Some Thoughts on: Odin Sphere

I'm not going to go in all out details because I probably won't ever do a video game review, but I do want to touch on some points with this game because it was a pretty out-of-nowhere game that struck a good few notes. It's a good game. Truly is.

Character designs are great and the graphics, despite it being mostly 2D sprites, was really good. The five playable characters are all vibrantly designed. While their gameplay mechanics remains the same, how they are used have a unique twist to each. Gwendolyn and Cornelius are your most basic characters, hack and slash and all but even they have their own style that sets them apart from each other. Oswald may just be your typical sword slasher, but he comes with a berserk mode. Then there's the long rangers: Mercedes and Velvet; both bring something to new to the table. And I haven't even touch on the part that they all move through the stage in their own way(Gwendolyn and Mercedes have wings, Velvet uses her chains to swing through the stag, etc). It's a simple enough gameplay too; classic side scrolling arcade game with a bit of rpg elements. It has enough quirks to it to deter it from getting stale. Like I said, each character is different enough without straying away from familiar mechanics.

 

Their personalities are distinct and each have something to offer to the story. And said story can be a bit confusing with how the timeline goes, but it does come together in the end, and the end... each character really shine. Even my least favorite character, Mercedes( the Fairy with the crossbow) had a pretty strong finish.

And this game doesn't shy away from fan service. It is subtle and kind of mute compared to other games, but it's enough. Velvet is the fan service. Don't believe me? Look at that outfit.

And that isn't the only time that happens either.

The story is dark, heart wrenching at times, told in a rich and different way, and despite the vibrant sprites and level/land designs(most levels; there's "Hel, which is the land of the undead; we know how that can go) it really has an ominous feel to it. It does a good job meshing warm and cold themes together.

Great vibe. Awesome set of characters. A tragic and dark story. And it kept my attention. This game has a lot to offer for sure! I had lots of fun and it was simple enough that it allowed me to get into it off and on with how erratic my schedule is. Gaming is hard to find time for and games like Odin Sphere with its simple but genius layout is something I can really appreciate. 

Final Fantasy: This is a train of thought for us

I've been watching plenty of FF videos lately(30 year anniversary and all) and I must say, this one puts up a lot of good points. 

Though Square should just pull the plug on MMO FFs. That just rots FF fans thinking they are playing final fantasy when really, they're just playing an MMO.

"...if you close your eyes..."

And the walls kept tumbling down

In the city that we love

Rain clouds roll over the hills

Bringing darkness from above

But if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like

Nothing changed at all?

And if you close your eyes,

Does it almost feel like

You've been here before?

How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

Fucking.with.Me

Where is the point where something actually means something now? Who is really the fool that keeps trying to fervently hope when in the end it's all just games played by the strings of whoever has this kind of sense of humor? I'm told it's a testament of caring and the product of a better tomorrow when the patterns, the signs and the predicaments are all just intentions of what a fruitful next day is. Tomorrow. Hope. Next day. It's getting better. Tomorrow. Hope. Next Day. It's better. Patterns. Delusions.

Here I am. I am a part of this sick and twisted lesson being taught time and time again. Here I am too obstinate, too apparently stupid to learn my lesson. Keep playing your strings.

Keep fucking with me.

Teach me the lesson, the cliches, and the fallacies of people of my past. I know these lessons, and I have not learned them well.

Everyone are just reflection of tainted dreams of yesterday. Everyone are just here to fuck with me.

Keep making me pay for the things I didn't do.

Thanks. I really fucking appreciate it. 

Where'd You Go?

sometimes i feel like shit. somedays i want to quit and just be normal for a bit. i don't understand why you have to always be gone i get along but the trip always feels so long.

....i want you to know it's a little fucked up that i'm stuck here waiting at times debating...

Where'd You Go?

Masterless and Rage:

How long did it take for you to get these tainted dreams out of your head?

Eventually it faded away.

How long was eventually?

I don't exactly recall you know. Why?

I'm still here. It's still here.

Well, is it over?

No.

Do you want it to be over? 

No.

There's your answer then, isn't it?

I still have those nights in my head. What they were compared to what they are now. It's painful. It stings. It's like it wasn't supposed to last.

No, not the way it was, at least not for now. 

Do you seriously believe that it will get better?

I seriously believe it got better. 

Do you really? It's not even remotely close to how it was.

Changes. It happens. Little steps. There are always things getting in the way and that's what sucks the most. But perhaps in the end, we can really say that this was all worth it.

I hope so. 

Keep hoping. And keep living. It's the only thing we can do, you know?

Masterless and Rage

How did you cope with it?

I didn't really. I just let it be. I let whatever it is that needed to be done get done.

It sucks.

If someone told you it was going to be smiles and sunshine, I'll openly tell you that they lied. They lied and didn't consider the true weight of situations like this.

It sucks.

Would you rather have this, or what we had to deal with?

I knew the territory from before, learned from you. 

Yeah but guess what, that road sucked even more.

There are pros and cons, I guess.

There are seldom good things that comes out of being abandoned.

You seem fine. 

I hated someone for so long for the wrong reasons.

You had the right.

Suppose I did. You're not abandoned anymore, so why are you knocking on this door this early?

Because Miss Those Chapters. I miss the nights and the almost guaranteed days. Doesn't exactly spell hope for a better change with how it went about the last few. 

Changes. I was never really fond of them myself, but I still believe they happen for a reason.

Would you go back in that moment and change everything if you could?

Strange, you have never asked me that before. But to answer your question, NO. How about you? How fairs that ominous question?

The answer.... I don't know anymore. 

Well, that's sounds better. That's a change.

....................... I don't hate this change. 

Then keep being patient. More to come. I can almost guarantee it.

What if, though?

What if it it's not? Patterns are already broken... I think this road is different.

Hm.