Odin Sphere: Leifdrasir (PS3/PS4/PSVita)

Really excited about this Been wanting an HD remake, but this is even better!

Indeed - it was this game, NOT Muramasa, that made me fall in love with Vanillaware's distinctive art style.

Not because Muramasa is a bad game (it's amazing) but because Odin Sphere was my first experience with a Vanillaware game.

In a gaming world obsessed with 3D rendered graphics, Vanillaware dared to make a game in two dimensions, with sprites far more beautiful than I had ever seen in a game at the time.

And despite the minimal use of polygons it still pushed the PS2 to its limits. I'm pretty sure the art assets in the original game were so hi-res that they don't even have to touch anything up visually for the remake. Just set the screen size to 1080p and call it a day.

The changes to the gameplay have me curious though. The original already played really well.

I remember lots of people complaining about the POW guage. Apparently it only goes down if you use specials now?

This game looks interesting. I will have to check it out when it comes out.

A JRPG with a story that isn't shit getting an HD remake. Not really surprising, tbh. HD remakes of alleged classics are a sign of a possibly struggling developer/publisher that no longer have inspiration but still have dollar signs for eyes.

Wow, shittalk much? Do you remember how long it took for Dragon's Crown to come out? Vanillaware can make a couple enhanced ports or remakes. They have something different in the works too so it's not like this is all they have in the pipeline.

It's also worth noting that this is both an HD remake AND a port. They're changing a whole bunch of stuff while also providing the original version, both in HD.

http://www.siliconera.com/2015/07/21/odin-sphere-leifdrasir-will-include-a-remake-and-also-the-original-version-in-hd/

I'm well aware of the changes(What was shared from Ohnishi doesn't seem a whole lot to me in that regard). I'm also not downplaying the quality of Vanillaware games, I'm just simply commenting on the industry state now. They could of released this a lot earlier since it is an older game from them. They knew OS is perhaps one of their more successful games in sales and if they're releasing it now as a money maker, and not just a re-release with updated features then I wouldn't see much point for them to bundle it with the original version.

So, is this a remake or a sequel?
I loved Muramasa and this looks amazing but I didn't play the original Odin Sphere,
so if this is a sequel I might be lost.

It's a remake with a few touch-ups in gameplay and the HD label.

I don't think you've actually seen the game. HD isn't a label. The graphics have actually improved significantly.

If you're going to be cynical, try to know what you're talking about.

Yeah you can't just upscale a sprite-based game and release it as anything but a $10-15 digital game, you are being super cynical for like the worst goddamn reasons.

Taiyz wrote:

Yeah you can't just upscale a sprite-based game and release it as anything but a $10-15 digital game, you are being super cynical for like the worst goddamn reasons.

You just learned that I'm a cynic? Damn, I should post more. No, it's not a label, I'm just someone simply passing an opinion: I'm not easily drawn by HD graphics or common aesthetics and I have nothing against this game as it is a great game. I was commenting on the industry and you guys are making my opinion look like someone in your life has died. Where's the funeral?

Is the HD nice? Yes it is, especially for a Vanillaware game. While it's a smart move for them to actually wait this long before announcing the re-release with updated features and an HD upscale of a classic game, I'm a little irked that anything would sell if it was just a HD upscale of an otherwise ugly game(I actually pictured FFT, another great game, in HD, then I remembered I didn't play it for graphics).

Celestial Phoenix wrote:

Taiyz wrote:

Yeah you can't just upscale a sprite-based game and release it as anything but a $10-15 digital game, you are being super cynical for like the worst goddamn reasons.

You just learned that I'm a cynic? Damn, I should post more. No, it's not a label, I'm just someone simply passing an opinion: I'm not easily drawn by HD graphics or common aesthetics and I have nothing against this game as it is a great game. I was commenting on the industry and you guys are making my opinion look like someone in your life has died. Where's the funeral?

I offered my industry commentary, where it belongs. Want to complain about this? Go to Today in Gaming where I made a pretty big post about shitty pointless ports like the Prototype bundle that just came out. Vanillaware is one of few devs that actually get a free pass when it comes to something like this, particularly with how much they're doing, even including the original version for purists when they don't have to. If they were doing another remake of Muramasa or a PS4 port of Dragon's Crown, yes, that would be approaching the limit, but Odin's Sphere gets an easy pass plus, this is not their only game in development.

