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Albert Odyssey, surprisingly enough, is Working Designs' first traditional, turn-based console RPG for the Sega Saturn. It's been a long time in coming for many RPG aficionados. So was it worth the wait? Sort of. Albert Odyssey: Legend of Eldean offers nothing new or ground-breaking in terms of gameplay or graphics. Neither is it poorly done. Instead it offers the style of RPG many have seen before with some of Working Designs' best writing to date. The jokes are toned down, but the humor is still there, much of it in the form of sexually oriented jokes. So if these bother you for whatever reason, you might want to pass on this one, or, if you are looking for an intricate RPG, AO:LE is not for you.

Like any RPG worth playing, the story needs to be a good one, and it is. There are up to five party members and numerous non-player characters that play various roles in your quest. Unlike many RPG's, there are recurring NPC's. The party builds quickly, and is a well-balanced one, each member with their own strengths and unique abilities. The lead character is a boy named Pike whose village was destroyed by a goblin raid when he was an infant. His father was killed trying to defend his family and his mother also perished in the brutal attack. The baby was protected by a magical sword and was found soon after by a harpy named Laia. She raised him as her own child. One day, while fetching water for dinner from the well, he stumbles across the evil wizard Belnard and his ruthless quest for power. Laia is turned to stone, and it is here that the story begins as Pike searches to discover Belnard's plans and save the harpy he knew as his mother.

Many people are expecting anime or at least some cut scenes. They are not here. There is no spoken dialogue, aside from two pieces of narration at the game's intro and on more time in the middle of the quest. The story is told completely via the onscreen text. While not as moving or emotive, it does the job more than adequately. Still most Working Designs fans (myself included) would like something more.

The game menus are simple and easy to use, not to mention self-explanatory. One nice feature is that status changes due to spells and items equipped (speed, attack, etc.) are indicated onscreen during battles. This feature is one I would like to see in more RPG's. This makes for a highly accessible game, even for the casual gamer. Die-hard RPG fans might want more depth in terms of equipment, spells, special items and skills though.

Combat is very straightforward and not too tedious. Load times before and after battles is right around 5 seconds. Fortunately these load times are not overwhelming, since combat frequency is not that high (nowhere near that of Vay, but more than the Lunar games). Every once in awhile, take two steps, and boom, more combat. These close occurrence happened just often enough to make me glad combat frequency was not high. Finally, be prepared for lengthy boss encounters. AO:LE has numerous bosses, and many of the later ones will take you around 20 minutes to beat, and this time will vary depending on the levels of your party members. The game is extremely generous regarding with experience and gold, especially on the boss battles. Two or more levels per boss is not uncommon. The one thing that could have made combat more enjoyable is a greater variety in terms of kinds of enemies and their attacks. Most creatures have two attacks (at the most) and that's provided they have a spell/skill/special attack.

The overworld map is 3D, which makes traveling from place to place considerably more challenging, since your line of sight is somewhat limited by the horizon. While more realistic than most RPG's get, sometimes small details on the landscape can get lost. Once you are accustomed to the viewpoint, movement is fairly easy. The caves and dungeons are all easy to explore and finish, except for the last one. Exploration of the towns and dungeons is critical to your success, since powerful items and weapons are hidden, and sometimes hidden well.

Graphically the overworld, towns and dungeons are aesthetically pleasing, with one or two exceptions (pink floors just don't excite me, especially with green walls). The characters are similar to those in Lunar, and are well detailed. The same goes for the scenery. While not hand-drawn, well done artwork. The battle backgrounds are nice to look at since they usually have some activity in them, be it a flickering light or clouds rolling by your party and the enemy. All of it is 2D, but it's good 2D. Same goes for the spell animations, while not spectacular, they are well done. One finally note: the standard RPG airship is here, but it has to be the neatest flying ship I have ever seen. Sorry, I had to gush, since it was fun to control.

The music is subtle, usually supplementing the game experience nicely. This accentuation is the way music (and game sounds) should be, at least at the bare minimum. However, the soundtrack, while reasonably varied, is not memorable to the point you will want to listen to it again and again. The game sounds are crisp and clear, like one would expect from a CD-based game.

All in all, Albert Odyssey is a simple, subtle sort of game that will not be for everyone. Graphically and musically the game is solid. The storyline is excellent thanks to Working Designs' translation. The game was not the best or worst console RPG I have played. Most people will want to rent this one, since the game took me 25 clock hours (or so) to beat. But if you're feeling RPG-less, it might be worth a look.