Lost Odyssey is a role-playing video game created by Mistwalker and Feelplus and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360. It was released in Japan in 2007 and in other countries in 2008. The story follows Kaim, one of a few "immortals" who have forgotten their past. As he deals with dangers from the world’s growing magical industrial revolution, he also struggles with painful memories returning to him. The game includes common features of the genre, such as a world map for exploration, random battles, and a turn-based fighting system.
Plans for Lost Odyssey started in 2003, and development began the next year as a project within Microsoft Game Studios Japan. After facing challenges, Feelplus was formed as a separate studio to work on the game. The story was written by Hironobu Sakaguchi and Kiyoshi Shigematsu. Sakaguchi aimed to create a story that makes players feel strong emotions and kept the gameplay traditional so he could focus on the narrative. The game had a difficult development process, with problems from the chosen technology and how teams were organized. The music was composed by Nobuo Uematsu, a well-known composer from the Final Fantasy series.
The game was first mentioned in 2005 and officially announced before that year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo. When it was released, it was the largest console game from Microsoft, requiring four dual-layer DVDs to store its content. In Japan, it sold well, reaching nearly 110,000 copies by April 2010. It also sold strongly in other countries. Critics generally praised the story but noted that the game’s traditional design and long loading times were less favorable.
Gameplay
Lost Odyssey uses a traditional turn-based battle system found in many Japanese role-playing games, like early versions of Final Fantasy. A world map lets players move their party between nearby towns or fields. Later in the game, players can explore more freely using ocean ships. Towns and cities offer inns where players can read the "thousand years of dreams," recover health and mana with special orbs, buy and sell equipment, and save their progress. While exploring, players may randomly encounter monsters to fight.
The combat system uses battle order and action time to decide outcomes each turn. Items are used immediately, and regular attacks happen on the same turn. Casting spells or using special abilities may delay the player’s action for one or more turns, depending on their speed. If a character is attacked, their action may also be delayed. Players can cancel an action on a later turn if needed.
Melee attacks use an "Aim Ring System" with rings that can be equipped. When attacking, two circles appear on the screen. The player must press a button at the right time to make the rings overlap. An accuracy level ("Perfect," "Good," or "Bad") shows how strong the attack is. These levels can cause extra damage against certain monsters, steal items, absorb health or mana, or apply status effects. Even with a "Perfect" rating, the attack might still miss. The rings are made by combining "components" and can be improved by merging two or more rings at a special shop.
In battle, both the player’s group and enemies line up in two rows: front or back. Up to five party members can fight at once. At the start of a battle, the back row is protected by a special barrier based on the total health of the front row. This barrier weakens as the front row takes damage and can only be repaired with specific spells or skills.
There are two types of characters: "Mortals" gain skills by leveling up and can also learn new skills by wearing accessories. "Immortals" start with no skills but learn them by teaming up with a Mortal in battle, earning skill points during fights. Immortals can also learn skills by wearing accessories, similar to Final Fantasy IX. Once learned, skills are placed in limited slots, which can be expanded using "Slot Seed" items or certain skills. Immortals can automatically revive in battle if they lose all health; if all characters, including Immortals, are defeated, the game ends.
The game’s magic system has four types: Black magic, which uses elemental attacks and harmful effects; White magic, which heals and protects; Spirit magic, which changes stats, applies status effects, or uses non-elemental spells; and Composite magic, which combines two spells into one that affects multiple targets or has multiple effects. To cast spells, players must first find spells to add to their spell book and have characters who have learned the correct magic skill at the right level.
Synopsis
Lost Odyssey is set in a world where a "Magic-Industrial Revolution" is happening. Before this change, magic energy was present in all living things, but thirty years before the game begins, it became much stronger. This change greatly affected society, as devices called "Magic Engines" were created to use this energy for lighting, cars, communication, robots, and other purposes. In the past, only a few people could use magic, but now many more can. However, this progress also led to two nations, Gohtza and Uhra (which recently changed from a monarchy to a republic), developing powerful weapons. Gohtza, a highly industrialized nation, is researching magic, while Uhra is building a large magic engine called Grand Staff. A third nation, Numara, remains isolated and neutral but is in chaos because a general is trying to take control of the government. Uhra is at war with Khent, a nation of beastmen, and sends its forces to the Highlands of Wohl for a major battle at the start of the game.
