turns; however, if the entire party is downed including the immortals, the game will be over.

The game's magic system is based on four classes of magic: Black, consisting primarily of elemental attacks and negative status effects; White, for healing and protection, Spirit, which can alter speed, power, and spell attacks of both friend and foe, and Composite, which can combine certain spells of the other classes into a multi-target spell or one that performs two functions. To cast spells, the player must first find spells to fill the spell book, and then must have characters that have learned the appropriate magic skill of the right level to cast that spell.

Plot

Setting

Lost Odyssey takes place in a world where magic energy is used to drive technological advances, however, such progress has led to war between three rival nations: the republic of Uhra, the monarchy of Numara, and the kingdom of Gohtza.

While most of the population is mortal, five immortal beings have walked among them for the past millennium: Kaim, Seth, Ming, Sarah, and Gongora. The five are spirits that traveled from another world, taking the human forms they have now upon arriving. However, Gongora took the memories from the other four before sending them off along into the world. At the present of the game, none of the four have fully recovered their memories, but they have begun recalling bits of the past.

Characters

Supposedly all of the immortals have lived for 1000 years, and come from another world, through the Tower of Mirrors. All of them had their memories sealed within them by Gongora (with the exception of Gongora himself). They also must learn skills from others; they do not learn skills by themselves. When knocked out in battle, they arise after two turns with a small amount of health. While the immortals in the game are free to conceive children, their offspring do not possess eternal life; Sed (Seth's son) and Lirum (Sarah and Kaim's daughter) are mortals.

• Kaim Argonar

Kaim is a Lieutenant in the Uhran army. Normally quiet and kept to himself, Kaim tries to maintain a nonchalant and serious attitude, but there are clues to reveal a caring, loving individual underneath. Kaim recollects his forgotten memories in the form of dreams; these memories are called A Thousand Years of Dreams in-game. Occasionally, Kaim recollects things outside of dreams, often signaled by glass breaking across the screen. He is currently married to Sarah Sisulart; has a daughter, the late Lirum Argonar; and has two grandchildren, Cooke and Mack.

• Seth Balmore

A former pirate, Seth also ended up in the Uhran army. She is tough and speaks coarsely. Her appearance is distinguishable by her blue hair. Seth has recollections in 2 dreams, the rest are naturally recollected. Her son, Sed, is also a pirate, and despite having aged physically beyond her, he still lovingly refers to her as "Momma". She fights using swords, albeit in a different style to Kaim and Tolten.

• Ming Numara

Also known as The Thousand-Year Queen for the length of her reign, Ming is the founder (and reigning queen) of the Free Ocean State of Numara. She speaks with a regal accent, laden with formalities. Even though she maintains the facade of a weak damsel-in-distress, she is an able sorceress.

• Sarah Sisulart

Kaim's wife, Sarah, is a quiet person, renowned for her sorcery. After witnessing Lirum's death, she spiraled into depression, returned to their home near Tosca Village and took on the visage of an old woman. Sarah is brought back to reality upon meeting her own grandchildren, after her disguise is lifted by Kaim's group. She has studied many pieces of literature, and is the group's primary source for information unrelated to the ocean.

• Gongora

The primary antagonist in the story, Gongora was Uhra's magic advisor. Like Kaim, Gongora is also immortal, came from another world, and has lived for 1000 years. Thirty years prior to the story's commencement, Gongora had wiped the memories of the other immortals in the world with deceit. At the story's beginning, he was head of Uhra's Grand Staff project, in charge of building the largest magic engine in existence. Eventually, after a careful, underhanded scheme, he eliminated the entire Uhran council, restoring the country to a monarchy with Tolten at the helm. After declaring Tolten dead (through a fictional plot by Gohtza), Gongora took the throne. Immediately after taking the throne, he moved to Grand Staff to control it, following his plans to rise to his goal of being a god. Kaim and company defeated him, and sent him back with Seth to the immortal world, both unable to return due to the destruction of the Tower of Mirrors.

All mortals can permanently die in battle, and require resurrection by items or spells. They also learn skills as they level up, and cannot learn skills from others. They learn their last skill at level 52.

• Jansen Friedh

A womanizing drunk, Jansen is hired by Gongora to keep an eye on Kaim and Seth on their initial mission to check on Grand Staff. After discovering that Gongora is only using him, he sincerely joins the team's mission to bring down Gongora. He is constantly fighting with Seth. Over the course of the story, he falls in love with Ming. He weds her, and he is now the King of Numara. He specializes in black magic, but also knows a limited amount of white magic.

• Cooke

Lirum's daughter, and the granddaughter of Kaim and Sarah. She is a bit of a tomboy, and generally assumes the role of Mack's boss. She excels in white magic, and supporting her peers. She also wishes to be Seth's apprentice, her being a "female" pirate.

