The PlayStation Blog published a new interview with Lost Sphear Director Atsushi Hashimoto this week, offering fresh insight on gameplay changes we’ll see in Tokyo RPG Factory’s next game. The talk also covers the game’s soundtrack and questions surrounding a potential connection between Lost Sphear and Tokyo RPG Factory’s last project, I am Setsuna.
The biggest takeaway from the interview is that Lost Sphear won’t actually have much in common with I am Setsuna. They’ll have a similar aesthetic, both pay tribute to the 16-bit RPGs released in the ‘90s, and some of the terminology (probably spell names) from IaS will appear in LS. Positive fan responses to I am Setsuna’s piano soundtrack led the studio to include the instrument on every track of Lost Sphear’s soundtrack too. But it will be accompanied by other instruments, each chosen to complement one of the environments we’ll explore in Tokyo RPG Factory’s next game. There will be structural similarities, just as there are with popular representations of most genres, but there’s no connective tissue in either game’s narrative.
Lost Sphear’s director says players will have more freedom in combat too. The game lets players reposition their party members at will, another feature added specifically to address fan requests, and will include a new set of special moves tied to the team’s exosuits. Hashimoto also noted that the central theme of the game is “memory”, a change from the I am Setsuna’s focus on loss.
For more on Lost Sphear, check out the full interview with Atsushi Hashimoto. To get an early look at the game, check out the story trailer released late last month. Then head down to the comments and let us know whether or not you’re excited for Lost Sphear.
Lost Sphear is in development for PlayStation 4 and PC. The game debuts Jan. 23, 2018.
Be sure to check back with Player.One and follow Scott on Twitter for additional Lost Sphear news in 2017 and however long Tokyo RPG Factory supports Lost Sphear after launch.
- Spiritnite system
- fast-paced combat
- a fun late-game plot twist
- story and characters mostly uninteresting
- crazy difficulty jumps
- cash always in short supply
