Lost Sphear is the second game that has been made by Tokyo RPG factory, with their first game having been the beloved I am Setsuna. If you’ve ever played any traditional JRPGs such as games from the Final Fantasy series, then this game is bound to feel familiar to you, with its familiar art style and Active Time Battle system.

The game follows the hero Katana who along with his friends is trying to solve the mystery behind why things are slowly disappearing in the world. As the protagonist then, your role is to try and restore the world to its former state. As you go on recovering different memories, you can slowly restore parts of the world. There are lots of battles to fight and loot to collect in this game and the following walkthrough will surely be helpful if you’re ever feeling lost in the game.

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The studio known as Tokyo RPG Factory seems to have been set up by Square Enix for that specific purpose- to recapture the charm and brilliance of classic JRPGs by recreating their style of gameplay and storytelling in today’s modern landscape. Their first effort, I Am Setsuna, didn’t come close to doing that, despite having a fair share of its own strengths, but having learnt from their past mistakes and efforts, the developers have made a concerted effort to accomplish their ultimate goal with Lost Sphear. And though I can safely say that Lost Sphear still isn’t the kind of instant classic the developers may have been hoping it would be, it’s a solid JRPG in its own right which accomplishes quite a lot.

"While Lost Sphear isn’t the kind of instant classic the developers may have been hoping it would be, it’s a solid JRPG in its own right which accomplishes quite a lot."

The biggest strengths and weaknesses of Lost Sphear both stem from the same thing, that being the very premise of this game. It takes inspiration from a number of the genre’s greatest titles to date, from Final Fantasy 6 to Xenogears. And in attempting to recreate the perfect old school JRPG experience, Lost Sphear ends up exuding the kind of charm and focussed simplicity that you don’t often see in games these days. But as a result of that very reliance on nostalgia and old school game design, it also ends up feeling quite unremarkable in many respects- solid, and a great deal of fun, but unremarkable nonetheless.

Take the game’s story, for example. Lost Sphear tells the story of Kanata, an orphan boy living an idyllic village life with his fellow orphan friends, but when things, places, and people mysteriously start vanishing into white plumes of nothingness, he’s thrust into events far beyond his understanding. He realizes that he has the ability to restore these “Lost” objects by making use of the memories they leave behind, since these memories are, in a way, what gives everything shape and form. With this newfound power, Kanata and his companions get pulled into a story that escalates quite quickly, and has far-reaching consequences for the world they inhabit in more ways than one.

It’s a fairly generic setup in tone and style, especially if you’re familiar with the kind of old JRPGs Lost Sphear tries to imitate. And though the foundation itself lacks originality, the game has to be given credit for building on it in commendable ways. The plot moves at a brisk pace, and there’s always enough to keep the player invested in the events, to keep you curious about what happens next. There’s a few twists and turns along the road, and pleasantly enough, quite a lot of them are hard to predict and will genuinely surprise you. The concept of memories being, in essence, the ultimate life force for not just people, but inanimate objects as well, is also an interesting one, and the game keeps finding ways to make use of it in unique ways, utilizing it for both, personal tales and ones of large-scale consequences.

"As a result of that very reliance on nostalgia and old school game design, Lost Sphear ends up feeling quite unremarkable in many respects- solid, and a great deal of fun, but unremarkable nonetheless."

The plot is often let down by some shoddy writing, though. Lost Sphear, like the JRPGs of old it attempts to emulate, has a serious issue with heavy-handed exposition, and oftentimes it emits a frustrating lack of subtlety. Over the years, the RPG genre has started showing signs of becoming mature enough to realize the importance of the mantra “show, don’t tell”, but Lost Sphear seems to have a complete lack of that understanding. All too often the game feels the need to bombard the player with unnecessary cutscenes with overly long dialogue and overzealous explanations of things that would have been better left to interpretation. Just as regressive are the characters, almost all of whom fit into tropes and genre conventions so well that they almost seem to be the very definitions of said tropes. That’s not to say they’re bad characters per se- for the most part they have well-defined traits and backstories, and a few of them are likeable enough, but given how generic they are, it’s just a little hard to care too much about them.

