![]() The original Odin Sphere granted periodic access to an underground restaurant where sumptuous booster meals could be eaten. Food can be found in the field or bought in the stores, while seeds can be planted and their foods harvested. Not only do characters have to kill enemies to gain EXP, power up their weapons, and access new spells/attacks via a skill tree system, but they need to eat plenty of food as well. That being said, the stage map layouts have been revamped from the original game so they’re not quite as repetitive as before. This makes the game feel repetitive during later stages. The different melee characters do not take long to get used to and the game’s world is not very large, so each character will go through every stage and even fight some of the same bosses. For example, Cornelius’s sword strokes take longer to execute than Gwendolyn’s spear thrusts, so timing their combos is different. ![]() Even among the melee characters, they all have distinctive ways of moving, attacking, and dispatching foes, so it’s important that players are flexible in how they meet challenges. For example, Mercedes uses a ranged weapon and thus needs to be played differently than more melee-oriented characters like Gwendolyn or Oswald. The side-scrolling action-RPG gameplay differs depending on which protagonist you use. The game takes anywhere from 30-48 hours to complete, depending on the player, which averages out to 5-8 hours per story arc. I loved the intertwining nature of the storylines and seeing certain plot beats from different characters’ perspectives gave a lot of depth to the worldbuilding. Odin Sphere’s story is one that gets progressively better as the game progresses, so definitely stick with it. ![]() It is totally worth it to get that seventh arc, because it ends things in a truly spectacular fashion. After these five story arcs are completed, a sixth story arc opens up and, if done correctly, a seventh and final story arc opens. All of these characters’ stories intertwine and it’s not uncommon for an ally in one story arc to be an enemy in another. The five protagonists players will experience the storylines of are: the aforementioned Gwendolyn, the cursed prince Cornelius, the fairy princess Mercedes, the dark knight Oswald, and Velvet- the troubled daughter of a dead kingdom. The impending apocalypse adversely affects not only Gwendolyn, but four other protagonists, all of whom have their own agendas and ideas for what needs to be done in these turbulent times. Unfortunately, a long forgotten prophecy is tied to this artifact and soon enough, the wheels of fate awaken this prophecy that will doom the world. ![]() Odin’s daughter Griselda is killed in the conflict and she passes her special spear to her insecure younger sister Gwendolyn to finish what she started. Warfare abounds in the world of Erion, with Demon Lord Odin and his army of Valkyries in the thick of it looking to gain an upper hand over Queen Elfaria’s fairy kingdom by securing an ancient and deadly artifact. The story of Odin Sphere is akin to an epic fairytale influenced in part by several European mythologies as seen in the mosaic of disparate locations and characters. Some foibles still remain, such as repetitiveness, but the positives definitely outweigh the negatives and this is Odin Sphere as it’s meant to be. Imagine Odin Sphere with even more vivid graphics, no slowdown, some vicious new monsters, a more refined interface with some new character growth features, recalibrated difficulty levels, and replotted stage map layouts, basically the Director’s Cut version of Odin Sphere. All this, plus a sweeping orchestral soundtrack, meant that I formed a very positive opinion of Odin Sphere in spite of its foibles like graphical slowdown and balance issues.Įnter Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir - a HD revamp of Odin Sphere. Although progression sometimes felt repetitive and some stages felt unbalanced with certain protagonists, the story built up wonderfully and ended in an epic fashion. It also wove an intertwining and fantastical story that players saw through the viewpoints of five distinct protagonists, all of whom required different tactics to play effectively. Odin Sphere was more than a pretty face, however. That beauty came at a price, though, since several battles with screen-filling enemy boss sprites caused massive slowdown. When the gaming cultural climate seemed to be shouting “2D is dead, 3D all the way!” Odin Sphere responded with a 2D game that was, and still is, one of the most visually stunning RPGs out there. ![]() Odin Sphere was one of my more memorable PlayStation 2 RPG experiences. ![]()
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