Odin Sphere is a beautiful game. Nice arts populate the different levels. The sound is also amazing. The soundtrack, the voice over are one of the best. I had quite some fun at the beginning with the gameplay. The mechanics is excellent, the recipes and items management are good ideas. But after a while, there was all that dying thing and the very steep difficulty. The bosses takes constantely advantage of the fact that you don't see them coming from left or right (The small indicator at the top doesn't help that much). They take advantage of the split second you eat food. They take advantage of the overflow of ennemies crossing the screen to attack you, to a point where you don't understand anything of what is going on. All that incessant dying left me frustrated to no end. Now it a dust keeper. If you have the patience to redo the same levels over and over 6 to 7 times, in order to level up and beat one boss, this is your game. For me, I find this kind of gameplay pretty bad in itself and it ruined the experience and the game. Overall, I don't see why poeples have a buzz about that game apart the fact that it's nice to look at.… Expand

Ok, so this game is not going to appeal to everyone. It's about as niche as they come. But, if you are at all interested in playing a unique action-rpg with gorgeous hand drawn animation, check this game out.

This game is a must-own for anyone with a PS2. I was hyped about it and I wasn't let down. It's a wonderful blend of genres that brings to mind action RPGs like Secret of Mana (if it had been heavier on the action and lighter on the RPG). This game is pretty enough that your friends might enjoy just watching you play.

I held back on this game for just a bit, because of the comments about repetitive gameplay. However, I finally gave in and picked it up, and it is an absolute masterpiece. The item/cooking/alchemy system is brilliant, the combat is a blast, and it's nice to see an RPG that actually requires a bit of skill. A must-have, and one of the best games I've played in years. In all fairness, the voice-acting is poor, and there is definitely slowdown. But those problems really pale in comparison to this game's strengths.… Expand

The Good: Amazing artwork (sometimes jaw-dropping) Addicting gameplay (especially the farming/cooking aspects) Old school feel (like a super-charged SNES game) The Bad: Load times (my god, 25 seconds to enter a restaurant) Repetitive levels Sometimes stiff animations Initially bland storyline Bottom Line: I thoroughly enjoyed this game, although it falls short of perfect due to its load times and sometimes stiff feel.… Expand

Combat system: Great. Quick paced, fun. Everything else, not so great. Sure, having five characters with the tight woven stories that happen simultaneously is a great idea. But it doesn't work if you write it like an anime oriented at preteens. There are also a lot of really annoying game flow issues. Constantly having to plant seeds just to get healing, the way they give you LESS items if you're trying to play at a lower level (Because it takes longer to kill enemies and you get lower grades), the weak alchemy system, having to restart entire dungeons just to re-fight one screen, the way healing items are so weak you have to fix it so you gain an item level just for them to restore a useful amount of HP. This game, if it had far better written dialogue, could be fixed into a perfect 10.… Expand

Odin Sphere...an amazing title, to say the least. After a few long years of waiting for a half decent RPG, this little gem comes into play, into my PS2; and then, it stole my heart. Odin Sphere allows you to play as five unique individuals, who are in constant conflict against one another as the world is nearing it's end. The plot itself is amazing- if this game was a novel, it'd undoubtedly be a bestseller. You can expect romance, strife, betrayal, politics, and action. Each character's story consists of seven chapters- each which include a dungeon, and a boss. This is executed through the game's wonderful battle system, which utilized a unique spherical battlefield- hence the title, Odin Sphere. The music in the game was also wonderful, and I was always tempted to jack up the volume, even if playing at the dead of night. Other features to keep me entertained were the interesting leveling system, and synthesis systems. All in all, Odin Sphere is a gem in the modern gaming world, and it was so excellent to the extent that I've cried, bragged, and argued various points about the game. Now go out and buy it. Now. Have fun.… Expand

The game takes a little while to catch up with the hype that was showered on it upon release. bottom line is that if you're a fan of story driven 2d hack and slash then this game is something of a godsend. don't waste you time if you don't enjoy the above. the reason i gave it a seven was because of the tremendous slow down, i mean ridiculous slow down sometimes, almost crippling. if you can look past this flaw then you will probably enjoy the entire game.… Expand

I loved this game, the difficulty was a nice change of pace from most of the junk that comes out anymore. Even more alluring is the wonderful story and beautiful visuals. The only thing keeping it from perfection is the irritating item system (I shouldn't have to spend half my time organizing or clearing my inventory) and the occasional slowdown. All and all it is one of my favorite games.