• Mack

Lirum's son, and Kaim and Sarah's grandson, Mack has a meek personality, but wishes to be strong like Kaim. He is childish and mischievous in nature, but there are moments of maturity that flare out of his playful behavior. There are traces of a deep genuine strength inside him. Despite being a strong melee attacker, Mack becomes affluent in spirit magic after being possessed by the spirits of the Eastern Tribe in the Crimson Forest.

• Sed

Seth's son, Sed is a famous pirate who has aged beyond his mother. Despite being in his sixties, he refers to Seth as "Momma", much to the surprise of Jansen. He is the captain of the Nautilus, and has a small crew lost across the world. He fights using magic rifles, the only character that uses ranged weapons in the game. Sed is also a capable mechanic, seemingly able to repair almost any broken device he comes across.

• Tolten

The King of Uhra, Tolten initially holds the position of Crown Prince in name only, as the Uhran monarchy abdicated the throne upon the death of his father, Zypha. Due to Gongora's manipulations, however, Tolten is persuaded to retake the throne after the death of the Republic's Chairman. Soon afterwards, Gongora declares that Tolten had died and assumes the throne for himself, leaving Tolten to join up with Kaim's group to liberate his country. Tolten is refined and educated, he is studied in the art of combat, however, upon encountering the real world he realizes that true wisdom comes through practice and hands on experience and not just the study of theory. He wishes to be strong and brave like Sed, and takes active steps toward achieving this goal toward the end of the story.

• Kakanas

The general in the Numaran Army, Kakanas is tired of Queen Ming's strict isolationist, pacifist policies. As such, he plots to become King and re-militarize the nation, in fear (both founded and unfounded) of the nations of Uhra and Gohtza. He is extremely paranoid and believes that all of the other nations are sending spies to get information on him and Numara. Though a strong general, Kakanas is considered by many to be quite stupid. He had disappeared since, after the party defeated his combat tanks a second time; no scenes have shown him leaving the tank. To atone for his sins, Maya, Ming's lady in waiting places him on the construction committee, to rebuild the palace that he had attempted to destroy.

Story

The game starts on a full-scale battle between Uhran and Khent forces, which Kaim is involved in, when a large meteor drops from the sky and wipes out both armies. Kaim, one of the few survivors, returns to the Uhran council to learn they believe Gongora's Magic Staff project - a giant tower aimed to collect and focus magical energy - is at fault, and order Kaim to investigate. Gongora, worried that Kaim may regain his memories, hires Jansen to follow along, keeping track of the party using a Spy Eye embedded in Jansen's pupil. Seth joins the two as they travel to the Staff. The trio is captured by Numera forces as they arrive at the Staff and are taken aboard the White Boa, a giant ocean-going vessel. Inside, the three manage to escape their cell, and stumble upon Queen Ming, who Jansen is immediately smitten for and tries to escape the ship with her. The three are recaptured and held until they return to Numara, but Queen Ming allows them their freedom as representatives of the Uhra government though they are to remain near the city.

Exploring the outskirts of Numara, they come across Lirum, Kaim's daughter, on her deathbed. Though pleased to see her father again, she dies shortly thereafter, and Kaim takes in her children, Cooke and Mack per her wishes. The party returns to Numara to find that Gongera has urged King Tolten of Uhra to denounce the republic and recreate the old monarchy, on the basis of images taken from Jansen's Spy Eye of the Numara fleet preparing for war. The group attempts to plead with the Queen for help. Kakanas, the Queen's advisor, uses the opportunity to try to usurp the throne in order to establish a militia state, and Queen Ming is forced to flee on an experiment speed boat from the city. Unable to return to Uhra due to difficult waters, they make their way to Gohtza. Along the way, Kaim is reunited with his wife, Sarah, and the party barely escapes the destruction of the Experimental Staff, the precursor to the Grand Staff.

Arriving in the city of Gohzta, Kaim and Sarah meet secretly with its King, an old friend of theirs, who asks if they would help to participate in a discussion with King Tolten on board a train. Kaim and Sarah offer to help and bring along Queen Ming, which he agrees to. However, Kaim and Sarah are forced to follow a train hijacked by Cooke and Mack, leaving Jansen and Seth to guard the proceedings. During the proceedings, it is revealed that Gohzta is also trying to create a Grand Staff of their own. Gongora, who has watched through a Spy Eye in Tolten's eye, uses the Grand Staff to freeze the entire kingdom of Gohtza; Seth manages to grab onto Tolten before he teleports safely back to Uhra. Jansen and Ming manage to escape with their magic power, and discover that they both have fallen in love with the other. As the others manage to regroup and help survivors of the magical blast, Tolten learns that Gongora has declared him dead and taken over the kingdom. An attack by the remaining Gohztan forces ensues, during which Gongora summons giant beasts with the Grand Staff to lay waste to the attackers, and Seth and Tolten manage to rescue Sed, Seth's son and a well-renown pirate, and escape in his pirate ship. They return to Gohtza and reunite with the others. The immortals fully recover their memory, and realize that they are in one of the worlds under observation of an alien race; for every year that passes there, a millennium passes in this world, giving Kaim and the others their apparent immortality.

