Odin Sphere Leifdrasir

[ZellSF]

Played the PS4 demo now too. Wow the game looks gorgeous in full HD. Still not a fan of what the demo shows of the new combat system though.

[Necronopticous]

Still not a fan of what the demo shows of the new combat system though.

Anything specific you didn't like? Also, did you like any of the combat in previous Vanillaware titles? Just curious because I thought this was their tightest & most fun system yet, which is saying a lot after Muramasa.

[Skykid]

Wasn't sure where to leave this, but since I asked a ton of questions about Leifdrasir, I figured here would make sense:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016- ... aro-onishi

I interviewed Vanillaware's Kentaro Onishi and talked a lot about Trap Gunner too! I think you guys might find it interesting.

[opt2not]

Anyone pick this up today? I'm counting the minutes I can leave from work!

[iconoclast]

My Best Buy isn't getting it until tomorrow.

Wasn't sure where to leave this, but since I asked a ton of questions about Leifdrasir, I figured here would make sense:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016- ... aro-onishi

I interviewed Vanillaware's Kentaro Onishi and talked a lot about Trap Gunner too! I think you guys might find it interesting.

Nice interview. I didn't care for the PS2 version when I tried it, but I've been looking forward to this since it was announced. Vanillaware seems to improve with every release, so I always expected them to fix the things that sucked about the original. Like this:

For example, in the PS2 version, increasing the attack power level and the HP level were different, and even though there are important HP raising elements like cooking or seed planting, those players who were most interested in the combat found these systems tiresome.

This time the game is balanced around the concept that, no matter how the player decides to play, we want to have them to reach the end and savor the story. In the case that the player's level is much lower than what we thought, the amount of EXP received is increased and even though it will be more difficult than normal, it's balanced so that the player won't get stuck.

[broken harbour]

My copy shipped from amazon last night.

[cave hermit]

Picked up my preorder yesterday; the preorder came with a nice decently sized artbook (not the one in the special edition, but a separate one).

Planning to play it later today or tomorrow...

Also nice interview Skykid; skimmed over it a bit and enjoyed it, will probably be going back for a more thorough reading.

[broken harbour]

Wow, I guess Amazon's Free super saver 4-8 day shipping means 'overnight' sometimes, got my copy already.

I just ordered the standard version of the game but it came with an art book that's considerably larger than the game case, I had assumed the art book would be this little thing that just fit inside the case....

[CMoon]

Yeah, got my game very promptly (Tuesday?) Amazon prime is particularly awesome for giving 20% off new game purchases.

[gct]

Wow, I guess Amazon's Free super saver 4-8 day shipping means 'overnight' sometimes, got my copy already.

I just ordered the standard version of the game but it came with an art book that's considerably larger than the game case, I had assumed the art book would be this little thing that just fit inside the case....

Same here, I placed my order for the PS3 version at 11:13 yesterday morning with Amazon, free super saver shipping, it was delivered this morning, with artbook too. It's the same size as the one which came with my PSV Dragon's Crown, also from Amazon. A nice bonus is that this cover is completely in English, none of that English/French BS.

Sadly I probably won't have a chance to play it until a few months later at earliest. Possibly never. Too much work to do, it never ends...

[ZellSF]

So little time to play games... I've gotten through the first Nebulapolis section of the game now (3h, 30m) on hard. So far the gameplay systems seem all around improved.

I thought the original was pretty good too of course and I'm glad it's included because Leifdrasir is drastically different.

Have been playing the Vita version and after the airship battle I'm pretty sure I can say there's no performance concerns. I have the PS4 version too, just have had no opportunity to play it.

Anything specific you didn't like? Also, did you like any of the combat in previous Vanillaware titles? Just curious because I thought this was their tightest & most fun system yet, which is saying a lot after Muramasa.

Was worried about enemies having too much health (seems to not be the case in the full game), combat system focusing on juggling the enemies in the air too much (sort of an issue in the full game) and resource management not being important (definitely not the case in the full game).

