Odin Sphere Leifthrasir

I barely kept up with my own games in 2016 and 2017 just kept overflowing games on my plate. Amidst all that are an endless number of RPGs I've wanted to explore since forever. Among them is the lonely Odin sphere which came out in 2006 on the PS2 if my memory serves me right. The game was fun and at the time the idea was fresh and reminiscent to me of Valkyrie Profile. 10 years later, my interest towards it has significantly dwindled until I hear of a remake on the PS Vita. Being the loyal fan I am to my neglected consoles and handhelds, I figured it was time to revisit a solid JRPG.

Odin Sphere puts you in the shoes of many characters' personal stories amidst a war declared by a corrupted king against different nations including the fairy nation and Odin's nation. I don't know, don't ask me in detail because I am genuinely confused at the plot and at this point I am going with the flow and not wondering one bit why Odin and the concept of Norse Mythology is mixed in with other fantasy worlds but its cool regardless. When the overall story and setting overwhelm me, I tend to focus on the personal adventures of the characters themselves, a thing this game does so well especially since each segment of the game takes 4 to 5 hours maximum for you to see a POV of the story. You start off with Gwendolyn, A valkyrie daughter to Odin who fights for her one true love, Oswald who is slowly dying by the dark energy in his sword. If I would say so, the story is the weakest element in Odin sphere but that is easily subjective on my part.

To be fair, the story is presentable and engaging. It's cinematic and looks plausible for a lot of players, however other aspects of the game is what caught my interest the most. I'd also like to notify you if you were unaware before I move on to the other parts of the game is that this is a remake of the original where the graphics were revamped along with the combat system being tweaked a bit. The most significant update I can see from the original is how smooth the framerate is compared to ten years ago. It was frustrating to watch a cutscene go by in slow motion, not to mention going through combat and having a 2 second delay for actions to be performed.

Combat in Odin Sphere is its strongest point in my opinion, featuring quick and entertaining fights in a 2D environment with navigation reminiscent to Valkyrie Profile. Once you engage in a fight, you are put in an arena versus mobs or a boss. Based on how you fight and chain attacks or how long you spend in a fight, you get a rank at the end of it giving you more loot and gold. The shorter the time, the higher your rank. Before the remake, character had only Mana for their skills or PP to be exact. Now, each character has a specific element allotted to them and they added a bar to skill attacks where the bar fills up with time. There is an alchemy system that is simplified in the remake as well as a food system dedicated to experience where the more rare the dish you eat from, the higher the EXP you gain from it. There are also purple orbs that you absorb from enemies after defeating them or by growing plants from seeds in your loot called phozons. Phozons basically upgrade your magic and skills. I love how fast and investing the combat is to the point where I get lost in a trance juggling enemies in the air and chaining attacks with skills.

The map system is very reminiscent of Valkyrie Profile

I was surprised to find out among the composers for Odin Sphere is none other but Hitoshi Sakimoto. Tracks are not very memorable in the game except for a few that are arrangements of the main theme. I think the remake's idea was the best idea for Odin Sphere mostly because it is far more interesting than what it used to be. Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is aesthetically pleasing and fairly challenging. Some characters are easier to control than others but overall it is a lot of fun. I still haven't beaten it so this is all more of an impression. I've played about 20 hours and I'm far from finishing it. You can find Odin Sphere on the PSN store (PS4 and PS Vita). See you on my next review.