Feb 19
Who Is - Kaim Argonar?
Rarely will I go out of my way to write about a game in any form what so ever, since frankly the only people I influence in regards to games won’t ever read this. However, Lost Odyssey has provoked me…
Having clocked about twenty hours of game play in one weekend is no small feat for me, let alone having a game that can keep me glued to it for long uncontrolled bursts of pure turn-based, random battle bliss. Sure, some believe that turn based games are a drudgery. Others may say random battles are suppose to be extinct. To those nay sayers out there, let me tell you, Lost Odyssey has done these things right.
The one thing that has kept me intrigued with Lost Odyssey isn’t its graphics or the “outdated” game play those other game reviewers are focusing on, its the story. More specifically, its the story of a man who has the gift of immortality. As people get older, they begin to deal with death and start realizing that life is brittle and every one will eventually die. Some people accept this fate, while others spend lifetimes searching for ways to avoid death. As someone who questions the meaning of life, as I’m sure most of you have, I have often wished to experience immortality. To live forever would be great, wouldn’t it?
Lost Odyssey’s story focuses on a man, Kaim, who has been given immortality and has lived a thousand years. Every good story has to have a worthy villain, and how is a villain suppose to kill a man that cannot die? Stripping someone of their memories will leave them an empty living shell, essentially killing the person they used to be.
What the story does throughout the game, is it slowly allows the main character to recall his memories. Often times these memories are recalled in cut scenes, but most of the time you will be reading his memories in the form of dreams triggered by similar events happening in the real world. Kaim’s dreams are presented to the player through the simplest interface I could imagine, a power point presentation is a fitting description. These short stories/poems are presented with timed sound effects, colorful fitting backgrounds, and even the occasional animated effect.
For one to truly understand Kaim, one must read and understand these dreams. Most every dream focuses around death and the frailty of human life. However, death is not always a topic to be sad about. The dreams are a great way to instill the wisdom of a thousand years into the gamers mind. Death is what makes our human lives, and the accomplishments completed during our lives, mean something. It is a right we earn at the end to rest eternally. It is the frailty of life that makes humans want to live life to the fullest. Death is an accomplishment unto itself. To remove a persons ability to die, is diminishing the meaning of their accomplishments.
Having to experience the tragedy of eternal life through the eyes of the writer is heart breaking. One would almost welcome having your memories erased. This is your main character, Kaim Argonar.
2 Comments so far
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interesting
but think it this way, there are as many “you” as people you know, because their memories of yourself are different in each of them.
that way the greatness of an immortal accomplishments vary as every person or being that has been affected by them has a different way to see it
each living thing sees a different world with their eyes
PD: a curious note, im strikingly similar to kaim in appeareance, yet my name is his contrary
i use him as avatar in msn and people ask me “is that a picture of you?” hahaha
@Abel
I never saw it like this, but to let others define who you are based on their perception/memories of you just doesn’t seem like the kind of thing Kaim, nor I, would allow.
If death is a reward for living a long, good life; what does Kaim have to look forward to?
*note: I have yet to beat the game, so perhaps my question is answered at the end.