I liked Odin Sphere and Dragon's Crown. Not too fond of Muramasa, but I need to dedicate more time to that another day. That and GrimGrimoire.

[evil_ash_xero]

I got this back in January, and I have the Storybook version now. So, I can understand the story now.

I was curious about what kind of stuff they added? Are there new enemies, or backgrounds? I have played VERY little of the original version.

[Strider77]

The mini-bosses are new, or "mid-level" bosses... how ever you want to label them.

[evil_ash_xero]

The mini-bosses are new, or "mid-level" bosses... how ever you want to label them.

Are any of the backgrounds new? It seems to have more variety, from the YouTube vids I have watched (comparing it to the old version).

[Strider77]

Not that I've noticed... but it's been so long since I played the PS2 one.

[ZellSF]

They've changed everything in the gameplay segments. That includes new art and music. Only thing they left untouched is the story segments.

They've included the original, so try it and see for yourself?

[broken harbour]

I put this in for about an hour last night, I never played the original but so far this is fun, combat system is fluid and mostly intuitive and the game is gorgeous. I can't wait to finish a few other games on my backlog and really dive into this.

[opt2not]

Been playing it for the last few days and I'm loving it.
It's just gorgeous in HD, and the lack of loading times really makes the game a lot more enjoyable now. I forgot how much food porn is in this game, and the combat is much more intuitive. Almost too easy that I had to up the difficulty to Hard to pose more of a challenge.

I like the option to turn off the dialogue bubbles during the cutscenes/talking bits, it helps me concentrate on the beautiful artwork! I can't remember if this was an option in the original PS2 release.

"Mass eating/planting" is such a great feature too, again another one that I can't remember if it was in the original PS2 version. But being able to load up a bunch of food to eat, or seeds to plant at one time really helps cut down on the repetitive inventory tasks.

All in all it's a great game, and a worthy remake.

[broken harbour]

Agreed on the food porn, I should not have started this game while in the middle of a juice fast.

[ZellSF]

Halfway through chapter 4 now it's becoming all too apparent that this is easier than the original game, and too easy to the point of a fault. Chapter 1 was actually well paced in terms of difficulty, I nearly fell asleep in chapter 2 and chapter 3 was at the very least more entertaining since there's more to manage, but still not challenging. I just hit the first fight in chapter 4 (and the first since chapter 1) I had to retry more than twice.

That said even if it is way too easy the game is at the very least fun in chapters 1 , 3 and 4 so far. The variations they make in the levels do make it less repetitive than the original. You'll often find something new. This actually really makes a huge difference, because the way the original was set up made it way too repetitive in this and that just isn't the case here.

They tried to optimize inventory management, planting and alchemy, but I don't think they succeeded. I feel like I'm spending as much time managing all of that as I did in the original game. I know how they optimized it, but it seems like they're just giving you way more stuff you have to do something with.

[Cuilan]

I ordered a copy of the Vita version from Amazon about a week ago and it actually included the soft-cover artbook. A very nice surprise for me since I definitely didn't pre-order the game. Even better, the game was only $35 shipped thanks to Amazon offering me a free 1 month promo of Prime.

As for the game itself, I'm glad it includes the JP dub (would have imported the JP version otherwise!), but it's unfortunate that the story cutscenes that play during the main menu attract mode are English-only. That's my only gripe so far.

[Obiwanshinobi]

I like the option to turn off the dialogue bubbles during the cutscenes/talking bits, it helps me concentrate on the beautiful artwork! I can't remember if this was an option in the original PS2 release.

The PS2 PAL version (complete with 60 Hz and Japanese voices, reportedly performs better and loads faster than NTSC build, but the slowdown remains major in places) doesn't have the bubbles in cutscenes, only subtitles which I liked better.

[ZellSF]

I like the option to turn off the dialogue bubbles during the cutscenes/talking bits, it helps me concentrate on the beautiful artwork! I can't remember if this was an option in the original PS2 release.

