Lost Sphear Reviews
Bland and unambitious save for its combat, Lost Sphear draws so heavily from the traditions of past JPRGs that it fails to build a personality of its own.
Lost Sphear is a more ambitious JRPG than its predecessor, yet it risks abandoning its purpose to return to the genre's simpler days.
Even if it falls short of becoming a worthy successor to the likes of Chrono Trigger, Lost Sphear really does capture the essence of classic role-playing games in a lot of ways. When it's not bogging itself down in overwrought mechanics, this RPG really can spark a sense of nostalgia. Its writing, environments, battle system, and music all evoke the best moments of bygone days. And even if it doesn't quite hit the heights it aspires to, it does a fine job of rekindling some fond memories.
The combat is fun and the plot takes some interesting turns, but that doesn't change the frustrating design and tediousness
If you had asked me just two weeks ago to name the biggest storytelling sin a game could commit, I would have told you it was making players ask questions without giving them a reason to care about the answers. Ask me today and I'll tell you something different. Lost Sphear buried me under convoluted logic and explanations, lore and jargon, only to cast it aside with a shrug whenever the details were inconvenient to the action. It answered my questions, but in ways so fundamentally disconnected and absurd that I regretted even caring in the first place.
Tokyo RPG Factory's follow-up to I Am Setsuna improves on the first game's combat, but feels like a by-the-numbers RPG in other areas.
There's little in Lost Sphear that you haven't seen before in JRPGs, but that doesn't mean it's a title to be dismissed out of hand. If you can look past the clichés, Lost Sphear presents an engaging world, deep battle system, and plenty of replayability which will likely delight many an RPG fan. Tokyo RPG Factory has proven with this release that it's capable of learning from past mistakes, and though Lost Sphear still might not be the game to surpass Chrono Trigger, it proves itself to be worthy of that legacy. We'd recommend Lost Sphear to anybody who loves a focused, traditional RPG; it may be priced a little high, but this is an enjoyable experience that fans won't want to miss out on.
Lost Sphear improves in terms of storytelling, but with respect to game mechanics it is too similar to I Am Setsuna, which will please its fans, but will not provide any incentive for those looking for a revolution in the Tokyo RPG Factory formula.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Since finishing Lost Sphear, I can't stop thinking about it. The game does not break the mold by any means — in fact, it attempts to fit the mold of the 90s JRPG — but it does excel in certain facets. While aspects of its gameplay do falter, I never felt discouraged from pressing forward and uncovering the mystery behind the lost phenomenon. Lost Sphear is a beautiful game that even the newest JRPG player can enjoy.
Most people probably won't mind Lost Sphear's nostalgia tinted approach to game design, but there's surprisingly little to write home about. Despite a rather intriguing premise, the characters come across a tad too bland, while the quest itself is too linear. It's hard to knock it too much, but after the thoughtful journey at the heart of I Am Setsuna, this is a pretty average showing and certainly not a fresh take on the JRPG.
Lost Sphear is a game that seems to fall victim to its own ambition. It presents plenty of classic JRPG elements that fans of the genre will enjoy, but its efforts to follow a nostalgic form result in something that ultimately feels insincere. The foundation is solid, particularly with regard to its battle system, skill customization, and overall presentation, but the soul of the experience just isn't there. Lost Sphear is meant to feel like a proper return to a traditional form, but its lackluster dialog and underwhelming plot development instead result in a game that simply can't stand up to the classics it's inspired by.
Here's hoping that Tokyo RPG Factory's next project takes that gameplay design and applies it to a heartfelt story that doesn't feel like it was assembled on a conveyor belt.
Lost Sphear is a colorful, charming game, and does a pretty good job of triggering the nostalgia folks like me have for SNES RPGs of their youth. It just doesn't quite reach the heights of the titles it's influenced by. There's nothing wrong with it, but by trying to be everything to everybody, Lost Sphear becomes sort of a pastiche of other RPGs rather than something which will be remembered for its own merits. I've certainly enjoyed my time with the game, and I think it's worth playing. But I know deep down that in a few years I'm far more likely to replay Chrono Trigger for a twentieth time than I am to come back to Lost Sphear.
Old school JRPG fans will find much to enjoy here, but the refusal to innovate does more harm than good for the genre's reputation.
A nostalgic tribute of 90s RPGs. Great music and atmosphere, perfect for peoples that search a brief adventure instead of too much long RPGs.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Lost Sphear is a little step forward for Tokyo RPG Factory, solving all the bad things from I Am Setsuna and keeping the good ones exactly as they were. If you love JRPGs and miss those times where everything was simpler, don't miss it.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Lost Sphear has all the makings of a classic RPG, along with some of the trappings expected with the genre. The presentation will take many gamers back to the golden age of RPGs, with menus galore, a charming art style, and intense soundtrack. The graphics may feel a bit too basic for those who have gotten used to the likes of Final Fantasy and its grandiose aspirations, but Lost Sphear is not lacking in small details, whether that's the motions of a cook as he receives a much-wanted ingredient, or the headshake of a character as they are exasperated at their colleague's response. Indeed, Lost Sphear checks all the right boxes for those looking for a traditional RPG they can get lost in for the next 30 or more hours.
This is a very boring game that can seem interesting and cute only at first, but because of the protracted plot, dull dialogues, weak exploration component and the lack of some important elements, it simply disappoints.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Lost Sphear is a competently assembled retro product that may dredge up fond memories of older, better JRPGs, but it lacks a personality of its own. The unique, melancholy world of I Am Setsuna has been replaced by soulless tropes, and incrementally improved battle mechanics and dungeons don't make up for that loss of identity. Sadly, the makers of Lost Sphear have lost the thread.