LOST SPHEAR

Lost Sphear nails the look and sound of classic RPG's while updating the combat in interesting ways. While the story may not stand up with our all time favourites it's a big warm hug that doesn't overstay its welcome.

60%Game Brain Score

story, music

grinding, character development

85% User Score Based on 722 reviews

Critic Score 67%Based on 34 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $12.49

Buy NowGet on Steam$49.99

Buy NowGet on PS Store$12.49

About

In Lost Sphear, a young man named Kanata must save his disappearing village by using Memory's power to combat a reality-threatening force. Traverse a stunning, abstract world and strategically battle enemies through the enhanced ATB system. Restore the Lost by capturing Vulcosuit armor and seamlessly transitioning between exploration and combat.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

+21

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 258 reviews

story61 positive mentions

grinding13 negative mentions

The game features a solid battle system that allows for strategic positioning and customization, making combat engaging.
The art style and music are charming, evoking nostalgia for classic JRPGs while providing a pleasant aesthetic experience.
Lost Sphear offers a lengthy gameplay experience with a better-than-expected story that can captivate fans of the genre.

The story is often predictable and filled with clichés, lacking depth and character development, which can lead to a disengaging experience.
There are significant balancing issues, particularly with boss fights that can feel unfair and frustrating due to difficulty spikes.
Technical issues, such as poor controller support and a lack of quality-of-life features, detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.

