Lost Sphear

There is a clear graphical step up in both the characters and the world that has been created for Lost Sphear, as the developer continues to learn how to squeeze more out of the Unity engine. But, another area where the game disappoints is the soundtrack that has been penned by composer Tomoki Miyoshi, which, compared to his work on I Am Setsuna, isn’t particularly memorable aside from a handful of tracks.

Words cannot express the love I have for Lost Sphear. It’s such a great game to play on the Nintendo Switch. Although it did have a few shortcomings, like the fact that enemy encounters are secluded to enclosed areas, and Vulcosuits must be used quite sparingly, I couldn’t seem to put it down. Perhaps it was the awesome combat system and excellent story that kept me playing, either way, I’m glad I had the opportunity to immerse myself in it.

For a game that seems intent on checking all the boxes of classic JRPGs, it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that mech suits make an appearance as well. Unfortunately, they’re barely more effective in combat than normal attacks save combos between the other mechs, and they’re limited by a charge gauge that rapidly depletes.

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.

Poor pacing, boring characters, and an unoriginal story sink a great battle system, and I’m not sure where Tokyo RPG Factory goes next. Clearly, heading back to the well isn’t working. Diehard fans of classic RPGs might find something to like here, but for the rest of us, you’re better off playing something else.

Perhaps even worse is that Lost Sphear doesn’t have much to say, other than how remembering our past is just as important as enjoying the present. 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.