When it comes to combat, Lost Sphear does a much better job of creating a system that’s a balanced mixture of old and new. It is essentially a turn based combat system with an ATB bar similar to Final Fantasy games of old, but the game continues to add plenty of layers on top of this core to make for a deceptively deep system. For starters, while you’re in the middle of turns, you can freely move your characters about on the battlefield, which lets you use their positioning to your benefit, such as being able to hit multiple enemies with the same attack, or being able to evade certain enemy attacks. In and of itself, this mechanic lends an added layer of strategy to battles, especially in some of the more challenging fights, where figuring out the tells of enemies’ attacks in order to evade them beforehand adds a unique twist of urgency and an extra bit of challenge.

Then there’s the Momentum bar, which keeps filling up as battles progress, and with the press of a button at the right time, allows you to deal boosted damage to enemies. It’s a pretty simple move both in definition and in practice, but in the heat of battle where you have to keep an eye on it while also remaining aware of all your enemies and their attacks, landing the right Momentum strike at the right time against the right enemy can give you a significant edge. There are also Spritnites to use, which, by definition, are basically your Mana moves, but these too have an added layer of strategy, since each Spritnite move can also be equipped with Momentum, which can provide some quite useful buffs and debuffs. And then there are artefacts, “Lost” items in the overworld that you can restore using memories to give you added boosts and abilities.

"When it comes to combat, Lost Sphear does a much better job of creating a system that’s a balanced mixture of old and new."

It all makes for a combat system that has a surprising amount of depth and strategy involved, and continues to be entertaining throughout the course of the game. After the first few hours, Lost Sphear also throws Vulcosuits into the mix, which are basically huge mech suits which let you both, deal and take massive amounts of damage. Though the concept of the Volcosuits is an interesting one, Lost Sphear unfortunately fails to ever make use of them properly. The use of Volcusuits is governed by the VP meter, which, at least until very late into the game, depletes at a pretty alarming rate, meaning that these suits are best left unused until you’re in desperate need of them, such as instances when you have to get past a particularly tough boss.

And there will be tough bosses- almost unfairly so, in fact. Too many times in my playthrough, I ran into bosses that brought about astonishing spikes in difficulty, many of whom were in fact able to wipe out my entire party with their first few attacks, without even giving me the chance to make a single move of my own. I’m all for challenging boss battles, especially in RPGs, but there’s challenging, and then there’s batshit insane. Lost Sphear’s boss encounters all too often fall into the latter category. Outside of these bosses, though, the game’s difficulty is almost leisurely. Dungeon design is, for the most part, simple and straightforward, while there are no random battles either, neither in the dungeons, nor in the overworld, so exploration, while never as much of an emphasis as it often is in RPGs, is always a pleasure, light though it may be.

If you get the feeling that “solid, but unremarkable” is a sense that pervades every aspect of Lost Sphear, you’re not wrong. That phrase can be used to describe the game’s production values as well, and a huge reason for that is its goal to emulate the classic JRPGs of old. Cutscenes have no voice acting, so emotions and feelings are portrayed through on screen prompts on top of characters’ heads, such as a drop of sweat signifying embarrassment or uncertainty, or an exclamation point emoting surprise or awe. The soundtrack consists of a number of melodies that fit the game’s themes and story beats almost perfectly, all of which are hummable, to be sure, but probably won’t rank among your favourite tracks of the year.

"If you get the feeling that “solid, but unremarkable” is a sense that pervades every aspect of Lost Sphear, you’re not wrong."

Visually, Lost Sphear is a very good looking game. It has a top down fixed camera perspective, akin to RPGs of the late 80s and early 90s, and has a very similar sprite-based look- only instead of sprites it makes use of 3D polygonal models and assets. It’s got a clean, simplistic look that has a unique charm of its own, and though it doesn’t do anything extraordinary or doesn’t break any barriers, its attractive art style has to be complimented. The overworld looks great for the most part, while a number of locations are very well designed, such as a graveyard of hulking, shattered ships and galleys, or an industrial city that spews smog all over the land. That said, there are plenty of instances when the game reuses several of its assets, such as the interiors of buildings (especially inns), for instance, and that sort of laziness is hard to overlook.

