Lost Sphear Reviews
Despite its attempts to captures the essence of JRPGs of yesteryear, Lost Sphear fails to live up to the classics it's trying so desperately to emulate.
Whatever moral fibre Lost Sphear had seems to have been 'lost' by the immaculate moon.
I love Tokyo RPG Factory's admiration of the past, but Lost Sphear offers little for both longtime fans of the genre and casual passersby. If a taste of the past is all you need, however, then it will surely be your companion on that trip down memory road. Just don't be looking for anything more than that here.
When more exciting retro-styled throwbacks like Project Octopath Traveler are on the horizon, Tokyo RPG Factory really need to take a look at what they're going to do with their next game to make it stand out from the crowd.
An average RPG missing a sense of exploration and flexibility to make it memorable. The battle system is a particular highlight, however, and there's definitely some good groundwork if there's to be another game in the series.
Lost Sphear fails to live up to the classic feeling while playing it. They improved some elements but it isn't the game that I expected.
Review in German | Read full review
Together with the lack of voice acting and other minor flaws, it’s hard to justify the game’s rather high price tag, as its production values just don’t seem to be in line with titles at this price point. There is some fun to be had here if you are fond of classic JRPGs – and I would recommend it for such people – but I would wait for a good sale before considering this one.
Lost Sphear is a game of two sides, on one hand, it takes us on a trip rife with nostalgia that can bring a smile to our face whilst on the other hand it crams this nostalgia down our throat without giving us a chance to get deeply into any individual element. During my time with the game, I experienced boredom and frustration with some enjoyment thrown in for good measure. It's a game that borrows from our past but loses itself a bit in the process. Is it the best JRPG? No, certainly not but it does deliver glimmers of a great game.
Lost Sphear tries to recapture the 90s JRPG magic but in the process loses its own identity. Tokyo RPG Factory tried to squash every JRPG trope into this game, and as a result, the characters and the plot suffered. A massive step backwards for Tokyo RPG Factory.
Lost Sphear wants to harken back to the great classic JRPGs of yesteryear such as Chrono Trigger and early Final Fantasy games. However, it falters way too much in its execution by providing characters that severely suffer from being tropes and provide eye-rolling dialogue. While the combat is quite enjoyable and the story picks up steam at around the midway point, it is way too slow on the uptake and delivers an experience that can just be classified as serviceable.
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.
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
A disappointing sophomore effort from Tokyo RPG Factory, Lost Sphear proves relying on nostalgia alone doesn't make a great game.
Tokyo RPG Factory clearly listened to gamers feedback from I am Setsuna, the storyline improved and it brought a variety of gorgeous environments along. However, Lost sphere doesn't have a unique identity it trys so hard to combine favorite classic systems into one game.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Lost Sphear is a more ambitious JRPG than its predecessor, yet it risks abandoning its purpose to return to the genre's simpler days.
While it, without a doubt, improves on almost every aspect of its predecessor, it also manages to do a “two steps forward; one step back” shuffle. That particular jig is what makes it difficult to suggest, especially for the asking price ($50USD as of this review). Despite the hefty story and gear progression issues, I think this game would definitely be worth a purchase on a sale. It may even be worth the dive for some at full price, but you should be aware of its shortcomings before making that decision. Ultimately, it is hard to recommend Lost Sphear when there are games like Xenoblade Chronicles 2 near the same price point that arguably offer a much more riveting experience.
Lost Sphear is an RPG that does its best to remind you of the classic genre titles that have preceded it, titles such as Chrono Trigger and the earlier Final Fantasy entries. Where this is obvious is in the overall tone and direction of the game, borrowing and reviving many old tropes and dusting off some familiar clichés. Where this fails though, is in the execution. When your company and the games it produces are focused on paying homage to the RPG greats of the last century, your new titles tend to lose a little of their own unique identity in service of “Remember this?” mechanics and nostalgic gameplay moments. I’d say if you didn’t have much else to do, Lost Sphear could probably occupy you for a little while, but there are many other titles I’d recommend, especially those classics, before I’d find myself willingly playing this one again.
It starts to feel similarly passive-aggressive in the way it does things, too, including a fake ending that plays out countless hours of busywork prior to the real ending. That means we’re dealing with pacing issues in a game that, like its predecessor, still agonizes fruitlessly over how it can best pay homage to Chrono Trigger’s legacy while blatantly ignoring the things that were actually good about that game.
When you dig below the surface its messy game mechanics and uninteresting characters fail to live up to expectations. Despite the issues, it’s not a terrible game, but it is missing the charm that made the classic games it is trying to emulate so great.
