We all have those games. Games that we love that define who we are as gamers that didn't garner the acclaim from the gaming community at large that we feel they deserved. For me, that game was Lost Odyssey (LO), and it is the only game that has ever made 💯me cry.
Before we get into why LO was such a definitive title in my gaming identity, let's hop into the way back machine back to 2007. LO was X𒁏box's attempt to show that they, too, had a JRPG exclusive just like their competitors at PlayStation.
As a gamer who always had P♒layStation consoles growing up, it was a hard choice to jump ship to the Xbox 360 over the PS3. Actually, considering this was the generation when I had to pay for my console out of my own pocket, it wasn't that hard. Still, after being a PlayStation gamer for so long, I missed the Japanese exclusives that Sony's systems were known for.
A Return to the Familiar
As soon as I saw the box art for Lost Odyssey, I knew that, yeah, this is going 💦to happen. Not only did it remind me of games of my youth, but the game﷽ also came on four disks. And at the time, nothing said "high-quality" quite like a game that's awesomeness couldn't be contained on one disc.
LO follows the story of a man called Kaim, an immortal who is forced to forever 🌺walk the earth alone after losing all memories of his past. Throughout the game, we discover that Kaim is not the only immortal with amnesia, and that this shared loss is not a coincidence.
Now, without reading a few wiki pages, if you were to press me for more details of the game's intricate plot, I wouldn't be abl🧸e to paint a complete picture for you. But 🌟hey, it was 13 years and four discs of game ago! That's a lot to remember.
The Cliff Notes version is these immortals come from a parallel dimension where time flows dif𝕴ferently. One year in their world is the equivalent of a 1000ꦏ-years in the one they now call home. Five immortals were sent to the mortal world, and one of them betrays and steals the memories of his comrades so he can rule unopposed for all of eternity.
What follows is a fairly typic🍌al, but still quite enjoyable, JRPG experience filled with turn-based combat, deep𝓀 and intricate plot developments, and stunning visuals.
But to be honest, while I did love everything about LO 🍒when I played it, none of those are the reason why this game has stood the test of time for me.
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Memory as Fleeting as a Flower
Throughout the game, you can stumble over events that trigger a lost memory for one of the immortals. Some of these are harder to miss than others, but others are well hidden. Each tells a story of emotional resonance. These memories are particularly p🍨otent for the typically stoic Kaim.
These fragments of memory play out in beautiful storybook-esque cutscenes that are some of the most poignant moments I've ever experienced in gaming. The great tragedy of Kꦑaim's life is that he is cursed to live forever. Everyone and everything that he cares for will die while he lives on.
One such story is called 'White Flowers.' Kaim is visiting a town during a festival that honors the memory of the citizens that perished during a terrible earthquake some two-hundred years before. Kaim knows this because he lived in the town with his wife and daughter when the quake struck. He has returned to the city occasionally throughout those two-hundred ye🌊ars, and witnessed the slow change of the festival from a somber memorial to a celebration of life.
The day before the quake, Kaim's daughter laments the short life span of beautiful white flowers that bloom during early spring, only to die before the day's end. They work so hard to flourish only to perish so quickly. Kaim comforts her♏ and says that the flowers are that much more beautiful for the brevity of their existence. She doesn't fully understand𒀰 but accepts her father's words.
While the festival is meant to celebrate life and the blooming of the white flowers, For Kaim, it serves as the anniver💧sary of the day where he lost his wife and daughter. They died during the quake. His words about the fragility of the flowers becoming a perverse prophecy of sorts.
During the hour where the earthquake occurred,💝 the town's celebratiღon stops an becomes a time of somber reflection. And during this time is when the majority of the white flowers bloom. Since the quake, the flowers have changed. No one knows why, but once the flowers bloom, they now last for four days.
It wasn't until the words had faded from my screen, wi🧜th the melancholic music and stunning imagery faded, that I realized I was crying. No game had ever brought out that kind of emotion in me befo꧙re. At first, I wrote it off as a one-off occurrence.
I'm Not Crying, You're Crying
Then it happened again after reading a story of a shoe-maker who makes the best shoes for travelers, but has lost his legs and never travels himself. And yet again during a story about a great-grandmother who can't remember her ow♛n family, but remembers Kaim from when she was a little girl. Or the story of an old woman who refuses to leave her🌠 farm, despite the war that will soon consume her village. After each of these stories, I found myself tearing up.
In many ways, Lost Odyssey changed what I was looking for in games. I didn't want to cry all the time, but I did want games that impacted me on an emotional level. I hungered for storytelling that made me feel something or challenged my perspectives. Without Lost Odyssey, I'd never know that 🌸games could be so meaningful. But because of its somber series of stories, it is an experience I will never entirely forget.