Lost Sphear

1. techtronics

   Jan 25, 2018

   10

   This is a classic JRPG at its finest. The piano music is simple and effective, the battle system is classic 90s, as is the story;This is a classic JRPG at its finest. The piano music is simple and effective, the battle system is classic 90s, as is the story; straightforward, simple, compelling, and engaging. The characters are written as classic JRPG characters, with that cheesy, predictable sense that just makes one smile upon reading all of its charm. Fans of Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI and VII, and Ni No Kuni will find something in this game to cheer about. A beautiful return to form. I can only pray that more titles and IP come from this new, growing subsection of Square Enix.… Expand

   • 7 of 9 users found this helpful
2. chronofantasy

   Mar 22, 2019

   10

   I just platinumed this game, and purchased it off amazon for $40 earlier this month. I put in approximately 60 hours into the game, then cameI just platinumed this game, and purchased it off amazon for $40 earlier this month. I put in approximately 60 hours into the game, then came on here and I was disappointed to see a lower than expected rating. Sure, ratings don't always matter, since people can have such wrong or bias opinions. But some of these negative reviews are comical.
   
   People are comparing it to Chrono Trigger, of course it may not be as classic or nostalgic like it, because the game is newer and a fresh take on what JRPG fans have been looking for in their games. It has pretty much all the elements to make up that JRPG you miss playing.
   
   For what it is, it is really well done. It doesn't make sense to knock it for its graphics either, because it's a niche genre and this is the style its fans are looking for. If it didn't have the backing of Square Enix, it would almost be an indie game as well, since it's made from a smaller company as well.
   
   So I can never understand how people can praise a game like UnderTale, with its even lower graphics and subpar story and silliness, but give low praise to a well done and beautiful game like this one. This is where bias comes in, especially towards JRPGs it seems, from Americans and those outside of Japan. Their standards are way too high or most people tend to look down on the JRPG genre.
   
   Other than that. This game has a beautiful and amazing score. An interesting array of characters from various walks of life. A compelling and deep story, with a post game tying up the true ending of the story. Then there's side stuff to do if you want to dive in some more into the game. The battle system is a lot of fun as well.… Expand

   • 0 of 1 users found this helpful
4. Amleida

   Feb 6, 2018

   8

   Lost Sphear is a charming JRPG that offers a fairly linear, open world and gameplay similar to that of the Final Fantasy games on the originalLost Sphear is a charming JRPG that offers a fairly linear, open world and gameplay similar to that of the Final Fantasy games on the original Playstation system. It has a turn-based battle system, but with an added strategic element that makes things slightly more interesting. I like Lost Sphear. The music is mellow and relaxing, and I really appreciate how the game was, obviously, inspired by JRPGs from the 90s.
   
   That said, the game falls short in terms of character development and narrative quality. Overall, it's a good, retro-styled JRPG that will make you feel nostalgic if you've enjoyed this type of game in the past. I wouldn't say that it's an exceptional game, it's too lacking in the story and character departments to make such a bold claim, but I think it's a pretty good game that I wish had been a little bit more.
   
   In terms of character development, the game redeems itself to some extent by fleshing out each character's backstory through side-quests that become available towards the end of the game. These side-quests can be easily missed, and I find it incredibly odd that this is the only way to find out more about the characters that the game is based on. It would've added so much more overall quality to the game, if it had been part of the game's natural character development, rather than late game, optional quests that require some back-tracking to trigger.
   
   Once you've played through the entire game, you'll realize that the developers put a lot of love and effort into creating what seems like a very simple and generic, retro JRPG at first glance. However, the way the characters and story of Lost Sphear unfolds is structured in such a flawed way that I highly doubt it will ever be recognized for the love and effort that was put into making it.… Expand

   • 3 of 5 users found this helpful
5. gasherz

   Jan 24, 2018

   6

   This is an average game with an average story. The character personalities and their individual developments are more than lacking andThis is an average game with an average story. The character personalities and their individual developments are more than lacking and story-telling is at best, average.
   
   Gameplay is what you can expect from a title like this. It is "OK" and it somewhat delivers on it's overstated goal of being a 90's JRPG. The battle system has been slightly improved from "I am Setsuna" but still leaves quite a bit to be desired. 20+ years has gone by since the 90's... plenty of time to realize that games also need to evolve. With respect to graphics, Lost Sphear does a good job of leaning towards simplicity whilst at the same time adding enough enhancements to make the experience worth watching. The soundtrack and audio in general are enjoyable and somehow leaves an impression.
   
   If you enjoy 90's-style JRPG with a lot of grinding and can forgive the lack of character development, somewhat stale environment and what I would consider high retail price, then sure, this game may very well be for you.
   
   Just don't expect too much.
   
