Cornelius was the most relatable character for me because he’s the only character who didn’t go out looking for trouble at the start. Despite being royalty, he was more or less just an ordinary guy dating his girlfriend and living an ordinary life, when suddenly he wakes up one morning in the underworld with his life utterly fucked over. From there on out, everything he does is to try an salvage his life/survive, unlike the other characters who are already badass warriors looking to prove themselves/make a point. The fact that he then ends up stumbling into all the best fantasy cliches (scaling a mountain, journeying through the underworld, rescuing a beautiful woman from a dragon) makes it even better.
Although now that I think about it, Cornelius is probably tied with Velvet for best gameplay. Her controls are just too damn fun, and her grappling hook is awesome.
Also a bit late, but Kotaku taking pot shots at Dragon’s Crown for no fucking reason becomes a lot more hilarious after watching this.
It doesn’t help that the first character you play as in Odins Sphere is probably the most boring one to play as as. Cernelius, Velvet, and Ozwald are all more fun to use in combat, while Gwendolyne can fly…woo.
It’s a mediocre shmup. If you’re desperate for shmups, it’s ok. But there are much better shmups on the market, even in terms of ones with horribly pandering aesthetics.
I’m not gonna say it’s bad because of the art style. Ibara is also pretty fanservicy (although to be fair, the art is much MUCH better drawn), but it’s also a vastly better game. Maybe because it has genuinely well designed gameplay, mechanics, and levels.
Otomedius on the other hand has received a pretty cold reception even from hardcore shmup fans who don’t care about embarrassingly bad aesthetics.