The PS2 PAL version (complete with 60 Hz and Japanese voices, reportedly performs better and loads faster than NTSC build, but the slowdown remains major in places) doesn't have the bubbles in cutscenes, only subtitles which I liked better.

I hated that and am so happy we finally got a version with dialogue bubbles and decent performance.

Started slowly on Velvet's chapter. Still get the impression that it's a bit too easy, what I think about the quality of the gameplay experience so far:

Chapter 1: Better than Odin Sphere
Chapter 2: Worse than Odin Sphere
Chapter 3: About equal to Odin Sphere
Chapter 4: Slightly better than Odin Sphere

[evil_ash_xero]

Atlus slightly edited the main cover, to the Western release. You can see that Gwyn's skirt is a little more closed up, on the U.S. cover. The JP cover, you can kind of see her panties.

I have this bad feeling, that when Vanillaware's next game comes out, there's going to be in-game censoring. Oh well, that's a discussion, for another thread.

[Aisha]

I like the option to turn off the dialogue bubbles during the cutscenes/talking bits, it helps me concentrate on the beautiful artwork! I can't remember if this was an option in the original PS2 release.

The PS2 PAL version (complete with 60 Hz and Japanese voices, reportedly performs better and loads faster than NTSC build, but the slowdown remains major in places) doesn't have the bubbles in cutscenes, only subtitles which I liked better.

I hated that and am so happy we finally got a version with dialogue bubbles and decent performance.

Started slowly on Velvet's chapter. Still get the impression that it's a bit too easy, what I think about the quality of the gameplay experience so far:

Chapter 1: Better than Odin Sphere
Chapter 2: Worse than Odin Sphere
Chapter 3: About equal to Odin Sphere
Chapter 4: Slightly better than Odin Sphere

I agree -- it's easy. I remember the PS2 version giving me a tough time on Normal difficulty, but I'm playing the remastered version on Hard and am able to S-rank everything without too much trouble. I read that there's another difficulty setting unlocked after you complete the game, but I'm not going to have the motivation to go through it all again so soon.

Currently I'm on Chapter 3 and I finding the drastic change in play-style refreshing.

[Skykid]

I played Muramasa and DC on hard (can't remember if the latter had an option or just self-imposed limitations) because default was too easy. I even restarted Muramasa over about halfway into the campaign.

In the interview I posted last page, Ohnishi cites Muramasa as a turning point in VW's thinking. He talks a lot about making games more flexible and being unhappy some players could either break the original OS by abusing magic or find themselves getting destroyed in a couple of hits because they ignored all the cooking and collectibles.

For me Leifthrasir feels as though the combat has been remodelled around Muramasa's systems - it's much faster and freer than I remember the PS2 game being. But I think hard mode will be necessary for players better versed in this style of gaming. It's clear their goals were to make default accessible enough for anyone to finish.

[ZellSF]

It's clear their goals were to make default accessible enough for anyone to finish.

That's not just the default, that's also hard mode.

[Skykid]

It's clear their goals were to make default accessible enough for anyone to finish.

That's not just the default, that's also hard mode.

Well I'll find out soon enough, I got my product code today and it's downloading now.

I remember blitzing Muramasa on hard too and DC wasn't difficult even though I always went with a solo party. But I got the impression from Ohnishi that VW want it that way; they want all players to experience the full ride.

[evil_ash_xero]

I've been playing the English version of the game, on Hard. I had played the JP version on Normal.

It's easy, but I have died on some bosses. Normal was a breeze.

[Axelay]

Wasn't sure where to leave this, but since I asked a ton of questions about Leifdrasir, I figured here would make sense:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016- ... aro-onishi

I interviewed Vanillaware's Kentaro Onishi and talked a lot about Trap Gunner too! I think you guys might find it interesting.

Fantastic interview the Erion war mode sounded brilliant shame it wasn't in the game .