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Albert Has Left The Building!

Having played the Japanese version twice, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the WD version of Albert Odyssey. The AO series originally appeared on the Super Famicom as a strategy RPG. That was a great, great game; one of my all time favorites. It had an overhead map with terrific music and one of the best story lines around. The second AO was also a strategy RPG. It was good but relied on sharp graphics instead of the story to carry it along. If you can play Japanese games (you don't have to be able to read Japanese just be able to get a feel for the commands), I highly recommend Albert Odyssey 1.

AO Rpg was first announced for the Super Famicom about 6 months before the demise of that system. It never appeared but was transferred over to the Saturn. (WD can check me on that history but I got that info from some old Japanese magazines). Anyway, the influence of the SF is quite apparent in this new game. The graphics are in the old style RPG's and that is a compliment. I sure have grown tired of 100% polygons and "mech" warrior games.

AO is the first traditional RPG for the Saturn in the USA. It has towns, castles, monsters, magic spells, transportation, and a great story. All of the things, I have have missed in the last couple of years. The artwork in the towns is excellent. Very detailed drawings with just the right music to set the mood. Speaking of music, this is my favorite soundtrack on any system. The melodies are simple but like a great movie, convey the mood and feelings of the current scenario.

As someone who has complained about Working Design's slow delivery time, I have to "eat crow" on this one. They have improved the gameplay of this epic by 100%!! The original game (Japanese version) had a terribly long load time for battle scenes. In addition, the fights came up way too frequently! The game was flawed because of this and there were many complaints from both sides of the Pacific Ocean. WD has speeded up the load time and reduced the number of fights, period. This is a commendable feat and I thank the folks for their hard work. This one job has turned a good game into a great game.

The only complaint I have is minor and that involves the humor in the text of the game. I guess that is one of WD's trademarks and maybe I am too old to appreciate the level of the jokes.

Anyway, my hat's off to the original designers and to Working Design for bringing this game to our market. We need more!!