After a meteor destroys most of the forces from Uhra and Khent, Kaim joins Seth and Jansen to investigate Grand Staff at the request of Uhra’s council. At Grand Staff, the three are captured by enemy scouts and taken to Numara, where they meet Queen Ming, an immortal who has lost her memory. Queen Ming allows the group to leave Numara, where Kaim meets Cooke and Mack, his grandchildren, who join the group after their mother’s death.
Later, news reaches Numara that Gongora is encouraging Tolten to restore the monarchy in Uhra and prepare for war. Numara’s general, Kakanas, uses this situation to take control of the country from Queen Ming, forcing her to flee with Kaim and others. The group travels to Gohtza to seek help from its king. On the way, Sarah Sisulart, Kaim’s wife, joins the group after being rescued from the Old Sorceress Mansion.
In Gohtza, Kaim and Sarah arrange a peace meeting between Gohtza’s king, Queen Ming, and Tolten on a train. However, Cooke and Mack steal a train to search for the spirit of their mother, leaving Jansen and Seth to attend the meeting alone. During the meeting, Gongora activates Grand Staff and quickly freezes the entire country. Kaim and Sarah find Cooke and Mack but are separated by a powerful magic attack from Gongora. Kaim and Sarah’s train crashes, while Cooke and Mack are stranded on the frozen train tracks. The children are later rescued by Ming and Jansen. The group reunites and saves Kaim and Sarah. In Uhra, Tolten learns that Gongora has declared Tolten dead and taken the throne. Tolten joins Seth to rescue her son, Sed, who joins the group along with his pirate submarine, the Nautilus. The entire group reunites in Gohtza.
The immortals begin to remember their past and realize they are observers from a different world. In Gongora’s diary, he explains that 1,000 years in their world equals 1 year in the parallel universe. The diary also states that the immortals’ world has been influenced by the emotions of people in the mortal world.
After recovering their memories, the group travels to Grand Staff. They discover that Gongora plans to destroy the portal between the two worlds using Grand Staff, which would kill the other immortals and make Gongora unstoppable. The group confronts Gongora in the Hall of Mirrors, the only place where they can be harmed. Mortals help block the mirror’s power while immortals fight Gongora, but their powers are equal. When the mortals become trapped by absorbing too much energy, Seth pulls Gongora through the mirror, allowing Kaim to break it and stop Gongora from returning.
In the ending, the nations led by Ming and Tolten work together to rebuild society, and the monarchy is restored in Uhra. Ming and Jansen marry, while Kaim and Sarah settle down to help raise Cooke and Mack. All know that Seth can watch their happy ending from afar.
Development
The development of the game Lost Odyssey was first suggested to Microsoft Game Studios by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy series. Discussions about the game began in 2003. It was a joint effort between Mistwalker, an independent game studio founded by Sakaguchi in 2004, and Microsoft. Initially, the project was led by Microsoft’s Japanese studio with Sakaguchi, but challenges arose during development. The video game company Feelplus, which was part of AQ Interactive, was brought in to help with the game. Feelplus had many developers who previously worked at Nautilus, the company that made Shadow Hearts, and others from The Legend of Dragoon and Phantom Dust. Art director Takamasa Ohsawa was among those who joined. Developers from Microsoft Game Studios Japan and Sega also participated. Additional freelance workers were added as needed. Development started in 2004 and took three and a half years. Mistwalker was responsible for the story, world design, and character creation. Feelplus handled the actual game development, while Microsoft Japan provided funding, project management, and testing. The team grew from ten people at the start to 150 at its peak. The game’s director, Daisuke Fukugawa, and technical director, Katsuhisa Higuchi, had previously worked at Square Enix. Sakaguchi was actively involved early in the project but took a less direct role later.
