The PS2 isn’t going away without a fight. Every few weeks we think it’s time to finally tuck the little guy into bed one last time, and move on to bigger and shinier hardware; then a game like Odin Sphere is announced, a gorgeous 2D side-scrolling Action RPG, and we promise to never threaten our little buddy again.

Developed by Vanillaware, creators of the Sega Saturn cult hit Princess Crown, Odin Sphere plops players into the rather important shoes of Gwendolyn, daughter of the head honcho of the heavens, Odin. When the country of Valentine is obliterated by the power of an ancient artifact and a war is set in motion between the fairies of Ringford and the warriors of Ragnanival (hey, we don't make these names up), you’re tasked with cleaning up the resulting mess and stopping a world-threatening prophecy from being fulfilled. Sporting sublime hand drawn art and animations, Odin Sphere looks to bring a fresh sense of style and character to this epic fantasy fare.

Four other playable characters will join Gwendolyn in her adventure, which features fully voiced dialogue and an alchemy/cooking system used to create powerful attacks and recovery items. Atlus (who else?) will be publishing Odin Sphere later this spring, and we’re thrilled to see yet another promising PS2 game in the pipeline.

February 12, 2007