Lost Sphear Review – Restore what’s lost

Tokyo RPG Factory’s latest offering, Lost Sphear, is an ode to the era of RPG classics such as Chrono Trigger and Xenogears. Following 2016’s I Am Setsuna, another love letter to the days-gone-by, the game builds upon the foundation Setsuna laid by focusing certain mechanics and introducing new ones. At times the game struggles to find a thread to follow, but ultimately, Lost Sphear is a step forward for Tokyo RPG Factory and a warm reminder of the 16 bit classics of yesteryear.

In Lost Sphear you join Kanata, and his lifelong friends Lumina and Locke, on their quest to restore that which has been “lost” after their hometown of Elgarth mysteriously vanishes into blinding white light. As more and more locations vanish and are replaced by sparkly white silhouettes, the crew are dragged into a tale of political tension, warring nations, and ancient technology. Naturally, Kanata is the only person alive who can restore what is lost, thanks to his ability to manipulate memories and feelings. The plot is unashamedly Japanese, as it should be considering the influence it wears on it’s sleeves, and what starts as a fairly linear story spirals into a global (and, at times, universal) struggle against good and evil.

One of the game’s greatest strengths is the character roster. Along the way Kanata and co. join forces with brooding sour-puss Van, demon king Dianto, ancient royal Obaro, and war maiden Sherra. Together they form an eclectic mix of personalities and abilities, and I found the story moments between them all to be, for the most part, endearing and heartfelt. The script is wooden at times, especially in the first third of the game, but as the plot thickens and the stakes are raised the dialogue matures and the characters shine, leading to some beautiful and heartfelt moments between them. Some of the early game has the party meandering around with arduous tasks, but it picks up about halfway through and funnels you through a dramatic and original story that definitely lives up to the Square Enix brand.

Battles can become exhibitions of pure destruction when the right combinations of Spritnite and Momentum are utilised, with entire screens of enemies often being devastated with one clever technique. Throughout the world you’ll find lost zones you can interact with and create “Artifacts”;  shrines and monuments that give various boosts and variables to combat and exploration. With the right combination of Spritnite, Momentum, and Artifacts (yes, it is a lot to juggle), battles and boss fights can go from crippling to breezy.

Early in the game you gain access to Vulcosuits, which again change how battles proceed. These giant mech suits are unique to each character, increase stats, and open up a new range of combat abilities. Kanata, for example, gains the Co-op ability, which combines his and another party members Vulcosuit for some punishing attacks. Outside of battle the Vulcosuits are primarily a story-device, but do have a few other uses. Some items in the world can be destroyed with the suits, opening up new routes or uncovering treasures, and you can use the Boost ability to breeze past annoying battles you’d rather avoid.

The character, location, and world design of Lost Sphear are quite stunning to behold. You know when you reminisce on an old game, but it always looks better in your mind’s eye than it does when you actually play it? Tokyo RPG Factory have managed to capture that mental phenomenon and design a game that looks as beautiful and endearing as Chrono Trigger looks in my memory. The playable characters and key NPCs all have a distinct visual look, and the various towns and cities you visit feel unique and lived-in; successfully avoiding the bland cookie-cutter towns that so many old RPGs tend to offer up.