Developer: Mistwalker Studios
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Genre: RPG
Players: 1
Rating: T for Teen
Platform: Xbox 360
Losy Odyssey Gallery

In recent months, the Xbox 360 has seen its share of great games, most of which were related to one of the consoles greatest strengths, the first-person shooter genre - with a lot of help from Xbox Live. However, the same is true for the rise in the role-playing game as the console has made available many fantastic options for fans of the genre to delve into immersive worlds and rich storylines. The Microsoft console has not been known to have strong ties with RPG's, however, with the upcoming release of Lost Odyssey and previous releases, it looks as though Microsoft wants to reverse this stereotype. 

Creative Direction and Storyline

Behind the creative force of nature and former Final Fantasy legend, Hironobu Sakaguchi of Mistwalker Studios,  Lost Odyssey will try and again break into the fickle RPG/Xbox 360 demographic with a stunning visual epic. The story is being drafted by acclaimed Japanese novelist Kiyoshi Shigematsu and focuses around the central character Kaim. Like many Japanese storylines, the tale will grapple with a upcoming technological revolution and the repercussions it will have on the humanity of the surrounding characters and environment. In the midst of this turmoil, Kaim, who has lived for 1,000 years already, tries to discover his past, his present, and his future through sprawling landscapes and poignant and dramatic storytellings. Players will follow Kaim through his life through relationships, love, families, friends, war, and peace and illuminate the threads that bind all of it together.

You can't tame that strand of hair, no sir.

With a star-studded ensemble and creative team, renowned composer Nobuo Uematsu directs the music and orchestrations of the game, as well as famed comic artist, Takehiko Inoue, leading the artistic direction of the title; Lost Odyssey is sure to be a tour de force through an unforgettable story and RPG experience. The game will be powered by the Unreal 3 engine and showcases impressive next-generation worthy graphics.

Game Design and Combat

The game design of Lost Odyssey has been touted to be revolutionary with not only Mistwalker Studios helping with its development but also aided by the Feel Plus studios, a studio created by Microsoft to help with the games creation. Microsoft has also been said to have former Square employees helping in the production. The game will feature the normal skill leveling system natural to RPG’s. However, given that the game will feature many playable characters both immortal (such as Kaim) and mortal characters, the skill leveling systems will differ between the two. Also, the player will have to ability to steal characteristics of enemies and the combat system will differ from most turn-based RPG games. From what can be interpreted from the trailers and gameplay, most of the attacks that Kaim receives from the front are blocked or dodged; however Kaim is open to attack from behind. This type of game design leaves some question in the turn-based combat system and how encounters will be presented in the game. However, in the more recent videos released from Japan and the launch there, this seems to have changed, though, we could see some hints at the predecessor throughout. Lastly, the combat system will never yield a ‘game over’ screen given Kaim’s immortality. The reason for his immortality is a closely guarded secret and sure to be one that is vital to the story. It will be interesting to see how the game handles character defeat in combat given this characteristic.

Another thing that is quite interesting to note is that the cut-scenes and gameplay are advertised to be absolutely seamless and even then with little difference in player models and graphics. This cinematic gameplay is something that is often advertised and fantasized about in game previews and hype and it will be interesting to see how this is displayed in the final release of the game.

The release date for this game is 2.12.2008 and should round out to be yet another strong title for the console and a strong boost for the growing population of stunning RPG’s.