The original Odin Sphere (2007) was a 2D side-scrolling, action game made by both Atlus and Vanillaware. It’s been nearly 10 years since its release on the Playstation 2, and now it’s getting a new current gen remastering on PS Vita, PS3, and PS4 (Which is the version I have been playing) in the form of Odin Sphere Leifthrasir. Story-wise, the game is just like its predecessor: the tale is divided into five books, each having a different main character with a unique play style and their own side of the narrative. Players will be thrown into the world of Erion, where war has broken out between the Demon Lord Odin’s realm of Ragnanival and Elfaria.
In Odin Sphere, you will be traveling from one area to the next in a 2D plane, fighting the hordes of enemies thrown at you while traveling and exploring different areas of Erion. The gameplay is incredibly deep while also being rather simple to get into- you attack with your weapon by using square in combination with different directional inputs to chain attacks together. Furthermore, you can learn special attacks which can be customized to shortcuts using the circle button and different combinations. Its simplistic mechanics prevent players from being overwhelmed, allowing them to build their skill level with the increasing difficulty.
Both the music and the visuals are absolutely incredible, and it’s amazing how much detail went into upscaling the game for this remastering. The original game has already aged incredibly well thanks to the quality of the hand-drawn sprites, and I can happily confirm they look better than ever before in 1080p. The environments are also breathtaking and varied, each with fitting music that matches the feel of each location you travel to. Both the graphics and music are fluid, as songs and sprites flow seamlessly from one scene into the next. The game features both English and Japanese voice acting, and I’ve been playing it with the English dub. From what I’ve gathered, the entire game has been redubbed by the original cast, and while it took some time for me to get used to it, it’s definitely grown on me.
As of now, I’ve only completed two of the stories, but I’m already incredibly invested in where the world and characters are going. The fantasy story may seem cliché to some but the more I play the more, I seem to enjoy it. I never really got the chance to experience the original game, so I was wondering how much I would enjoy it since I had no nostalgia as I started playing. Thankfully, the game holds up wonderfully. There’s a demo currently out on Playstation 4, so if you are interested I definitely recommend checking it out. The full game will launch on June 7th– make sure to check back with us around June 1st for the full review!
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