There’s something to be said for tradition.  The shrewd old sage sitting in the corner of a room watching the young relentlessly attempt to innovate and add new ‘fresh’ ingredients into life.  The old man would probably laugh, chuckle to himself, content with his achievements knowing full well that they’ll stand the test of time.  And stand the test of time they have.  Lost Odyssey is the wise old man of the role playing world, drenched in the tried and tested gameplay mechanics and structure of RPGs from the last ten or so years.  With Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi at the helm, Lost Odyssey takes on many of the hallmarks of that critically acclaimed series, yet twists them slightly to ensure that it has its own identity and isn’t simply a neatly dressed title, pressed out of an RPG cookie-cutter template. 

Lost Odyssey tells the story of an immortal named Kaim, struggling with the burden of eternal life and the memories that lay shattered in his mind.  The story that weaves its way through the heart of the game is incredibly epic and yet oddly personal at the same time; interweaving the political turmoil within each province with Kaims, and other characters past and present dilemmas.  Although this choice may seem like a potential dead-weight from a narrative perspective, the balance that developers Mistwalker have managed to create means the two are able to co-exist and compliment each other beautifully.   

This balance must be accredited to the ‘A Thousand Year Dreams’ feature; a series of short stories brought to life via subtly implemented visuals and airy music that depicts the recently unlocked memories of Kaim and his fellow immortals.  The feature is entirely optional, but it’s an unexpected masterstroke from the developers.  The stories are written in a simple fashion allowing you to express your own imagery onto the story; many of which are emotional heavyweights, pulling on every available heartstring and throwing more than a few knock out punches that will move most players to tears. 

The thousand year dream feature is a novel feature in what is otherwise a fairly conservative RPG. It utilizes a traditional as they come turn-based combat mechanic, and the environments, although beautiful, are fairly typical densely populated city and barren wild affairs.  The linearity present in the environmental paths also extends to the combat; those who have grown accustom to the freedom of movement and choice afforded to them via the likes of Mass Effect and Final Fantasy XII may find the strictly ordered turn-based combat system of Lost Odyssey a little off putting.  Likewise, those who have never been a fan of the system will not find a saving grace in the combat mechanics either.  Having said that, the combat system itself is incredibly well implemented and although the difficulty of some battles may trouble players, it only reflects better on the system when a complete overhaul of your battle tactics results in a convincing victory. 

Time elements are also thrown into the combat foray, but strictly speaking the combat is measured and tactical; defensive strategies may prove equally as effective to their offensive counterparts, and the various skills that you’ll have to assign to your characters before each battle may prove to be critical in your success.  In fact there’s a great deal of customization and fine tuning within Lost Odyssey that keeps combat consistently interesting and challenging, not that it needed to deliver in this respect given that the story will keep you hooked for the games gargantuan length; spanning four discs and forty to sixty hours of gameplay. 

Although suited in all the hallmarks of traditional RPG attire, Lost Odyssey excels in every department. There are notable innovations, subtle deviations on tried and tested methods, but every element of Lost Odyssey is honed to sepia-toned perfection.  The characters are as vivid as the environments are beautiful, and the soundtrack, performed by Nobuo Uematsu, heightens the many emotional moments present within the story and acts as a shot of adrenaline during the tough boss battles.  At times the lack of innovation may dull the experience, and there are certain pitfalls that may make combat too easy, but the emotional high and lows that Lost Odyssey is able to conjure more than make up for the dull middle notes.