Lost Saga Review: A Fun-Filled Action-RPG

Lost Saga Review: A Fun-Filled Action-RPG
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Entering The Lost Saga

OG Planet may not be one of the bigger MMO publishers on the block with the likes of Aeria Games, Gamigo, Nexon and gPotato controlling most of the free-to-play market, however that certainly doesn’t detract from the quality of games that they publish. One of their most overlooked games in their small cache of titles is a multi-genre, action-RPG of sorts called Lost Saga. It’s one of the most surprising MMOs out there and is easily highly underappreciated for the kind of content and originality it brings to the table. It combines small elements from other genres and games such as Robo Smasher, MicroVolts and many classic SNES and N64 titles.

Keep reading this Lost Saga review to find out just how original the game is and what you can expect from the rest of the game.

Concept (4 out of 5)

The Lost Saga trainer

The concept for this game would have been an even 5/5 but I’m going to talk about the one issue that nagged on me the most about the game before I get to the good juicy parts. Much like Nexon’s Combat Arms, Lost Saga doesn’t believe in permanent items or character classes. Players can only rent characters and items, however, all the stats and bonuses that a player achieves with that class stays until the next time you rent them. It’s a bit of a pain considering that the only way to permanently keep anything is to buy it with real cash. It’s cheap, but the gist of the argument is that real cash is required to own stuff right off the bat in Lost Saga.

With that gripe aside, I could honestly say that Lost Saga serves up a truly remarkable offering of original ideas within the deathmatch/cooperative/action-RPG genre. The game has a variety of modes, character classes and items. Players originally start off with one class and earn more as they level up and complete challenges. Additional items can be earned or purchased for any character using the in-game shop and as players level-up they can mix and match specialty items to create the ultimate fantasy fighter. Most of the character archtypes are clones of popular heroic icons from pop culture, including Robin Hood (who looks and fights like Link from Zelda), Captain Hook, a sort of Mega Man/Captain America rip-off, a Storm trooper, a knight and much more. There’s literally something in there for everyone.

Graphics And Sound (3 out of 5)

A weird Lego looking stage

I have to be completely honest about what gamers are getting in all departments of this title, and if I must be honest about the graphics, then Lost Saga is nothing “Wow” worthy. In fact, it’s a “been there, seen that” sort of title, similar to games like Mabinogi. However, Lost Saga isn’t a game you load up and play because it has mind-blowing visuals, not at all. The graphics are decent enough to convey what the game contains: tons of off-the-wall and wall-to-wall action. Each character archetype has their own distinctive look and the cel-shaded graphics are appeasing enough not to draw too much attention away from the on-screen action. If I did have an actual gripe about the visual presentation of the game, it would be that during melee bouts the camera doesn’t get tight enough to really see the distinctive technique that some of the characters display. In result, a lot of big brawls turn into button-mash fests, even though the game actually sports a few dodge-and-counter capabilities. Still, that’s a very minor gripe when taking into account the actual scope of how much the developers got right with the rest the game and the characters.

Now the sound, that’s a whole different story from the graphics. The sound and music are absolutely top notch. What’s more is that music isn’t just top notch, it’s astoundingly perfect for this game, matching all the on-screen carnage and at the same time sounding superbly rich set against many of the richly colored backdrops and original stage designs. One song in particular comes to mind and it’s the catchy tune from the western stage. It’s excellent stuff!

Gameplay 4/5 (4 out of 5)

A soccer match…just like FIFA

The gameplay in Lost Saga is almost pitch perfect. Again, before getting to all the goodness contained within the game, I should talk a little about what keeps the game from reaching the pinnacle of perfection: the control response timing. Now this isn’t to say that the controls are bad or ill-responsive, however I did notice a slight delay at times when trying to pull off certain moves or maintain a combo, similar to the earlier Super Smash Bros games. This issue is usually rather persistent in most online fighters such as Splash Fighters and Rumble Fighters, and sadly it plagues Lost Saga, but only in a minor way.

The rest of the gameplay in Lost Saga is truly remarkable and as smooth, if not smoother than what you may have been expecting. And yes, the game, as seen in most trailers, is very much a beat-e’m-up oriented action title. However, what a lot of people probably don’t know is that there are a number of sub-classes on the game that distinctly change the way the entire game is played.

Gameplay - Cont (4 out of 5)

Poor ninja lost his clothes

For instance, a spellcaster-only bout is based on skill, timing and placement, and feels more like a throwback to classics like Secret of Mana. Playing as the Taoist or the Knight brings a Dynasty Warriors feel to the game, with combos being based on the weapon distance and skilled maneuvering of the fighter rather than just the speed of the attacks. Soldiers, cowboys and other long-range characters bring a completely unique feel to the game that can sometimes turn into a very well paced shootout where players must take cover and use a variety of skills to survive.

The extensive gameplay mechanics and huge variety of mind-boggling skills for each class adds an extensive amount of gameplay depth to Lost Saga that will keep gamers glued to their screens for many hours on end.

Game Content (5 out of 5)

A sapper and a mage tag-teaming

Packed with a rich diversity of game modes, including standard free-for-all deathmatch and team deathmatch, Lost Saga doesn’t just settle for the basics. The developers have taken some fair liberties with the design and included all sorts of unforeseen modes, including soccer, boss mode (similar to juggernaut on Halo), a team-prisoner mode (which sees teams having to beat the other team and tie up their members to secure victory), a mode that’s like a unique take on capture the flag, and a Crusade mode that is a PvE segment where players take on the CPU in a difficult dungeon scenario.

Ultimately, there’s enough content present in Lost Saga to keep most ardent action and RPG fans satisfied for a long time. Especially with the well balanced classes that each have their pros and cons. The added ability to buy new gear, items and accessories for your heroes makes the game that much more fun and offers some long lasting appeal in the replay department.

Overall (4 out of 5)

A battle of the fittest

There’s just too much going on with Lost Saga not to recommend it. The game is outstanding in just about every front. Even with its drawbacks it nearly measures up (and possibly surpasses) the fun factors of NCSoft’s highly engaging and addictive robot-mech MMO, Exteel. While the “rent-a-hero” aspect of the game can seem like a minor drawback, it also works as a hook to keep gamers reeled in and playing, constantly battling to keep up the funds to pay for the hero they would like to play.

All in all, though, if you’re looking for a fun, action role-playing game then you would only do yourself a disservice by not playing Lost Saga. I highly recommend this game.

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