Due to the power of the Grand Staff, the party finds that the only way to approach it is to break an ice wall surround the staff, which only the White Boa can do. The group returns to Numara, saving the city from further beasts summoned by Gongora and putting down Kakanas' uprising, restoring Queen Ming to her rightful place. The group takes the White Boa to the Staff and are able to work their way through the tower-like structure, but not before Gongora reactivates it, flying the rest of the tower towards the Hall of Mirrors, a tower that only the Grand Staff can reach. The immortals realize that Gongora's plan is to reactive the Hall of Mirrors to allow him to return to their original world, but the power to do so would destroy this one. The party faces Gongora a final time, with the mortals using their combined power to create a barrier to hold back Gongora's full strength to allow the immortals to defeat him. However, the barrier begins to feed off the power from the Mirrors, trapping the mortals inside and exposing to the fatal time effects of the alien world. As Gongora recovers, Seth grabs him and drags him to the Mirrors, instructing Kaim to break them so that she may sacrifice herself to return Gongora to their world but leaving her unable to return. The mortals are freed, and the rest of the party is able to escape before the Hall of Mirrors implodes. At the game's conclusion, Kaim and Sarah take up raising Cooke and Mack, while Ming and Jansen are married, all realizing that Seth will see be able observe their happy endings.

Development

Lost Odysseys story is penned by the award-winning Japanese novelist, Kiyoshi Shigematsu who worked directly with the game's producer Hironobu Sakaguchi on Kaim's backstory, bits of which are unlocked throughout the course of the game. Heading up the artistic demands of the title is famed Japanese mangaka, Takehiko Inoue, while famed composer Nobuo Uematsu has been recruited to create a more contemporary soundtrack. Mistwalker is developing the title, with cooperation with a studio named Feel Plus, a subsidiary of Microsoft created specifically to aid Mistwalker. Feel Plus is made up of around 40 former Nautilus/Sacnoth developers, most famous for the cult favorite Shadow Hearts RPG series. (Sacnoth was officially announced as being dissolved in 2007.) Former Square employees at Microsoft are also involved. The game ships on four dual layer DVDs, more than any Xbox 360 game to date. This is the first RPG developed using the Unreal Engine 3.0.

A playable demo of the game was shown at the Tokyo Game Show 2006, and was made available with the November issue of Famitsu.

On July 11 2007, an English trailer of Lost Odyssey was shown at E3 2007.

According to Peter Moore and Microsoft's E3 press event Lost Odyssey was to be in stores worldwide for the 2007 holiday season, although it was actually released in February 2008 in both the US and Europe.

On November 19, 2007, at a special Blue Dragon/Lost Odyssey concert held in Shibuya, Tokyo, it was announced that the game had gone gold and was ready for its Japanese release date of December 6, 2007. According to a special bloggers event at which selected people were invited to play demos of the game from the very beginning, it was confirmed that English/Japanese voices were selectable in the Japanese version.

An issue regarding the packaging has led to several complaints from consumers. Since the game could not fit onto a standard DVD, it requires four discs. In Japan and Australia, the solution was to use an oversized case with two disc trays to store the discs. In the United States and PAL territories, however, the first three discs were held on a single 3-disc spindle inside the main game case. The fourth disc came packaged in a paper sleeve. The concern is that the method used for the American and European versions could result in scratched discs.

Downloadable content

On April 25, 2008 the first American content pack for Lost Odyssey was available for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace for 200 Microsoft points, the Japanese one was released earlier this year and included a new dream (available for those who preordered the game): "Samii the Storyteller", and the accessory "Master's secret script".

It is possible, however, for American Xbox 360 users to download the Japanese content pack for free onto their American versions of the game as explained on siliconera.com.

In the newly released content pack, the "Triple Bonus Pack", another dream, entitled "An Old Soldier's legacy", was included, as well as the "Killer Machine" ring. Another feature, the memory lamp, which enables the viewing of all previously seen cutscenes throughout the game, is located in the Nautilus and is only usable in Disc 4.

