Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Prime Day Deals
  • Superman
  • Donkey Kong Bananza
  • Switch 2 stock
Recommended reading
A screenshot shows the pixel art characters of Angeline Era floating through stars.
Action RPGs Oblivion Remastered is cool, Clair Obscur is good, but I just want this bizarre Legend of Zelda disciple that emerged from the sea of RPGs like a fish with legs
A Towa screenshot shows a character performing a bright orange attack in a green field at dusk
Roguelike Games Bandai Namco's first-ever roguelike is an entertaining, direct descendent of Hades with anime girls, but I wish it really was "unlike any roguelike" the way its devs promised me
Ratatan featuring in Future Games Show
Roguelike Games Rhythm roguelike Ratatan shows off its colorful world and chaotic combat in a new trailer
Sea of Remnants
RPGs This gorgeous free-to-play pirate RPG from the studio behind one of the longest-running asymmetrical horror games stole the show in a State of Play that already wowed me with Silent Hill f and Ghost of Yotei
RS fights a giant enemy crab in Sea of Remnants, with a Summer Preview 2025 GamesRadar+ frame
RPGs Sea of Remnants is an online pirate swashbuckler take on Honkai Star Rail that's had me rolling dice in turn-based duels and trading cannonfire with a gorilla
Vranygrai demo screenshot
Action Games After playing 20 minutes of this Witcher 3 meets God of War-inspired RPG, my love of druids and Slavic mythology has been reignited tenfold
Tainted Grail The Fall of Avalon combat
RPGs I said I wouldn't play anything until I beat Oblivion: Remastered, but this Elder Scrolls-inspired AA RPG with stellar Steam reviews is mighty tempting: "Skyrim in a world that looks like Elden Ring, without the Souls-like difficulty"
  1. Games
  2. RPG

Ragnarok Odyssey preview - Smashing that which is most adorable

Features
By Lucas Sullivan published 7 May 2012

Slaying monsters with abandon in the Ragnarok universe

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The gang's two-thirds of the way here!

The gang's two-thirds of the way here!

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of 9
I've got an apple on my head - problem?

I've got an apple on my head - problem?

Page 2 of 9
Page 2 of 9
Die, porings, die! Wahahaha!

Die, porings, die! Wahahaha!

Page 3 of 9
Page 3 of 9
Expect to have to crane your neck to stare enemies in the face.

Expect to have to crane your neck to stare enemies in the face.

Page 4 of 9
Page 4 of 9
You'll need to use air combos to put the hurt on this bird.

You'll need to use air combos to put the hurt on this bird.

Page 5 of 9
Page 5 of 9
Big damage numbers: the true sign of success.

Big damage numbers: the true sign of success.

Page 6 of 9
Page 6 of 9
The higher your combo chain, the better your party is doing.

The higher your combo chain, the better your party is doing.

Page 7 of 9
Page 7 of 9
Each class has a move to escape surrounding enemy forces.

Each class has a move to escape surrounding enemy forces.

Page 8 of 9
Page 8 of 9
The only thing standing between these orcs and our Mage is a huge purple vortex.

The only thing standing between these orcs and our Mage is a huge purple vortex.

Page 9 of 9
Page 9 of 9
CATEGORIES
PlayStation Platforms
Lucas Sullivan
Lucas Sullivan
Social Links Navigation

Lucas Sullivan is the former US Managing Editor of GamesRadar+. Lucas spent seven years working for GR, starting as an Associate Editor in 2012 before climbing the ranks. He left us in 2019 to pursue a career path on the other side of the fence, joining 2K Games as a Global Content Manager. Lucas doesn't get to write about games like Borderlands and Mafia anymore, but he does get to help make and market them. 

From the second we got our hands on it, it was clear: Ragnarok Odyssey is basically Monster Hunter in the Ragnarok universe - and given both franchises’ impressive pedigrees, we're absolutely okay with that. This “solo hero versus huge baddie” beat-’em-up is coming to PS Vita this year, courtesy of Game Arts and XSEED. We got the chance to take one of its hammer-wielding heroes for a test drive, bashing in the brains of porings (read: adorable pink slimes) and giant orcs with equal impunity.

If you haven’t heard of it, Ragnarok Online was something like online RPG royalty back in the early aughts, most famous for its multitude of job classes and memorable monsters. It makes sense that we should kill these cutesy titans in a fully 3D third-person hack-’n’-slash, and Ragnarok Online’s existing job classes lend themselves nicely to varied combat roles for Odyssey. Game Arts, who’ve put out cult classics like Grandia and Lunar, have done a bang-up job of bringing the Ragnarok universe’s cheery, colorful art style to life.

That said, combat focuses on getting in melee range and busting out big-damage combos. We mainly played as the Hammersmith, a class that wields a comically-sized sledgehammer that has an enormous spiked drill for a head. Sending enemies flying across a room with each swing was immensely satisfying, and there looks to be quite a few opportunities for skilled players to bust out impressive chains of attacks. As with any good third-person brawler, smacking your opponents into the air for some follow-up combos is highly effective against single targets.

