In an interview with Eurogamer, Expedition 33 creative director Guillaume Broche opened up about one of his biggest inspirations, the classic Lost Odyssey. And he did not hold back on how much the game meant to him.
“For me, Lost Odyssey was the last grand turn-based RPG adventure with realistic graphics,” Broche said. “Its themes were very heavy and very well handled, it is the last game that made me cry.“
Broche believes the game never got the recognition it deserved, mostly because it released exclusively on Xbox 360. “Its core audience was probably more used to PlayStation consoles,” he explained. “But that core audience who did play it loved it. The critical reception at the time was very unfair, as the game was criticized for being ‘old school’ at a time where it felt like every game that wasn’t an open world was viewed as ‘old school’ by the western press.”
Lost Odyssey’s Legacy Is Stronger Than Ever
Released in 2007 by Mistwalker and directed by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, Lost Odyssey mixed realistic visuals with classic turn-based combat, and that was something extremely rare back then. With music by Nobuo Uematsu and powerful stories written by Kiyoshi Shigematsu, the game became known for its emotional storytelling and unforgettable scenes.
It is still playable on modern Xbox consoles thanks to backward compatibility, but Broche thinks it deserves much more.
Broche openly credits Lost Odyssey. A lot of parts of Expedition 33’s structure, tone, and combat design are inspired by it. The input system, the emotions, and the way the game explores memory and mortality all draw inspiration from this classic game.
And with Expedition 33 now becoming one of the most acclaimed releases of the year, even becoming the most nominated game in The Game Awards‘ history, Broche says its success proves players still want deep, turn-based RPGs with realistic visuals.
“Turn-based isn’t outdated,” he argues, and the reaction to Expedition 33 backs that up.
Of course, many other excellent turn-based RPGs have been released between Lost Odyssey and Expedition 33, but many players felt the genre never truly “grew up” with them. Too often, it leaned toward typical anime-style, slightly childish games. Expedition 33 proved that turn-based combat and modern, realistic graphics can work beautifully together.
As the Xbox 360 approaches its 20th anniversary, Lost Odyssey remains one of its most underappreciated games, and maybe, just maybe, this renewed spotlight will help bring it back!
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