REVIEW

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir Review

by Rob Pritchard, August 23rd, 2016

During the many years of the PlayStation 2’s lifespan, some of the most critically acclaimed RPG’s ever made came out on Sony’s record breaking console. One of these games was Odin Sphere, a 2D action RPG that was developed by Vanillaware, and was ultimately published by gaming giants Square Enix in 2008. This was at a time when many developers had moved onto the PlayStation 3, but thankfully for those of us who didn’t get to play, a high definition remaster of the game titled Odin Sphere Leifthrasir has now been released for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir begins in a mysterious library, where you guide a young girl named Alice and her cat Socrates to read one of five books which tell the story of the royal families of Erion and the individuals who have a key part to play in their destiny. Each of the main characters interact with each other throughout the game, so while Gwendolyn the Valkyrie is a force for good in her story, she is seen as a villain by Princess Velvet as her father tried to destroy her kingdom. Each of the five stories will take you around eight to ten hours to finish, and they all lead to a final story which focuses on the fallout of the decisions you made as each of the main cast. Overall, the story holds up well, with plenty of emotional moments being faced by each character, such as the death of Gyendolyn’s sister or the betrayal of a close ally of Prince Cornelius.

What made Odin Sphere unique back on its release was that the gameplay takes place in a way that would suit a platformer rather than a mainstream RPG. Each area is a two dimensional stretch of land that is stuck in an infinite loop, with interconnecting doors placed in certain locations to other 2D areas, similar to the maze like over worlds of the Monster World series. In each area, you can fight a selection of enemies, buy items from a merchant or face a stronger enemy that will allow story progression upon its completion. Although the navigation can seem a little confusing at first, a helpful map in the bottom right hand corner shows the nearest point of interest such as rest areas and boss rooms, and a terrain map at the top of the screen will help you locate the next place to visit on your quests. If you would prefer to focus on the story rather than the fighting, an easy mode has been provided, as well as a Critical Mode for those who want to be constantly on their guard.

As you defeat the foes standing in your way, you gain experience points to increase your strength. As well as more powerful enemies part way through, a boss enemy awaits at the end of each chapter that usually fills up most of the screen. Whether you are facing a smaller enemy or a boss, their visual designs are beautifully rendered, and each one will take more than simply mashing the attack button to ensure their defeat. One of the highlights of the game are the final bosses, where the wrong choice of character at a critical moment can lead to disaster.

During your battles you will obtain energy known as Phozons, which you can use to grant yourself new abilities for your weapons and characters. The types of upgrade are different for each character, such as elemental attacks for Gwendolyn, sword techniques for Oswald and magical spells for Mercedes. One of the best things about the upgrade system is the ability to upgrade a skill multiple times, so you can choose to power up your previous arsenal or provide yourself with new attacks. Your collected Phozons can also infuse planted seeds, to produce fruits which provide benefits such as increased attack strength.

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir also includes a basic Alchemy system, allowing you to fuse potions and special items known as Mandragoras together to create valuable items such as Health Potions or Mulberry Fruits which give you bonus experience. Although the Alchemy system and planting seeds are nothing new, they do provide a simple and fulfilling distraction from fighting monsters. This allows you to gain more strength or valuable items, which you will definitely need to face a boss that requires more than just strategy to defeat. If you want to take a different approach, there is a travelling restaurant in rest areas that provides meals to improve your stats. This method is slightly easier to use, as it only requires you to own the recipe, rather than paying for the privilege.

Odin Sphere Leifdrasir is a excellent remaster of an under appreciated PS2 classic, adding just enough new content to preserve the beauty of the original game.