You may like
  • A screenshot shows the pixel art characters of Angeline Era floating through stars. Oblivion Remastered is cool, Clair Obscur is good, but I just want this bizarre Legend of Zelda disciple that emerged from the sea of RPGs like a fish with legs
  • A Towa screenshot shows a character performing a bright orange attack in a green field at dusk Bandai Namco's first-ever roguelike is an entertaining, direct descendent of Hades with anime girls, but I wish it really was "unlike any roguelike" the way its devs promised me
  • Ratatan featuring in Future Games Show Rhythm roguelike Ratatan shows off its colorful world and chaotic combat in a new trailer

You won’t be going it alone through RO - the game’s tuned for four-player online co-op, and balanced groups will have an easier time taking down the intimidating bosses (some of whom are skyscraper-sized compared to your hero). There are six classes to choose from: Hammersmith, Assassin, Hunter, Mage, Cleric, and Warrior, each with their own unique abilities and weapon styles.

After swinging his hilariously-oversized weapon, and devising numerous MC Hammer references we can make, we’ve got our hearts set on playing as the Hammersmith once the game’s released in the states. XSEED wasn’t giving a particular month for when RO will come stateside in 2012, but with the game already out (and selling well) in Japan, things are looking good for Ragnarok Odyssey’s enjoyable, action-oriented gameplay.

See more Playstation Features
Read more
A screenshot shows the pixel art characters of Angeline Era floating through stars.
Oblivion Remastered is cool, Clair Obscur is good, but I just want this bizarre Legend of Zelda disciple that emerged from the sea of RPGs like a fish with legs
A Towa screenshot shows a character performing a bright orange attack in a green field at dusk
Bandai Namco's first-ever roguelike is an entertaining, direct descendent of Hades with anime girls, but I wish it really was "unlike any roguelike" the way its devs promised me
Ratatan featuring in Future Games Show
Rhythm roguelike Ratatan shows off its colorful world and chaotic combat in a new trailer
Sea of Remnants
This gorgeous free-to-play pirate RPG from the studio behind one of the longest-running asymmetrical horror games stole the show in a State of Play that already wowed me with Silent Hill f and Ghost of Yotei
RS fights a giant enemy crab in Sea of Remnants, with a Summer Preview 2025 GamesRadar+ frame
Sea of Remnants is an online pirate swashbuckler take on Honkai Star Rail that's had me rolling dice in turn-based duels and trading cannonfire with a gorilla
Vranygrai demo screenshot
After playing 20 minutes of this Witcher 3 meets God of War-inspired RPG, my love of druids and Slavic mythology has been reignited tenfold
Latest in RPG
a human in a space helmet with bright blue shards of crystaline protomolecule erupting from their mouth and visor
The Expanse RPG is taking "great inspiration" from Mass Effect with romance, deep choices, and third-person combat: "It's an iconic game"
Red Dead Redemption 2 screenshot of Arthur Morgan who has shoulder length hair and a beard and wears a cowboy hat
After 4 years I returned to Red Dead Redemption 2 and fell into a chaotic rodeo of mishaps as I tried to remember how to be Arthur Morgan
Cyberpunk 2077 DLC screenshot
5 years after it was kicked off the PlayStation Store, Cyberpunk 2077 joins the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog
Faelian
Bethesda decides Oblivion Remastered players were right, adds a new difficulty mode to "act as a better bridge between 'Adept' and 'Expert' for players"
Oblivion Remastered
This Oblivion Remastered player "killed the entirety of the Mythic Dawn cult" at the start of the RPG: "Problem? Solution? Remove problem"
A zoomed-in screenshot from Deltarune, showing Susie, Kris, and Ralsei posing with other characters.
Deltarune just got another small update, but I'm more interested in this brief, fine-print teaser for upcoming patches containing "some extremely slight adjustments to gameplay"
Latest in Features
The Sims 4 Enchanted by Nature
After 16 years of The Sims 3, The Sims 4 Enchanted by Nature might just be the whimsical expansion pack that pulls me away from EA's iconic 2009 life sim for good
Red Dead Redemption 2 screenshot of Arthur Morgan who has shoulder length hair and a beard and wears a cowboy hat
After 4 years I returned to Red Dead Redemption 2 and fell into a chaotic rodeo of mishaps as I tried to remember how to be Arthur Morgan
Superman kisses Lois Lane in James Gunn's Superman
After years of loveless Marvel and DC movies, I hope Superman and Fantastic Four prove romantic relationships are just as important as world-saving spectacle when it comes to superhero flicks
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom gameplay running with the Switch 2 upgrade
I wanted to make a beeline for Tears of the Kingdom's ending, but Zelda's Switch 2 upgrade has forced me to slow down
Death Stranding 2 Sam touching Lou and Fragile
Death Stranding 2's final fight is Hideo Kojima's way of saying goodbye to Metal Gear Solid
Heroes 3 screenshot
The greatest strategy RPG ever is making a comeback with the publisher behind Manor Lords, and I'm ready to relive my Behemoth-collecting 2000s
  1. A Gundam style mech in Mecha Break
    1
    Mecha Break review: "This mech battler makes up for lacking customization with a varied roster that lets me live out my Evangelion fantasy"
  2. 2
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  3. 3
    Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic"
  4. 4
    Tron: Catalyst review: "Disc slinging is a thrill in this gorgeous rendition of the series, but I'm let down by a time-loop story that falls flat"
  5. 5
    FBC: Firebreak review: "A disappointingly bland multiplayer FPS that's missing far too much of what made Control special"
  1. David Corenswet as Superman inside the Fortress of Solitude in James Gunn's Superman.
    1
    Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU"
  2. 2
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  3. 3
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  4. 4
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  5. 5
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...