Recs.
Updated
Lost Odyssey is a turn-based Japanese role-playing game set in a fantasy world in the midst of a magic-industrial revolution. You play as Kaim, an immortal soldier on a journey with his companions to reclaim their lost memories and save the world from destruction.
SpecsUpdate
Pros
Pro Well-executed traditional turn-based combat
Lost Odyssey's turn-based combat captures the traditional feel that JRPG fans love, with elemental magic for exploiting enemy weaknesses, plenty of skills to learn, and lots of gear management. Your magic casters stay in the back row to shoot out spells, and your physical attackers will hold the line in the front to protect the casters. For tougher battles, you'll be able to rely on your immortal characters who can't die in combat, but they're really limited when it comes to learning new skills. Your mortal characters will get knocked out if they take too much damage, but they're free to learn new spells and skills like normal. There's also a cool and unique system where mortal characters can teach their skills to immortal characters to keep battles from getting stale.
With managing your gear, you'll find a lot to play around with through the game's equippable rings. These rings have certain resistances to different elements, so you'll want to make sure that your team has the best rings for any challenges in your way. If you're having a hard time with a thunder boss, you can spend some time tweaking your ring loadouts for your characters instead of throwing yourself at the fight and losing over and over with no real strategy.
Pro Epic soundtrack
Lost Odyssey has an epic soundtrack with a huge scope, capturing all of the emotions behind war, family, and tragedy. The battle themes have piano and percussion melodies that sound tough enough to fit right in with war movies. For large overworld locations like snowy plains in the middle of blizzards, the wintry xylophone sounds and menacing synths really make you feel like you're trekking through a harsh environment. More tragic songs for cutscenes pull at your heartstrings with harpischords and violins. But then there are other songs with harps and violins that give you hope that the story will turn out okay for Kaim and his friends. The composer, Nobuo Uematsu, covers a lot of emotions in this soundtrack, fitting perfectly with the game's mature story and themes.
Pro Mature story that grapples with the downfalls of immortality
As you play as Kaim, you'll get to relive his lost memories of his family that he can't remember. Even though he's immortal, he can't remember the things that should matter most to him. He struggles with this transience in his life while fighting to save the world. It's an interesting and mature take on the tropes of immortality and amnesia, putting you in Kaim's shoes as he struggles with these tragedies alongside his companions who support him along the way.
Cons
Con JRPG tropes dilute the overarching plot
If you're not into JRPGs because of the tropes, then Lost Odyssey may not change your mind about the genre. The plot with a cast of characters coming together to defeat a destructive evil force isn't too original. Although there are other details that help the game stand out from the crowd, like the focus on immortality, they won't do much to bring in anyone who dislikes the predictable tropes.