story
226 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
63%
10%
The story of "Lost Sphear" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it predictable, bland, and filled with clichés typical of the JRPG genre. While some appreciate its attempts at depth and pacing, others criticize the lack of character development and engaging plot, leading to a sense of apathy towards the narrative. Overall, the game is seen as an improvement over its predecessor, "I Am Setsuna," but still falls short of delivering a memorable or compelling story experience.
- “The storyline is very good with a lot of surprises, twists, and turns.”
- “Great game, I enjoyed the story, the battle system, and the overall gameplay.”
- “The story is interesting enough.”
- “However, the story was really just not good, from plot to characters to world building.”
- “With a woefully generic, contrived (think deus ex machina) story, laughable dialogue, endless exposition (that you can thankfully fast forward through), forgettable characters, and random and frustrating difficulty spikes, Lost Sphear is everything you don’t want in a JRPG.”
- “The story overall was just not enjoyable and if you are playing for the story you will be disappointed.”
music
106 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
42%
4%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising it as beautiful and nostalgic, particularly in comparison to its predecessor, "I Am Setsuna," which had a standout soundtrack. While many tracks are described as catchy and enjoyable, there are criticisms regarding repetitiveness and a lack of variety, leading to an overall perception of the music as decent but not exceptional. Ratings for the music generally range from 8 to 9.5 out of 10, indicating a solid but not universally acclaimed soundtrack.
- “The music is... stupendous, amazing, and alluring.”
- “You can just simply close your eyes, and listen to the background music, and you can already imagine the beauty and artistry of the game.”
- “The music really brings me back to old JRPGs where it makes you literally hum/whistle along because it was that good.”
- “Only if the music could have matched the intrigue of the aforementioned games, it would have been a classic JRPG in its own right.”
- “The music, I must say, wasn't as good as in I Am Setsuna, which was the biggest selling point for me in the aforementioned game.”
- “However, the music can be repetitive and annoying in some areas.”
gameplay
93 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
68%
4%
The gameplay of "Lost Sphear" has received mixed reviews, with some praising its improved combat mechanics and depth reminiscent of classic JRPGs like "Chrono Trigger," while others criticize it for being overly simplistic and derivative. Many players noted that the game features interesting systems and quality-of-life improvements, but the overall experience is marred by a lack of engaging story and character development, leading to a gameplay experience that feels unbalanced and sometimes tedious. Overall, while the mechanics have potential, they often feel underutilized and overshadowed by a mediocre narrative.
- “Gameplay was good, well improved on combat compared to I Am Setsuna.”
- “If you like mechanics-heavy ATB-based JRPG combat, there's a lot to love here.”
- “But the gameplay is where it stands out with a fun battle system similar to Chrono Trigger but with more depth.”
- “Tl;dr: aggressively mediocre 'jrpg', featuring basically nothing worthwhile of content or originality, a slackwalk from the get-go, while featuring more boring gameplay from its predecessor.”
- “Gameplay systems are shallow.”
- “There is more dialogue than gameplay, and with poorly developed characters, the dialogue is a struggle at times.”
graphics
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
57%
7%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the charming and aesthetically pleasing art style that evokes nostalgia, while others criticize the visuals as outdated, likening them to early PS2 graphics. Despite the lack of next-gen quality, many players appreciate the smooth performance and the game's bright, scenic environments. Overall, the graphics are seen as a highlight for some, but a disappointment for others, particularly those expecting more modern visuals.
- “The graphics and art of the game are one of its best features.”
- “This game is bright, scenic, and aesthetically pleasing.”
- “Graphics are not exactly next-gen, but they have charm.”
- “Lost Sphere looks like an early PS2 game; these graphics shouldn’t exist in 2018.”
- “Even if you’re going for a retro look, the graphics here are just lazy.”
- “Graphics may disappoint some; they need an upgrade.”
grinding
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, players find that the game minimizes the need for grinding, allowing for a smoother progression through the storyline without excessive battles. While some mention balancing issues with enemy strength, many appreciate the fast-paced combat and varied gameplay that keeps grinding from feeling tedious. The absence of random encounters and the ability to skip cutscenes further enhance the experience, making grinding feel less burdensome.
- “The game has a severe balancing issue where enemies tend to be much stronger than they should for how little grinding you're allowed without exiting and re-entering maps constantly.”
- “You can see certain ideas that are working hard to keep things afloat, but with a rough plot, bad cast, generic look, and combat that grows tedious, it fails to stand out.”
- “Is not that hard either, heavy grinding is not required in this game, unlike the old Final Fantasy games.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its beauty and relaxation, drawing favorable comparisons to "I Am Setsuna." Reviewers highlight its strong atmospheric qualities, making it a standout feature in the JRPG genre.
- “It's atmospheric and beautiful for a JRPG game.”
- “Very, very atmospheric and very relaxing.”
- “The atmosphere is reminiscent of 'I Am Setsuna', with a similar battle system and character roles.”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
Reviews indicate that the game lacks significant character development, with most changes occurring only during the party members' side quests at the end. While the visuals and music are praised, the overall narrative is considered mediocre and fails to capture the rich character arcs typical of classic JRPGs.
- “Although the game is visually stunning and has great music, I feel the game just doesn't bring the true essence of classic JRPGs where they had rich character development and story.”
- “The story is mediocre, with very little character development until you get to each party member's side quest at the end of the game.”
- “You don't really see any big character development or changes.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game demonstrates strong stability, with players reporting no significant glitches or control issues on PC. It is considered a complete experience that can be enjoyed without the need for additional DLC, allowing for a smooth gameplay experience from start to finish.
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the humor in the game to be lacking, often imagining funnier scenarios than what the game offers. The restrictive controls are seen as an attempt at humor, but many feel it falls flat and detracts from the overall experience.
- “The funny scenarios I keep imagining while playing the game are better than the actual game.”
- “These jerk-offs thought it would be hilarious if you aren't allowed to use the enter key, or the number pad, or the arrow pad, or any key that isn't a-z for that matter.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization has been criticized for causing significant screen tearing and occasional stuttering, particularly on the Switch, which also suffers from frame rate issues. Additionally, the overall experience is marred by a lack of focus in the story and poorly developed characters.
- “Causes bad screen tearing and occasional stuttering.”
- “The story lacks focus by trying to do too much, a cast of lifeless characters with no real personality, occasional stuttering and frame rate problems on Switch.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is largely criticized, with many users noting that key moments intended to evoke feelings fell flat and failed to resonate.
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Lost Sphear offers significant replayability due to its engaging world and deep battle system, making it appealing for RPG fans despite some clichés.
- “If you can look past the clichés, Lost Sphear presents an engaging world, a deep battle system, and plenty of replayability that will likely delight many RPG fans.”