Lost Sphear a very enjoyable and well made game, but then again, there are so many classic JRPGs that you can always revisit (or visit, if you’ve never played them) that would give you a much better experience. There’s also the fact that, at least right now (at launch), Lost Sphear is priced at a bafflingly steep $50, and unless you’re a dedicated fan of such JRPGs, I don’t think it completely justifies a purchase at that price- not when there’s so many other, much better games on the market that you can purchase for pretty the same amount of money (if not less). It’s fair to say that Lost Sphear is a victim of its very premise, the same premise it also benefits from in many ways. Its focussed simplicity and its old school charm are pleasantly refreshing, especially in a genre that seems to be insistent on constantly one-upping itself with complex webs of mechanics and vast, sweeping adventures. But in trying to achieve that old school charm, Lost Sphear ends up failing to do anything that can make it stand out.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT

Square Enix’s Dissidia Final Fantasy series has always been very interesting to follow. After all, on paper, a crossover fighting game between Final Fantasy characters should be awesome, right? Dissidia takes a more nuanced approach though and Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is perhaps the most significant addition to the series yet. Ported over from arcades, Dissidia NT focuses on 3 vs. 3 battles with characters split into four classes – Vanguards for attacking, Assassins for their agility, Marksmen for range and Specialists with unique traits.

There’s the new Bravery system for attacking, switching between characters during combat and a revamped story mode which introduces more story information as battles take place. With over 28 characters including series greats like Sephiroth, Cloud, Squall and whatnot along with a number of Summons, there’s a lot of variety to enjoy. Dissidia Final Fantasy NT releases on January 30^th 2018 for PS4.

Kirby Battle Royale

Kirby hasn’t exactly been top-tier in many gamers’ hearts after Kirby’s Epic Yarn. That being said, Kirby: Planet Robobot sold moderately well and received positive critical acclaim. So when you look at Kirby Battle Royale and its premise of battling a bunch of other Kirbies in arena combat from a top-down perspective, it feels…weird. There’s a campaign, co-op, multiplayer and much more. However, it’s been released for Europe already and reviews have been less than positive. Kirby Battle Royale arrives on January 19^th 2018 for the Nintendo 3DS so it’s worth checking gameplay footage before putting down any cash.

Lost Sphear

The next RPG from the studio behind I Am Setsuna, Lost Sphear combines an evolution of the Active Time Based system with a mystical new world. The result is a smaller but more personal experience. The story follows a man who faces a power that could tear reality apart. Using “Memory”, the man must restore lost parts of the world. As you’d expect, there are allies to meet, items to gain and equipment to use as you level up en route to saving the world. Lost Sphear releases on January 23^rd 2018.

The Inpatient

Originally scheduled to launch in November 2017, Supermassive Games’ The Inpatient was delayed to January 23^rd 2018 in North America and January 24^th 2018 in Europe. Developed for the PS4 and PlayStation VR, The Inpatient acts as a prequel to Until Dawn, the narrative-focused horror adventure game. Players will head to Blackwood Sanatorium sixty years prior to Until Dawn and play as an amnesiac trying to recover their memories. Along with NPCs reacting to voice recognition, The Inpatient’s overall story will be influenced by the decisions you make.

Dragon Ball FighterZ

Developed seemingly in response to Capcom’s Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite, Dragon Ball FighterZ has it all. There’s 3v3, fast paced combat and the mechanics resemble that seen in Arc System Works’ Guilty Gear. Dragon Ball fans don’t have to worry though – you can still rush your foes, teleport and smash them against the floor and power up to different Super Saiyan forms. We know that Goku, Trunks, Vegeta, Goku Black and many other heroes will be making an appearance and players can expect a robust story mode divided into three arcs. Dragon Ball FighterZ is out on January 26^th 2018 for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Full Metal Furies

Remember Rogue Legacy? If you haven’t played Rogue Legacy, it’s an amazing Metroidvania rogue-lite where each new life sees you playing as a descendant navigating a crazy castle. Its developer Cellar Door Games has been out of the spotlight since its release but that’s because it was prepping something bigger in Full Metal Furies. Touted as the first “true co-op” action RPG experience, Full Metal Furies offers four different characters – Alex the Fighter, Meg the Sniper, Triss the Tank and Erin the Engineer, each with their own abilities and skills.

You can play with friends or go it solo, choosing two characters and switching between them at will. The sheer range of abilities allows for lots of customization and you’ll engage in boss battles with a number of phases. That’s not counting the massive world broken up into stages filled with secrets, enemies and the odd hidden dimension. Full Metal Furies is out on January 17^th 2018 for Xbox One, Windows 10 PC and Steam.

