The gameplay itself doesn't reach the same zenith as the story, though it's solid in and of itself. Combat is your standard turn-based affair, though there are some twists, chief among them the aim rings. Any character can wear a ring that confers upon its wearer one or more bonuses, such as a chance of inflicting poison, extra damage against spirit enemies, and so on. This isn't so special on its own, but the effectiveness of the bonus is completely reliant on your actions in battle. Whenever you order a party member to perform a standard attack, a circle will appear around your target while a larger one encircles the screen. To receive the full benefit of your ring, you hold a trigger down to shrink the larger circle and release it when it has shrunken to the size of the smaller one. The better your timing, the more potent the bonus, and if you are too far off, you don't get any benefit at all. You craft the rings yourself with ingredients you can purchase from merchants or find in the spoils of battle, and it's as simple as heading into the game menus and choosing which ring you wish to fashion. The bonuses themselves don't seem all that potent on their own, but equipping the right rings against the right enemies, along with the subtle effects of other items and spells, can have real consequences in battle.

You’ll drink in some lovely scenery.

Another addition to the combat is the defensive bonus applied to characters positioned in the back of your formation by way of the strength of those in front. As front-facing combatants get attacked, that bonus depletes, which makes attacks against those in the rear more powerful--and this applies to your enemies as well as to your own party. This gives way to some interesting spells and abilities, along with some tactical considerations, given that you can't always easily do damage to the powerful spellcaster in the back without first weakening the lesser enemies in the front. Of course, there are other considerations in play, such as attacking enemies that have an elemental affiliation with a spell of the opposing element. Nevertheless, both rings and guard bonuses are slight but welcome additions to the formula.

Unsurprisingly, spells and abilities are the most important facets of Lost Odyssey's battles. Be prepared: Many of these battles are challenging, so you'll need to have a tight grip on each character's unique skills. Mere mortals have more or less predetermined skill sets, so their roles in combat are generally obvious. On the other hand, immortals have just a few innate skills; instead, you need to learn more of them from mortals by linking to them and battling together until the immortal has gained use of them. Once every available character has joined your party, this brings up some unique possibilities. Is it worthwhile to bench one mortal in favor of another, simply in order for Seth to earn a desirable spell, even if that mortal isn't the right choice for your current circumstance? Do you bring in another immortal, knowing he will revive after defeat in a few turns, and forgo an active link for the time being? Either way, Lost Odyssey finds a pleasant balance between preset character roles and player-controlled development.

Although these additions are welcome, they aren't groundbreaking, and other aspects of the game are decidedly old-fashioned to a fault. Gameplay outside of combat feels sluggishly paced to the point of boredom. At one point, you'll have to endure two yawn-inducing fetch quests in a row; a short time later, you'll light a series of torches in a minigame of sorts that reduces the emotional impact of the surrounding scenes and feels pointless. In another section, you must sneak past security robots, and should you make a mistake, you get sent back to the beginning of the section and must endure the same dialogue again. Other annoyances crop up as well, such as an area littered with holes that are hard to see; if you fall into one, you're sent back to the start of the dungeon. Many of these elements take a bit of time to complete, but none of them are much fun.

Kaim doesn't always have a lot to say, but his memories speak volumes.

Getting the most out of Lost Odyssey will require a bit of patience, even from those used to the slower pace of the genre. However, the gameplay subtleties and character-driven narrative are rewarding enough to make it worth the occasional frustration. No, the game breaks no new ground, but if you stick with it, you'll find a compelling emotional drama, delicate adjustments to an age-old formula, and a unique and balanced skill-development system. Kaim's journey is a memorable one, and if you like turn-based RPGs, you'll want to experience it for yourself.

Editor's note 02/19/08: After posting this review GameSpot found that load times in the review version of Lost Odyssey were significantly longer than those in the retail game. We have amended the review accordingly and regret the original error.