And yes, if you want to play the game of "I'm a cynic and I don't care," you're talking to a bunch of fucking nerds on an internet forum. YOU TOTALLY TOLD US THAT OUR PUPPY DIED, if there's one thing you can count on, it's nerds getting defensive about things they care about. You're saying all this shit about "the industry," but this thread is not about "the industry," it's about a small, dedicated team of developers and crackshot artists who are making a beautiful game even more playable and gorgeous. Save your pessimism for a company that actually needs to be knocked down a few pegs, or if the game comes out and it's hopeless broken...Like the Prototype ports.

Celestial Phoenix wrote:

Is the HD nice? Yes it is, especially for a Vanillaware game. While it's a smart move for them to actually wait this long before announcing the re-release with updated features and an HD upscale of a classic game, I'm a little irked that anything would sell if it was just a HD upscale of an otherwise ugly game(I actually pictured FFT, another great game, in HD, then I remembered I didn't play it for graphics).

Oh, and don't pull the "I don't care about graphics anyway" card like that invalidates all of our arguments, you're just being a weasel. It's not like we aren't looking forward to the other components of this remake.

Ah, fanboyism; a true state of delusion. I wouldn't void credibility just because it's a video game forum. There is public speaking, opinion expressing, then there is overreacting to people's differences. Besides, I really wanted to offend you in particular, Taiyz, I'd just have fun with you on your love of FF13 again.

I've been wanting to try Odin Sphere forever, I never tried the original because I was told by many people that its super challenging and since I'm not very good at things, it was a little off-putting. I've also heard lots about its beauty and story, though, so i'm really excited to get the chance to play it in its best possible form.

I saw someone say its getting released with both the touch-ups and its original form in HD, that's actually a really cool and awesome thing! (I wished they'd done that with Hearts... *COUGH COUGH*) I may ask when I actually get it which one you guys recommend playing through first, or if it matters to only play through one and not the other. I'm assuming we don't have enough info yet to make that judgment though.

ShivKH wrote:

I was told by many people that its super challenging

Not from what I remember. You may need to play it on hard from one point on in order to get the real ending though (memory is hazy but I seem to remember something like that)? Though maybe that was doing certain things with certain characters and difficulty didn't matter? Anyway I do remember you can adjust the difficulty while outside of any stage. So if you need to, you can grind on easy and work your way up until a character is strong enough to survive on higher difficulties.

You can access the true ending on any difficulty.

If I remember correctly, the true ending is determined by the order of protagonists you select in the final chapter and...a certain amount of money? It's hazy.

You just have to play as each character in a specific order in the final chapter to get the best ending.

Gwendolyn and Oswald made me rage. The fact that they're the main diehard Twilight romance the writers clearly wanted to push further than all the other characters made me rage more.

Pretty good game despite that tho.

I dislike sappy romance stuff too and I agree. Thankfully the game's plot is dark enough to help disregard.

A bit too dark at times imo. It does some poorly plotted out stuff toward the end that would be the equivalent of saying Sauron never needed the ring at all to regain his powers and Frodo and Sam's quest was completely pointless right at the end of Lord of the Rings.

"Mwahaha, I don't need the Titrel ring to do this because the Cauldron will simply listen to its true master!" you say? Then what was the point of the ring? You built the Cauldron specifically for yourself so you could destroy the world with your own hands, but if you personally don't even need the ring to make it function, then there's no. reason. whatsoever. for the ring to exist. All the ring does is give other people who AREN'T you an opportunity to use your technology. Couldn't Valentine see why that was completely counterproductive to his evil plans? Who would ever design security system like that? This goddamn plot makes no fucking sense.

>Making sense of JRPG plots in general.

Probably because a lot of JRPG plots with potential start to fall flat on their faces via the start of the climax...well more like 50/50. Nonetheless, it's hard to end a journey meant to be enjoyed, even if you are the one creating that journey and experience.

http://www.siliconera.com/2015/11/19/odin-sphere-leifthrasir-gets-storybook-edition-ps4/

Oh. My. God.

*wipes away drool*