Odyssey
| Developer: Unconscious Minds | Graphics: |
 | |
| Publisher: Audiogenic | Sound: |
 | |
| Year: 1995 | Difficulty: |
 | |
| Genre: Action-platformer | Lastability: |
| |
| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
8/10 | |
Put Benefactor, Lionheart, and Hamlet through the grinder, and you get Odyssey!
Once upon a time, there was an archipelago of islands governed by a good king. This king was assassinated by his brother, who seized his throne. The young prince managed to escape, and during his long years of exile, was educated by a wizard. Today, it is time for him to reclaim his kingdom and confront his uncle…
Your quest is to visit, one by one, the seven islands, to collect the castle keys and a kind of crystal orbs, which allow you to transform into various creatures (grasshopper, stone golem, bird, squirrel…). There are about ten to find, with which you will overcome new obstacles.
The character has style, the numerous puzzles are varied and intelligent, and the controls are very smooth. The only thing I regret is the rudimentary combat mechanics. In 1995, one could have expected a bit more: different sword strikes, feints, parries; something between Barbarian 2 and Prince of Persia (Prince of Persil suggests my spell-checker).
Moreover, the presentation blows hot and cold. On one side, the indoor cave passages leave me in awe: there are some lovely light effects amidst worked-out backdrops, teeming with little creatures moving around. Even the rare sound effects are convincing (our footsteps echoing). On the other hand, the outdoor areas feel rather empty. It likely lacks a background texture and a bit more life.
In conclusion, despite some finishing issues (I would add the crude presentation of the display showing remaining lives and keys), my opinion remains very positive.
Note that this is one of the few “old” games where our health bar slowly refills on its own.
Several versions of the game circulate on the Net, some containing display bugs that render the character invisible when transforming…
“To be, or not to be… Not to be!”
Here’s a version without problems: “Odyssey (Europe) (aud304312c, 1997-06-02)” downloadable from GameTronik in the “Emulation/Sets No Intro/Amiga/O” category.
Finally, in the same genre, you might want to try Mable & The Wood (2019).
|
