It often happens that the HD remasters of certain games turn out to be disappointing operations where the graphics are retouched leaving the game basically unchanged, thus wasting a good opportunity to improve it. Fortunately, at Vanillaware they don't seem to think so and they deliver us a Odin Sphere Leifthrasir not only more beautiful than the original (and it takes some!), but refined in every aspect, bordering and perhaps crossing the line between remaster and remake.
The original Odin Sphere was released for PlayStation 2 in 2007 and was the first project of the Vanillaware team (the same as Muramasa: The Demon Blade and Dragon's Crown) which, led by George Kamitani, had an ambitious goal: to demonstrate how despite the excessive power of 3D it was It is still possible to create two-dimensional games of great quality. And in the face of Odin Sphere, one cannot certainly object to the team's vision, given that the title turned out to be one of the best action-RPGs available for the prolific Sony console, as well as one of the most spectacular ever from an artistic point of view. With its completely hand-drawn graphics, its distinctive narrative structure and its more than valid gameplay, Odin Sphere fully earned the status of a cult classic. However, it never got big collections, both for its "niche" formula and for the fact that it arrived on the market during the swan song of PlayStation 2, when many players were already looking to the new consoles. Today, however, the eldest son of Vanillaware returns to next generation consoles, and does so in all its glory.
Men, Valkyries and fairies
The story takes us to the world of Erion, a setting that intersects Norse mythology with more characteristic elements of classic fairy tales. We are put in the shoes of Gwendolyn, daughter of Odin who sees her older sister Griselda die on the battlefield, inheriting her spear. In fact, a war is underway against the kingdom of the Ringford fairies for the control of the Cauldron of Crystallization, a powerful machine capable of generating the Psypher crystals, capable of strengthening themselves by absorbing the phozon, or sparks of energy originating from the dead. The control of the Cauldron is just one of the events that are mentioned in an ancient prophecy that tells of the end of the world and that seems to be about to come true without the conflicting forces noticing it.
The plot is divided into various stories and Gwendolin will be only the first of the five protagonists of the game, each with their own individual adventure that will intersect with the others. This particular narrative formula, in addition to providing us each time with a different unique fragment of plot, also gives us a different perspective of the general plot. A character can be a friend or an enemy depending on the situation, and will even happen to have to fight the other protagonists as bosses.
The narrative style points to a fairytale-like tale. The two-dimensional view itself, combined with the sophisticated vaguely Shakespearean language, gives the idea of attending a play. Each story lasts about 5-10 hours of play, and presents us with well-characterized protagonists, even if the narrative cut does not give space to particularly high or realistic introspection. They are basically chapters of a long tale, to be taken and enjoyed for who they are. Each one introduces us to the protagonist of the moment grappling with his own personal problems and battles to be faced, only afterwards the story will become more "total" getting seriously towards the end of the adventure.
Fighting with your mouth full
The game looks like a action-RPG oriented towards hack and slash. Each setting is divided into several mini-zones closed in on themselves in which we will have to face different groups of enemies. Each stage will have its own difficulty and a quantity of prizes that the game will award us according to our conduct in battle. We will then have to go from area to area making our way through more or less complex maps, up to the inevitable end-of-level boss.
We will obviously be able to count on combos, special attacks and objects of various kinds, from healing potions to those that will trigger elemental attacks. With an alchemy system we will also be able to create and upgrade our potions; such a system of combining objects will also be useful for optimizing the limited space of our inventory.
Experience will be gained both by normally knocking down opponents in our way and by eating different foods. Some of these we will get them as a classic loot from our victories, others will have to be cultivated by planting seeds and making them grow using phozon (which we can absorb by defeating the enemies); however, the most effective method will be to combine the various ingredients following recipes to be proposed to a special cook, who will cook elaborate dishes for us that will give a good boost to our Exp and HP bars.
Although it takes some time to familiarize yourself with the different elements of the game, especially in the early stages, once you get the hang of it Odin Sphere reveals surprising gameplay. The game poses a good level of challenge, especially in times with multiple enemies and boss fights, prompting the player to better master the character's movements and skills rather than encouraging blind button mashing. It will therefore be necessary to balance the enthusiasm of the attack with a skilful use of parries and dodges.
In addition to a certain cumbersome use of the inventory, the only problem concerning the gameplay that is felt especially in the advanced stages of the game, unfortunately derives from the narrative structure. Through the various stories, in fact, the characters will visit common locations, always facing the same enemies and often the same bosses. So even if the fighting style of each is quite different and keeps the pace of the game fresh enough, seeing the same boss 4-5 times or otherwise crossing the same environments can be quite repetitive.
As mentioned in the first lines of this review, for Odin Sphere Leifthrasir it was not decided to perform a graphic upgrade only, but several implementations were also made to the gameplay. First of all, the moveset of each protagonist is now wider and more complete, making the attack possibilities and controls in general less limited and more fluid. New special skills have been added, called Psypher Skill, organized in a skill tree and upgradeable by spending phozon (whose management will now be more strategic). However, these skills will not be unlockable through the simple increase in experience, but must be earned by continuing with the adventure or very often by finding them in the various maps. This translates into a greater focus on exploration by the player, who will be pushed to carefully search every corner of the areas. in conclusion the combat system has been definitely refined and is now deeper and better organized.
The stages have also been retouched in a "vertical" sense to be less repetitive. Then add various adjustments such as being able to prepare dishes near the save points, a faster organized inventory management and the tweaked alchemy system and you will realize the commitment that Vanillaware has dedicated to optimizing and perfecting his creature. A palpable commitment that certainly deserves our appreciation.
A fairytale adventure
Artfully Odin Sphere was already impressive back in the days of PS2. Everything, from the environments to the characters, was hand-drawn by George Kamitani himself, with a decidedly particular style made of imaginative proportions, attention to detail and bright colors. The particular design gives the idea of something straight out of a storybook, which could therefore not appeal to those who prefer a more realistic and less extravagant style.
For the version Leifthrasir we did not act only on the resolution side or with tweaks here and there: the artworks have been redesigned and enriched reaching an impressive level of magnificence, so much so that any screenshot could be framed and hung on your living room wall.
One of the worst problems with the original version was its pushing the PS2's hardware to the limit, resulting in frame rate problems at times when many enemies were crowding the screen. Now the game is definitely much smoother and runs at 60fps without the heavy slowdowns that plagued the past edition.
The sound sector has also been refined, starting from the spectacular original work of the composers (Hitoshi Sakimoto, Masaharu Iwata, Kimihiro Abe, Mitsuhiro Kaneda, Manabu Namiki). Some songs have in fact been rearranged and extended, reconfirming an excellent soundtrack. Every moment of the game boasts a strong musical accompaniment, from the dramatic tones of the cutscenes to the epic rhythms of the battles. The plot is totally narrated by voice and the quality of the English dubbing is fortunately very good, except for very few characters whose acting seems unnatural. However Atlus has included the ability to set the original Japanese dubbing.
Odin Sphere Leifthrasir it's not just another lazy HD remaster, it's a great example of how a conversion for a new generation of a game should be done. The upgrade of the technical sector is noticeable and makes the title even more artistically valid than it already was; but it is the improvements and refinements of the gameplay that make us particularly appreciate this re-edition, so substantial that it can be considered not a simple remaster but a real remake (not surprisingly, the original version of the game is included in the initial menu). Odin Sphere is definitely an action-RPG that is worth recovering from those who do not yet know it, but thanks to the excellent work of Vanillaware even those who appreciated it in its time have a good reason to return to the lands of Erion and enjoy the game improved and enriched in all its aspects.