The story was written by Sakaguchi, who aimed to create an emotional experience that explored human feelings. He focused on themes of conflict and its effects. Japanese novelist Kiyoshi Shigematsu also contributed by writing over thirty stories about Kaim, an immortal character, titled A Thousand Years of Dreams. Shigematsu had never worked on a video game before and was unsure if he could create the same emotional impact as in his books. However, he found that the interactive format of the game made his work more powerful. These stories were presented in a style similar to a visual novel, which helped evoke emotions. The gameplay, including the battle system, was kept traditional to allow Sakaguchi to focus on the story. He also wanted to add real-time elements to the system. Sakaguchi often reviewed the balance between story and gameplay, asking for changes like removing a cutscene or adjusting a boss battle if needed.
The music was composed by Nobuo Uematsu at his studio, Smile Please, who had previously worked with Sakaguchi on the Final Fantasy series. Arrangements were done by Satoshi Henmi and Hiroyuki Nakayama. Uematsu was hired by Mistwalker to work on three games, with Blue Dragon being the first. He was excited to work on Lost Odyssey because it was Sakaguchi’s first serious game since leaving Square Enix in 2003. Uematsu started creating music early in development, using a live orchestra to record most of the two-hour soundtrack. He believed live instruments best captured the game’s emotional tone. His music included orchestral pieces, rock, and electronic styles, as well as unique sounds from instruments like the sitar and shakuhachi. The main theme, written in a minor key, reflected the burden of living for over a thousand years. Two songs, “What You Are” and “Eclipse of Time,” were sung by Sheena Easton, while “Kaette Kuru, Kitto…” was performed by the Japanese band Flip Flap. Sakaguchi wrote the lyrics for all the songs.
During development, the team split into groups that handled different parts of the game: one group worked on the game’s structure, another on the database and AI, and another on level design. The game design went smoothly because the staff was familiar with the genre, but other aspects faced challenges. Development started without access to the Xbox 360 hardware, and changes were needed after the console was released. Teams that created battle, adventure, and cutscene components faced difficulties combining their work, leading the company president, Ray Nakazato, to consider more seamless development for future projects. Some unused parts of the environment and concept art were overly detailed, wasting time and money. Microsoft’s milestone-based schedule helped the team stay on track by requiring results every three months. However, the large staff size caused some developers to feel disconnected. Sakaguchi said the team nearly collapsed halfway through development but managed to continue.
The game used Unreal Engine 3 as its foundation because it was the most advanced engine available at the time. This allowed development to begin before the Xbox 360 was released. However, Unreal Engine’s design clashed with the style of traditional Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) engines, causing integration problems that occurred four times during development. The team struggled to keep up with engine updates and manuals, leading to technical delays like long loading times. Four types of cutscenes were created, ranging from low-quality real-time scenes to high-quality pre-rendered movies. Later, it was realized that pre-rendered cutscenes were unnecessary because they used the same models as high-quality real-time scenes. Higher-quality cutscenes were initially more common but were later reduced in favor of standard real-time scenes. The final game included about seven hours of cutscenes: one hour used pre-rendered graphics, and six hours were real-time. Roy Sato, the game’s visual director, had experience in film and television and had worked with Sakaguchi on Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. He found the transition to game development challenging at first.
The main characters were designed by Takehiko Inoue, a well-known manga artist known for creating realistic characters. Inoue based his designs on material provided by Sakaguchi and revised them based on feedback. Some characters, like Tolten, required complete redesigns. The clothing for the main characters was designed by Hideo Minaba, an artist from the Final Fantasy series.
Release
In February 2005, Mistwalker announced it was creating two role-playing games (RPGs) for the Xbox 360, which was still unnamed at the time. Lost Odyssey was officially revealed during a pre-Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) conference. The game’s content was so large that it was shipped on four dual-layer DVD discs, which was one more than Mistwalker’s other Xbox 360 RPG, Blue Dragon. At the time, this made it Microsoft’s largest console game. A demo for Japan was released in 2006, featuring a basic version of the game’s battle system. Later, it was considered a mistake to release the demo so early, as it gave players a negative impression of the battle system. Microsoft initially had high hopes for the game and predicted strong sales, but after the Xbox 360 struggled with poor sales in Japan, they lowered their sales forecasts significantly.
