The 6 Best Gaming Surprises Of 2016 (So Far)

Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir

Before Dragon’s Crown, there was Odin Sphere. Yes, Vanillaware’s beautiful, hand-drawn RPG recently made its debut on PlayStation 4 in the form of Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir, an HD overhaul of the beloved PS2 classic.

Steeped in Norse mythology, the core premise of Odin Sphere centers on a young girl named Alice who, upon unearthing a series of fantasy books in her local library, sets off a mighty adventure that’s told through the lens of five different characters: Gwendolyn, Cornelius, Mercedes, Oswald and Velvet.

Uniting in the face of great danger, Odin Sphere is rooted in a world on the brink of chaos, when the magical kingdom of Valentine loses its key source of power in The Cauldron. In that fallout, the neighbouring kingdoms wage war within the power vacuum, and Vanillaware’s RPG masterfully weaves each story around its five principal characters.

Each wielding a Psypher, once you step into the shoes of either Gwendolyn, Cornelius, Mercedes, Oswald and Velvet, you embark on a quest through the lush, visually arresting environment, and what really pushes Odin Sphere‘s replay value is the way in which certain characters make an appearance in different stories, meaning those who stand as protagonists in one arc may prove to be antagonists in another.

In bringing the esteemed title to PS4, Vanillaware has tossed in a revamped interface, tweaked the progression system and added new monsters to battle. The world of Erion is calling, dear readers.