Iconoclasts

In development for seven years by Joakim Sandberg, Iconoclasts is a nostalgic action platformer full of personality and amazingly detailed locations. It follows the mechanic Robin as she attempts to fix the world and try to understand her role in it as catastrophe strikes. Iconoclasts will feature over 20 boss battles, 10 locations, numerous difficulty settings and a gorgeous art-style that simply speaks to the retro enthusiast in all of us. It arrives for PC on January 23^rd 2018.

Monster Hunter World

The biggest Monster Hunter game till date will be heading to Xbox One and PS4 on January 26th 2018 with Monster Hunter World. Built as a huge sprawling open world with support for online play, Monster Hunter World features ecosystems full of monsters that interact with each other, new movement abilities like the grappling hook, various weapon types and so on. Players can join squads and meet at common hubs or you can go it solo and participate in high ranking hunts that way. Monster Hunter World releases next month for consoles but PC players will have to wait till later in the year.

Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition

Capcom has been attempting to make up for the sins of Street Fighter 5’s launch with new updates, new stages, new characters and much more. Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition is probably the game we should have had at first with a new user interface, new V-Triggers that can be selected beforehand, Arcade Mode with six different modes that represent every major Street Fighter released till now with some 200 endings, and much more. The roster from the base game along with Season 1 and 2 of DLC combine for a roster of 28 characters. Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition is out on January 16^th 2018 for PS4 and PC.

Batman: The Enemy Within Episode 4 – “What Ails You?”

The second season of Telltale Games’ Batman continues to roll on with Episode 4 “What Ails You” arriving in January 2018. Thus far, we’ve seen Batman run into the Riddler, go face to face with the Agency’s Amanda Waller, eventually fighting against Bane and having to deal with a mysterious new group called the Pact. There’s plenty of intrigue as old villains appear, a new villain named John Doe takes centre stage and you’ll have to make some tough decisions in order to succeed.

Those who haven’t played the first game will be able to engage in investigation sequences and it’s possible to approach certain decisions by either playing as Batman or Bruce Wayne. Crowd Play also makes a return, thus allowing a streamer’s audience to determine how the story goes. Batman: The Enemy Within Episode 4 will be out on January 2018 for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Tokyo Factory and Square Enix will be bringing us Lost Sphear, a new RPG from the same collaboration that brought us I Am Setsuna, next year- and yesterday, we got a brand new tailer for it, showcasing the game’s world and characters (as well as more of its gorgeous art style, obviously).

We also get to see a lot more of the gameplay, which seems to be promising for now- although, of course, it is a bit unclear if the final game will live up to its promise. I Am Setsuna, for all of its charm, certainly managed to disappoint in a lot of regards. We can only hope that Lost Sphear will be different in that regard.

Lost Sphere is due out in Japan on October 12; it will release in the west early next year, on January 23, 2018. The game will be coming to the PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

The new JRPG by Tokyo Factory, Lost Sphear, will launch in the west on January 23, Tokyo Factory confirmed in a post on the PlayStation Blog. The game is going to be the next venture by the studio after last year’s flawed I Am Setsuna, which sought to recreate the glory days of 16-but turn based JRPGs. The new game seems to be learning from that game’s failings, while also building upon its strengths.

The game’s premise has you battling the Lost, a phenomenon which threatens the world- when the Lost descends somewhere, it becomes enshrouded in the mist, and then vanishes. The setup is great, although the cast of characters that’s been revealed so far seems to be a bit… tropey. We’ll see how it goes.

Lost Sphear will launch on January 23 for the Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC. The game will mostly be available digitally, though physical copies will be made available in limited quantities on Square Enix’s own store, and at some retailers.

Square Enix’s Tokyo RPG Factory, devoted to making classic Japanese role playing games like last year’s I Am Setuna, has a new project in development. It’s called Lost Sphear and will once again follow in the footsteps of the classic JRPGs of yore. Check out the first trailer below.

As per Square Enix, one of the themes is “Manifesting thoughts into matter.” Like I Am Setuna, Lost Sphear will have an Active Time Battle system but one that allows for changing party members’ positions during a fight.

Players will take on the role of Kanata, a boy who must rebuild his town that’s disappearing from some strange occurrence. People and places are gone and it’s up to Kanata’s memories to bring them back.

Releasing in early 2018 for PC, PS4 and Nintendo Switch, Lost Sphear appears to be yet-another low-budget JRPG from the publishing house behind Final Fantasy. What are your thoughts on it so far? Let us know below.