On May 25,2008 another content pack, called "Dungeon Pack: Seeker of the Deep!" was made available on the Xbox Live Marketplace for 400 Microsoft points. It included a new dungeon, "Experimental Staff Remains", which is only reachable using the Nautilus in Disc 4. It contains unique items and monsters that can only be found in this new dungeon. It also adds another six Achievements with a total of 100 Gamer Scores.

Reception

Lost Odyssey reportedly sold 40,000 copies in Japan on its first day at retail, around 50% of the shipment. As of February 17, 2008, the game has sold 104,417 copies in Japan according to Famitsu numbers. The game has done much better in the West; according to NPD numbers Lost Odyssey debuted at #7, selling 203,000 in its debut month of February in North America.

Famitsu awarded the game a score of a 36/40, with all four critics each giving the game a 9. This was one point less than the 37/40 score Mistwalker's debut RPG, Blue Dragon, was given by the publication. As with Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey received somewhat mixed, although generally favorable, scores from Western critics.

The issue many took with Lost Odyssey was its deliberately old-school gameplay mechanics, particularly the traditional combat system, which several critics found to be dull and dated, as well as the game's use of random battles, which were further deemed an issue by their purportedly lengthy load times. Xbox Focus gave the game a 4/5 rating, declaring its story as profound, but taking an issue with the camera control and the odd character design. Unlike other critics, however, Xbox Focus deemed the combat and random battles as exhilarating, and that "it's better to take a tried and true technique and make it better than introduce a completely new idea that could possibly screw up an entire game. RPGFan stated that the story and gameplay were both "overused, uninspired, and stilted", but that the memory sequences, penned by Kiyoshi Shigematsu, were "some of the richest, most emotionally charged storytelling seen in any RPG to date".

Critics were divided on the story, with some, like GameSpy, calling the plot and characters, "shamelessly derivative." GamePro magazine agreed, declaring that the main story was not particularly compelling, although it noted that many subplots carried plenty of emotional weight. On the other hand, Game Informer magazine deemed the story line as being "one of the most compelling tales ever told on the Xbox 360," and praised the "cool combat system." GameSpot praised Lost Odysseys "fascinating cast," and character development, and also called the combat system "solid." GameTrailers said, "what sets Lost Odyssey apart is a deeply moving story that places an emotional focal point on its characters." IGN found that the ring-building system, immortals, and skill system added a fresh feel to the game's otherwise traditional combat, and 1UP.com praised the "timed button press" aspect of the battles, saying it makes them "more engaging than you'd think."

Despite critics' differing opinions in other areas, the game's graphics and high production values have received universal acclaim, although load times and framerate issues were also universally pointed out. However, it transpired that the copy that some reviewers received apparently had longer loading times than those of the retail version. GameSpot amended their review on February 19, 2008 to reflect this, but did not change their original score.

Novel

On November 21, 2007 a book of short stories based on the main character of Kaim was released in Japan called . It is penned by Kiyoshi Shigematsu and features 31 of 34 stories found in the "A Thousand Years of Dreams" sequences throughout the game itself.

References

External links

• Official Lost Odyssey website
• Lost Odyssey at Xbox.com
• Lost Odyssey at Mistwalker.info
• Lost Odyssey Wiki
• Lost Odyssey Gamestyle Review 8/10

is a console role-playing game developed by Mistwalker and feelplus and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360. The player takes control of Kaim, a man who has lived for a thousand years and who has no memory of his past. The game is set in a world nearing a "magical industrial revolution". Kaim, who seems to want to forget his past, struggles with the return of his memories and the pain they bring.

Lost Odyssey was produced by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the famed Final Fantasy series. This is his third project outside of Square Enix, following ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat and Blue Dragon.

Gameplay

Lost Odyssey uses a traditional turn-based battle system seen in most Japanese role-playing games, similar to early Final Fantasy iterations. A world map allows the player to move the party between adjacent towns or fields on the map, while later in the game the player is given more freedom to explore the world through the use of ocean-going ships. Towns and cities provides inns for the player to recover the party's health, stores for buying and selling of equipment, and save points for the game. When in specific fields or inside cities in some cases, the player will randomly encounter monsters to fight as they explore the area.

The combat system is based on traditional turn-based systems, incorporating aspects of battle initiative and length of actions to determine how events resolve each turn. Using items and most melee attacks are fast, while casting spells or using special abilities take additional time, and in some cases, require one or more turns to power up, depending on the character's current speed. Such actions can be delayed with certain attacks. The player has the option to cancel an action on a subsequent turn if necessary. Melee attacks include a "Ring System"; as the character launches the attack, a ring icon appears on screen. The player must press and hold the right shoulder trigger for just long enough to stop a ring icon at the right point to alter the effects of the attack. "Perfect" strikes can do more damage, while "bad" strikes may fail to land. The accuracy of hitting the ring icon also affects the benefits gains by rings worn by the character, which include damage specific to certain types of monsters, hit point or mana adsorption, or stealing items from monsters. These rings are created by synthesizing spoils of war or other rings into more potent versions; advanced rings can be made by combining two or more rings at special vendors.