   6/10 - An almost nice enough experience from an average JRPG.… Expand

   • 5 of 11 users found this helpful
6. megabear

   Feb 9, 2018

   5

   As one of JRPG fans, I have to say this game is a disappointment that slides backward from the spirits of old JRPG's where the game was drivenAs one of JRPG fans, I have to say this game is a disappointment that slides backward from the spirits of old JRPG's where the game was driven by well written plot. Unfortunately the most important element, story, falls short with this game, which is no longer surprising considering Square Enix's involvement. I cannot recommend this game. It simply tarnishes the reputation of old JRPG's such as Chrono Trigger and FF series.… Expand

   • 1 of 3 users found this helpful
7. TheNFROMO

   Jun 11, 2023

   4

   Lets start off with the gameplay
   The gameplay has three difficulty settings but I played on easy, because I wanted to enjoy my time and ILets start off with the gameplay
   The gameplay has three difficulty settings but I played on easy, because I wanted to enjoy my time and I believe JRPG (Japanese Role Playing Games) should not have difficulty settings at all.
   Their are options to disable movement and battle animations in battle.
   Their are artifacts in the game that basically gives you buffs in two categories: buffs that affect the whole world vs buffs that only affect the region.
   The food system is pretty much useless and never used it unless I needed it for the platinum
   There are two gameplay modes semi active vs active combat. one is enemies wait to attack while you make your move and another enemies don’t care and will destroy your very existence.
   There is a dialogue and event skip feature that goes from x2 to x16, kinda weird you can’t use to control normal gameplay so you can move and grind easier.
   It’s a turn based game with skills and each class has a designated skill set but most of the time you’ll probably have the same party members.
   Combat is an average type of JRPG style of gameplay, nothing note worthy, you’ll probably find in previous entries of the games in general that almost have the same combat as this game.
   One thing about this game is that you can beat it in the high 50s.
   There are a few enemies that get introduced half way throughout the game but they start getting recycled near the end game. I would say It’s a minimum attempt at making a distinct amount of enemies.
   the specific armor for at least one character has combo moves but its very simple and not developed at all to show options. you have at most 5 options but realistically only use 3.
   skills can be upgraded with buffs and with a specific mechanic called sublimation you can keep some of its effects on it up to a 10 stack but you can only have a 4 stack of a specific momentum buff
   The gameplay is just more of the same, you would have experienced it already in some shape or form and nothing changes.
   JRPG or RPG in general determine its playability on its gameplay and this game does the bare minimum with its gameplay mechanics.
   For This Reason, it deservers a 1.0 out of 2.5
   
   Story
   The story of this game how would I say it, its average at best.
   You get memory abilities in which you can restore memory.
   you find out early on about your childhood friend circumstances on them in randomly which is weird and nothing to built up on it like a someone making a passing comment.
   The side characters are pretty uninterested except for Van but that’s pretty much it.
   The specific character quest, in which a couple of them were the highlight of the game.
   There are two ending in which its more less of a good or bad ending. Its more so one is a shortcut ending and one is a hard work ending.
   I think this game story is average at best as with its gameplay, its worth a 1.5. average as hell and cliché as hell
   
   Audio
   The audio in this game for an rpg was pretty pretty good.
   It fit most of the scenes.
   There is battle dialogue (Japanese) weird they didn’t go all the way.
   There is a whole load of audio sync issues where you walk on grass and stone it takes 1 second for it to kick in
   when loading, the audio just stops and you get a constant scare that it might have crashed.
   One time it took around 5-10 seconds to load hence it caused me anxiety because of this issue.
   This audio deserves a 1.5 out of 2.5 because of these two issues
   
   Performance
   The performance of this game was A to S tier, I couldn’t tell if it ran at 30 or 60 fps.
   It ran pretty smoothly.
   They treated the Queen of Gaming Correctly.
   2.5 is the reward.
   
   Price Point
   The price of this game is at MSRP at 49.99, this suffers from the same issue as I Am Setsuna.
   This game should have at max been at the 15-20 dollar range for this title especially in 2017.
   I am subtracting a 2 for overcharging for this game.
   
   In conclusion,
   The game sits at an average score of 4.5 because the story, gameplay, and audio all had issues while the performance was good. The price point was ridiculous selling for that much even after the whole debacle with I am Setsuna people arguing its worth around 15-20 dollar range.… Expand

   • 0 of 1 users found this helpful
8. Bunny

   Apr 13, 2021

   0

   A charming homage to old school JRPGs that I thoroughly enjoyed. Good soundtrack and fun combat system. It was very satisfying to 'restore'A charming homage to old school JRPGs that I thoroughly enjoyed. Good soundtrack and fun combat system. It was very satisfying to 'restore' places and things. I really liked the recipes idea.… Expand

   • 0 of 2 users found this helpful

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