In September 2016, Lost Odyssey was added to the Xbox One backwards compatibility list. The game became available digitally on December 14 and was a free download for all Xbox Live members until December 31.
The game was translated into multiple languages, but all lip-syncing was done for English dialogue. This was partly to show appreciation to Western audiences and because Japanese audiences were accustomed to mismatched dialogue in dubbed Western films. English voice recordings were completed in Los Angeles. Microsoft handled localization, and initially, different regional teams managed translations for their areas. However, the process of translating and sharing materials across long distances caused problems. To solve this, the main development team brought the localization team into the production, providing them with easy-to-use tools so changes could be made without direct contact with Feelplus. The story segments written by Kiyoshi Shigematsu were translated by Jay Rubin, a well-known American academic and translator from Harvard University, famous for translating works by Haruki Murakami. Microsoft selected Rubin to ensure Shigematsu’s work was translated with great care. Initially, Rubin was unsure about working on a medium often associated with violence, but after reviewing the material, he was surprised by its strong anti-violence message and family-friendly themes. He described the stories as “essentially Buddhistic” and was surprised that Microsoft had chosen him for the project.
Downloadable content (DLC) for the game began in Japan in January 2010. It included additional chapters from “A Thousand Years of Dreams,” powerful accessories, and the ability to view cutscenes. The final DLC package added a late-game underwater dungeon. Overseas versions of the DLC were released between April and May 2008, though the first one was exclusive to pre-orders in North America.
On November 21, 2007, a book of short stories based on the main character, Kaim, was released in Japan. Titled He Who Journeys Eternity: Lost Odyssey: A Thousand Years of Dreams, it was written by Kiyoshi Shigematsu and includes 31 of the 33 stories found in the “A Thousand Years of Dreams” sequences from the game.
Reception
On its first day in stores in Japan, Lost Odyssey sold about 40,000 copies, which was around half of the total shipment. By February 2008, Famitsu reported that the game had sold 104,417 copies in Japan. These sales impressed Microsoft enough that they considered making Lost Odyssey into a series. By April 2010, the game had sold 109,517 units in Japan, making it the ninth best-selling game for its platform. In the West, the game performed better. According to NPD numbers, Lost Odyssey debuted at #7 in North America, selling 203,000 copies during its first month, February 2008. In the UK, it debuted at #6 in the gaming charts.
Famitsu gave the game a score of 36 out of 40, with all four critics giving it a 9 out of 10. On Metacritic, the game received a score of 78 out of 100, which means the reviews were mostly positive.
Some critics had concerns about the game’s old-school gameplay, especially the traditional combat system, which some found dull and outdated. Others criticized the use of random battles, which were said to cause long loading times. Xbox Focus gave the game a 4 out of 5 rating, praising its story but pointing out problems with camera controls and character designs. Unlike other critics, Xbox Focus’s Alex Yusupov said the combat and random battles were exciting, stating that "it’s better to improve a proven idea than to introduce something new that might fail." IGN said the ring-building system, immortals, and skill system made the combat feel fresh, while 1UP.com praised the "timed button press" mechanic, which made battles more engaging.
The visual novel flashback sequences, written by Kiyoshi Shigematsu, were widely praised. However, critics had mixed opinions about the main story. RPGFan said the story and gameplay were "overused, uninspired, and stilted," but called the memory sequences "some of the richest, most emotionally charged storytelling in any RPG." GameSpot praised the game’s "fascinating cast," character development, and "great plot," calling the combat system "solid." The reviewer also said the flashbacks were "well written and emotionally gripping." GameSpy said the main story and characters were "shamelessly derivative." GamePro magazine agreed, saying the main story was not compelling, though it noted that some subplots had emotional weight. Game Informer magazine called the story "one of the most compelling tales ever told on the Xbox 360" and praised the "cool combat system." GameTrailers said, "what sets Lost Odyssey apart is a deeply moving story that places an emotional focal point on its characters."
Despite differing opinions, the game’s graphics and production quality were praised. However, some reviewers noted issues with loading times and frame rate. It was later discovered that some reviewers received copies with longer loading times than the retail version. GameSpot updated their review on February 19, 2008, but kept their original score.