In an interview with VGC, Hironobu Sakaguchi, founder of the Mistwalker Corporation, said he’s not interested in remastering any of Mistwalker’s earlier titles like Blue Dragon, The Last Story, or my personal favorite Lost Odyssey.
“To be perfectly honest, there aren’t any plans for any remakes at the moment,” Sakaguchi told VGC. The Final Fantasy series creator noted that the time and resources it would take to remaster one of those games could be better spent on new IP.
“I would personally find myself more attracted to the idea of coming up with another original story or world or building something new,” he said in the interview.
I, of course, respect Sakaguchi’s choice and agree that video games need more new stories instead of constantly rehashing old ones, but this one stings a little bit because I’d really love a Lost Odyssey remaster.
Lost Odyssey, released in 2007 on the Xbox 360, is one of my all-time favorite games. It was odd to see a JRPG on the 360—a console more known for its shooters—and despite being favorably reviewed, the game fizzled into obscurity. It hasn’t been released on PC, nor is it available on Xbox Game Pass. It remains sequestered on the Xbox Marketplace, sustained by diehards like me extolling its virtues to the masses who left it behind.
A Lost Odyssey remaster would hit so well in 2021. As newer games like Octopath Traveler and Bravely Default pick up the turn-based RPG mantle Final Fantasy has left behind for greener action-RPG pastures, Lost Odyssey would fit right into this old-school revival niche. Above all, Lost Odyssey’s story sets the game apart. There has never been anything like the “A Thousand Years of Dreams” short stories, and it’s some of the most beautiful and tender storytelling I’ve ever seen in a video game.
I respect that I’ll probably never get a Lost Odyssey remaster. But failing that, at least put it on Game Pass so more people can finally experience what I and other fans have been yelling about for 14 years.
(Updated 3/3/22 with new details)