In combat, both the player's party and enemies are arranged in two lines, front or back. At the start of battle, the back line will be protected by a special "wall" which is based on the combined hit points of the front line. This wall will reduce damage that the characters in the back experience. However, as the front line takes damage, the wall will weaken, and can only be recovered through the use of certain spells and items. When the wall is completely gone, the back row will have no damage reduction. This mechanic also applies to enemies parties. The player can choose which line to put the characters into battle, and while formation can be changed during battle, the strength of the wall remains unchanged.

There are two types of characters that the player controls. "Mortals" gain skills as a function of experience level, but can benefit from additional skills by equipping accessories. "Immortals" do not know any skills initially, but instead gain skills by "linking" with a "mortal" character that is currently part of the battle formation, earning skill points in battle towards complete learning of the skill. Immortals can also learn skills from accessories by equipping them in the same manner. Once a skill is learned, the player can then assign these skills to a limited number of skill slots, initially starting at three but can be expanded via a special item in the game. Immortals also have the ability to auto-revive in battle should they lose all their hit points after a few turns; however, if the entire party is downed including the immortals, the game will be over.

The game's magic system is based on four classes of magic: Black, consisting primarily of elemental attacks and negative status effects; White, for healing and protection, Spirit, which can alter speed, power, and spell attacks of both friend and foe, and Composite, which can combine certain spells of the other classes into a multi-target spell or one that performs two functions. To cast spells, the player must first find spells to fill the spell book, and then must have characters that have learned the appropriate magic skill of the right level to cast that spell.

Plot

Setting

Lost Odyssey takes place in a world where magic energy is used to drive technological advances, however, such progress has led to war between three rival nations: the republic of Uhra, the monarchy of Numara, and the kingdom of Gohtza.

While most of the population is mortal, five immortal beings have walked among them for the past millennium: Kaim, Seth, Ming, Sarah, and Gongora. The five are spirits that traveled from another world, taking the human forms they have now upon arriving. However, Gongora took the memories from the other four before sending them off along into the world. At the present of the game, none of the four have fully recovered their memories, but they have begun recalling bits of the past.

Characters

Supposedly all of the immortals have lived for 1000 years, and come from another world, through the Tower of Mirrors. All of them had their memories sealed within them by Gongora (with the exception of Gongora himself). They also must learn skills from others; they do not learn skills by themselves. When knocked out in battle, they arise after two turns with a small amount of health. While the immortals in the game are free to conceive children, their offspring do not possess eternal life; Sed (Seth's son) and Lirum (Sarah and Kaim's daughter) are mortals.

• Kaim Argonar

Kaim is a Lieutenant in the Uhran army. Normally quiet and kept to himself, Kaim tries to maintain a nonchalant and serious attitude, but there are clues to reveal a caring, loving individual underneath. Kaim recollects his forgotten memories in the form of dreams; these memories are called A Thousand Years of Dreams in-game. Occasionally, Kaim recollects things outside of dreams, often signaled by glass breaking across the screen. He is currently married to Sarah Sisulart; has a daughter, the late Lirum Argonar; and has two grandchildren, Cooke and Mack.

• Seth Balmore

A former pirate, Seth also ended up in the Uhran army. She is tough and speaks coarsely. Her appearance is distinguishable by her blue hair. Seth has recollections in 2 dreams, the rest are naturally recollected. Her son, Sed, is also a pirate, and despite having aged physically beyond her, he still lovingly refers to her as "Momma". She fights using swords, albeit in a different style to Kaim and Tolten.

• Ming Numara

Also known as The Thousand-Year Queen for the length of her reign, Ming is the founder (and reigning queen) of the Free Ocean State of Numara. She speaks with a regal accent, laden with formalities. Even though she maintains the facade of a weak damsel-in-distress, she is an able sorceress.

• Sarah Sisulart

Kaim's wife, Sarah, is a quiet person, renowned for her sorcery. After witnessing Lirum's death, she spiraled into depression, returned to their home near Tosca Village and took on the visage of an old woman. Sarah is brought back to reality upon meeting her own grandchildren, after her disguise is lifted by Kaim's group. She has studied many pieces of literature, and is the group's primary source for information unrelated to the ocean.

