With the release of Vanillaware's 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim around the corner, at the time of this writing, I wanted to try one of the developer's earlier games for myself. After looking over my options, I decided to give Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir a try. Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir is the remake of Vanillaware's side-scrolling hack-and-slash RPG Odin Sphere which was released for the PS2 back in 2007. Published by Atlus and Sega, this title features five playable characters and a 40-hour narrative.
While it's relatively simple to progress through the game you won't find everything if you just jump in head first. I've compiled a small primer so you won't make the same mistakes I did, should you choose to give this game a chance.
Buy a map and search each stage completely
Right from the first stage to the very last, each stage will feature a non-linear, almost Metroidvania-like approach. The stages all feature a rest point with a Merchant. Buy each stage's map from the merchant and check all the rooms. This will unlock paths to powerful abilities and rare equips.
On that note, make sure to check the Skills menu for secret abilities. In addition to the ones found for clearing a stage, it's possible to find an extra one. Using the hints featured, such as attacking above a ladder or entering a secret path, you can find all the abilities for each stage.
Don't expect much change in the stages
Each character's arc covers seven chapters. These seven stages are assorted differently depending on the character arc but are the same locales. What changes is the layout and the plot.
This is worth knowing before playing in case you expect to gain any new levels from playing. The boss fights will be different and the story will advance. However, it's like a beat 'em up game that expects you to replay the game several times to finish everything. Much of the charm comes from leveling up your character and the bosses you will encounter.
Use the alchemy system to your advantage
The Alchemy system allows players to mix ingredients. Using a Material bottle, players can mix seeds, Mandragoras, and more to create potions. These potions can heal, buff stats, or cause other effects.
It's worth noting that using these is an economical alternative to buying Healing Potions. Players can spend their money on food and accessories as opposed to potions. Furthermore, these will come handy in a cinch.
Optimize your strengths
Much like with Vanillaware's Dragon's Crown, it's entirely possible to learn over a dozen new skills with each character. Unfortunately, this skill tree system may come off as a bit overwhelming for some players. With so many choices, it's hard to determine what is worth leveling up the most.
Each character has attack abilities and magic spells. Both are equally relevant and cause necessary damage on enemies as needed. Multi-hit abilities and launcher attacks are best for combos. The best specials to focus on are Passives, Psypher weapons, and any attack to continue combo strings. Experiment until you find which ones lock the enemies in hit stun the most.
Follow the prophecy in the final act to gain the best ending.
Odin's Sphere allows players to fight the final series of bosses using any character. However, the game's prophecy dictates a certain series in order to get the best ending. If the prophecy is at all confusing, there's no harm in consulting a guide.
Even so, you'll still need to play through the final segment again in order to unlock the rest of the ending. For Trophy hunters, this is necessary. For those who just want to view the story, though, it's entirely possible to view these scenes on YouTube.
Are you interested in playing Odin's Sphere or other titles by Vanillaware? Let us know in the comments below. Finally, be sure to follow our social media links below and take our quality gaming content with you on the go!
Comments
Post a Comment