Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey

Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey is a tactical, turn-based jRPG with strong network features. It debuted at the end of 2015 on mobile devices with Apple iOS and the following year it was released on Sony consoles (PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita). It was developed by French studio Kobojo in collaboration with actual legends of game developing: Kazushige Nojima who was working on the legendary Final Fantasy VII and Hitoshi Sakimoto who made soundtrack to many jRPGs (including few installments of Final Fantasy series). Despite the initial plans of the developers, the game was released both on consoles and mobile devices as a full-prized Premium application.

Story

The story of the game takes place in a fantasy world called Orcanon which is divided into four regions controlled by various races. The whole universe is rules by mysterious Hyums of Sirium organization. The harmony that was connecting all four factions becomes disturbed when Wursla, the leader of lizard-like Geckals, decides to challenge the leaders of Orcanon. The player becomes a young warrior named Caul who as a youngling was adopted by members of mysterious Zodiac Knights clan. When his realm becomes threatened by an enemy race, the protagonist decides to lead a patrol whose objective is to bring peace to the territories controlled by Sirius. During his mission, Cael travels through various areas and faces many fantasy creatures. At the same time, he learns about dark secrets of Orcanon and about his own past.

Gameplay

The gameplay mechanics in Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey on PS4, PSV and iOS combines elements of such genre classics like Odin Sphere, Valkyrie Profile and Final Fantasy series with modern graphics similar to such games like Dragon’s Crown available on PlayStation 3 and PS Vita consoles. The action is shown in classic side perspective and the player travels through the world on the back of a griffin. During the game the protagonist interacts with his surrounding and with the characters met. Most of the latter will be hostile, while some will decide to join Caul’s group. The battles are turn-based and similar to other previously mentioned jRPG games. Each member of the party has unique abilities related to classes which in this game are assigned to zodiac signs. The character development system is very flexible and it allows changing classes even in the middle of battle, allowing the player to dynamically change tactics on the battlefield.

Game modes

As mentioned in the introduction, Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey was designed with multiplayer cooperation mode in mind. At any time of the game the player can invite his friends to join him. However, if one prefers to play alone, it is also possible to complete the whole adventure without using any of the network features.

Technical aspects

Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey released on PS4, PSV and iOS has a hand drawn, manga-style graphics typical for many current jRPG games. It looks similar to Dragon’s Crown released in 2013.

Last updated on February 25, 2016