• Gongora

The primary antagonist in the story, Gongora was Uhra's magic advisor. Like Kaim, Gongora is also immortal, came from another world, and has lived for 1000 years. Thirty years prior to the story's commencement, Gongora had wiped the memories of the other immortals in the world with deceit. At the story's beginning, he was head of Uhra's Grand Staff project, in charge of building the largest magic engine in existence. Eventually, after a careful, underhanded scheme, he eliminated the entire Uhran council, restoring the country to a monarchy with Tolten at the helm. After declaring Tolten dead (through a fictional plot by Gohtza), Gongora took the throne. Immediately after taking the throne, he moved to Grand Staff to control it, following his plans to rise to his goal of being a god. Kaim and company defeated him, and sent him back with Seth to the immortal world, both unable to return due to the destruction of the Tower of Mirrors.

All mortals can permanently die in battle, and require resurrection by items or spells. They also learn skills as they level up, and cannot learn skills from others. They learn their last skill at level 52.

• Jansen Friedh

A womanizing drunk, Jansen is hired by Gongora to keep an eye on Kaim and Seth on their initial mission to check on Grand Staff. After discovering that Gongora is only using him, he sincerely joins the team's mission to bring down Gongora. He is constantly fighting with Seth. Over the course of the story, he falls in love with Ming. He weds her, and he is now the King of Numara. He specializes in black magic, but also knows a limited amount of white magic.

• Cooke

Lirum's daughter, and the granddaughter of Kaim and Sarah. She is a bit of a tomboy, and generally assumes the role of Mack's boss. She excels in white magic, and supporting her peers. She also wishes to be Seth's apprentice, her being a "female" pirate.

• Mack

Lirum's son, and Kaim and Sarah's grandson, Mack has a meek personality, but wishes to be strong like Kaim. He is childish and mischievous in nature, but there are moments of maturity that flare out of his playful behavior. There are traces of a deep genuine strength inside him. Despite being a strong melee attacker, Mack becomes affluent in spirit magic after being possessed by the spirits of the Eastern Tribe in the Crimson Forest.

• Sed

Seth's son, Sed is a famous pirate who has aged beyond his mother. Despite being in his sixties, he refers to Seth as "Momma", much to the surprise of Jansen. He is the captain of the Nautilus, and has a small crew lost across the world. He fights using magic rifles, the only character that uses ranged weapons in the game. Sed is also a capable mechanic, seemingly able to repair almost any broken device he comes across.

• Tolten

The King of Uhra, Tolten initially holds the position of Crown Prince in name only, as the Uhran monarchy abdicated the throne upon the death of his father, Zypha. Due to Gongora's manipulations, however, Tolten is persuaded to retake the throne after the death of the Republic's Chairman. Soon afterwards, Gongora declares that Tolten had died and assumes the throne for himself, leaving Tolten to join up with Kaim's group to liberate his country. Tolten is refined and educated, he is studied in the art of combat, however, upon encountering the real world he realizes that true wisdom comes through practice and hands on experience and not just the study of theory. He wishes to be strong and brave like Sed, and takes active steps toward achieving this goal toward the end of the story.

• Kakanas

The general in the Numaran Army, Kakanas is tired of Queen Ming's strict isolationist, pacifist policies. As such, he plots to become King and re-militarize the nation, in fear (both founded and unfounded) of the nations of Uhra and Gohtza. He is extremely paranoid and believes that all of the other nations are sending spies to get information on him and Numara. Though a strong general, Kakanas is considered by many to be quite stupid. He had disappeared since, after the party defeated his combat tanks a second time; no scenes have shown him leaving the tank. To atone for his sins, Maya, Ming's lady in waiting places him on the construction committee, to rebuild the palace that he had attempted to destroy.

Story

The game starts on a full-scale battle between Uhran and Khent forces, which Kaim is involved in, when a large meteor drops from the sky and wipes out both armies. Kaim, one of the few survivors, returns to the Uhran council to learn they believe Gongora's Magic Staff project - a giant tower aimed to collect and focus magical energy - is at fault, and order Kaim to investigate. Gongora, worried that Kaim may regain his memories, hires Jansen to follow along, keeping track of the party using a Spy Eye embedded in Jansen's pupil. Seth joins the two as they travel to the Staff. The trio is captured by Numera forces as they arrive at the Staff and are taken aboard the White Boa, a giant ocean-going vessel. Inside, the three manage to escape their cell, and stumble upon Queen Ming, who Jansen is immediately smitten for and tries to escape the ship with her. The three are recaptured and held until they return to Numara, but Queen Ming allows them their freedom as representatives of the Uhra government though they are to remain near the city.

Exploring the outskirts of Numara, they come across Lirum, Kaim's daughter, on her deathbed. Though pleased to see her father again, she dies shortly thereafter, and Kaim takes in her children, Cooke and Mack per her wishes. The party returns to Numara to find that Gongera has urged King Tolten of Uhra to denounce the republic and recreate the old monarchy, on the basis of images taken from Jansen's Spy Eye of the Numara fleet preparing for war. The group attempts to plead with the Queen for help. Kakanas, the Queen's advisor, uses the opportunity to try to usurp the throne in order to establish a militia state, and Queen Ming is forced to flee on an experiment speed boat from the city. Unable to return to Uhra due to difficult waters, they make their way to Gohtza. Along the way, Kaim is reunited with his wife, Sarah, and the party barely escapes the destruction of the Experimental Staff, the precursor to the Grand Staff.

Arriving in the city of Gohzta, Kaim and Sarah meet secretly with its King, an old friend of theirs, who asks if they would help to participate in a discussion with King Tolten on board a train. Kaim and Sarah offer to help and bring along Queen Ming, which he agrees to. However, Kaim and Sarah are forced to follow a train hijacked by Cooke and Mack, leaving Jansen and Seth to guard the proceedings. During the proceedings, it is revealed that Gohzta is also trying to create a Grand Staff of their own. Gongora, who has watched through a Spy Eye in Tolten's eye, uses the Grand Staff to freeze the entire kingdom of Gohtza; Seth manages to grab onto Tolten before he teleports safely back to Uhra. Jansen and Ming manage to escape with their magic power, and discover that they both have fallen in love with the other. As the others manage to regroup and help survivors of the magical blast, Tolten learns that Gongora has declared him dead and taken over the kingdom. An attack by the remaining Gohztan forces ensues, during which Gongora summons giant beasts with the Grand Staff to lay waste to the attackers, and Seth and Tolten manage to rescue Sed, Seth's son and a well-renown pirate, and escape in his pirate ship. They return to Gohtza and reunite with the others. The immortals fully recover their memory, and realize that they are in one of the worlds under observation of an alien race; for every year that passes there, a millennium passes in this world, giving Kaim and the others their apparent immortality.

Due to the power of the Grand Staff, the party finds that the only way to approach it is to break an ice wall surround the staff, which only the White Boa can do. The group returns to Numara, saving the city from further beasts summoned by Gongora and putting down Kakanas' uprising, restoring Queen Ming to her rightful place. The group takes the White Boa to the Staff and are able to work their way through the tower-like structure, but not before Gongora reactivates it, flying the rest of the tower towards the Hall of Mirrors, a tower that only the Grand Staff can reach. The immortals realize that Gongora's plan is to reactive the Hall of Mirrors to allow him to return to their original world, but the power to do so would destroy this one. The party faces Gongora a final time, with the mortals using their combined power to create a barrier to hold back Gongora's full strength to allow the immortals to defeat him. However, the barrier begins to feed off the power from the Mirrors, trapping the mortals inside and exposing to the fatal time effects of the alien world. As Gongora recovers, Seth grabs him and drags him to the Mirrors, instructing Kaim to break them so that she may sacrifice herself to return Gongora to their world but leaving her unable to return. The mortals are freed, and the rest of the party is able to escape before the Hall of Mirrors implodes. At the game's conclusion, Kaim and Sarah take up raising Cooke and Mack, while Ming and Jansen are married, all realizing that Seth will see be able observe their happy endings.

Development

Lost Odysseys story is penned by the award-winning Japanese novelist, Kiyoshi Shigematsu who worked directly with the game's producer Hironobu Sakaguchi on Kaim's backstory, bits of which are unlocked throughout the course of the game. Heading up the artistic demands of the title is famed Japanese mangaka, Takehiko Inoue, while famed composer Nobuo Uematsu has been recruited to create a more contemporary soundtrack. Mistwalker is developing the title, with cooperation with a studio named Feel Plus, a subsidiary of Microsoft created specifically to aid Mistwalker. Feel Plus is made up of around 40 former Nautilus/Sacnoth developers, most famous for the cult favorite Shadow Hearts RPG series. (Sacnoth was officially announced as being dissolved in 2007.) Former Square employees at Microsoft are also involved. The game ships on four dual layer DVDs, more than any Xbox 360 game to date. This is the first RPG developed using the Unreal Engine 3.0.

A playable demo of the game was shown at the Tokyo Game Show 2006, and was made available with the November issue of Famitsu.

On July 11 2007, an English trailer of Lost Odyssey was shown at E3 2007.

According to Peter Moore and Microsoft's E3 press event Lost Odyssey was to be in stores worldwide for the 2007 holiday season, although it was actually released in February 2008 in both the US and Europe.

On November 19, 2007, at a special Blue Dragon/Lost Odyssey concert held in Shibuya, Tokyo, it was announced that the game had gone gold and was ready for its Japanese release date of December 6, 2007. According to a special bloggers event at which selected people were invited to play demos of the game from the very beginning, it was confirmed that English/Japanese voices were selectable in the Japanese version.

An issue regarding the packaging has led to several complaints from consumers. Since the game could not fit onto a standard DVD, it requires four discs. In Japan and Australia, the solution was to use an oversized case with two disc trays to store the discs. In the United States and PAL territories, however, the first three discs were held on a single 3-disc spindle inside the main game case. The fourth disc came packaged in a paper sleeve. The concern is that the method used for the American and European versions could result in scratched discs.

Downloadable content

On April 25, 2008 the first American content pack for Lost Odyssey was available for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace for 200 Microsoft points, the Japanese one was released earlier this year and included a new dream (available for those who preordered the game): "Samii the Storyteller", and the accessory "Master's secret script".

It is possible, however, for American Xbox 360 users to download the Japanese content pack for free onto their American versions of the game as explained on siliconera.com.

In the newly released content pack, the "Triple Bonus Pack", another dream, entitled "An Old Soldier's legacy", was included, as well as the "Killer Machine" ring. Another feature, the memory lamp, which enables the viewing of all previously seen cutscenes throughout the game, is located in the Nautilus and is only usable in Disc 4.

On May 25,2008 another content pack, called "Dungeon Pack: Seeker of the Deep!" was made available on the Xbox Live Marketplace for 400 Microsoft points. It included a new dungeon, "Experimental Staff Remains", which is only reachable using the Nautilus in Disc 4. It contains unique items and monsters that can only be found in this new dungeon. It also adds another six Achievements with a total of 100 Gamer Scores.

Reception

Lost Odyssey reportedly sold 40,000 copies in Japan on its first day at retail, around 50% of the shipment. As of February 17, 2008, the game has sold 104,417 copies in Japan according to Famitsu numbers. The game has done much better in the West; according to NPD numbers Lost Odyssey debuted at #7, selling 203,000 in its debut month of February in North America.

Famitsu awarded the game a score of a 36/40, with all four critics each giving the game a 9. This was one point less than the 37/40 score Mistwalker's debut RPG, Blue Dragon, was given by the publication. As with Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey received somewhat mixed, although generally favorable, scores from Western critics.

The issue many took with Lost Odyssey was its deliberately old-school gameplay mechanics, particularly the traditional combat system, which several critics found to be dull and dated, as well as the game's use of random battles, which were further deemed an issue by their purportedly lengthy load times. Xbox Focus gave the game a 4/5 rating, declaring its story as profound, but taking an issue with the camera control and the odd character design. Unlike other critics, however, Xbox Focus deemed the combat and random battles as exhilarating, and that "it's better to take a tried and true technique and make it better than introduce a completely new idea that could possibly screw up an entire game. RPGFan stated that the story and gameplay were both "overused, uninspired, and stilted", but that the memory sequences, penned by Kiyoshi Shigematsu, were "some of the richest, most emotionally charged storytelling seen in any RPG to date".

Critics were divided on the story, with some, like GameSpy, calling the plot and characters, "shamelessly derivative." GamePro magazine agreed, declaring that the main story was not particularly compelling, although it noted that many subplots carried plenty of emotional weight. On the other hand, Game Informer magazine deemed the story line as being "one of the most compelling tales ever told on the Xbox 360," and praised the "cool combat system." GameSpot praised Lost Odysseys "fascinating cast," and character development, and also called the combat system "solid." GameTrailers said, "what sets Lost Odyssey apart is a deeply moving story that places an emotional focal point on its characters." IGN found that the ring-building system, immortals, and skill system added a fresh feel to the game's otherwise traditional combat, and 1UP.com praised the "timed button press" aspect of the battles, saying it makes them "more engaging than you'd think."

Despite critics' differing opinions in other areas, the game's graphics and high production values have received universal acclaim, although load times and framerate issues were also universally pointed out. However, it transpired that the copy that some reviewers received apparently had longer loading times than those of the retail version. GameSpot amended their review on February 19, 2008 to reflect this, but did not change their original score.

Novel

On November 21, 2007 a book of short stories based on the main character of Kaim was released in Japan called . It is penned by Kiyoshi Shigematsu and features 31 of 34 stories found in the "A Thousand Years of Dreams" sequences throughout the game itself.

References

External links

• Official Lost Odyssey website
• Lost Odyssey at Xbox.com
• Lost Odyssey at Mistwalker.info
• Lost Odyssey Wiki
• Lost Odyssey Gamestyle Review 8/10