One of the unsung classics of gaming, Odyssey was created by Unconscious Minds and published by Audiogenic Software on Amiga only in 1993. The brainchild of designers Reece Millidge and Chris Mullender, Odyssey was a major risk, being an exploration-focused, non-linear platformer at a time when the so-called Metroidvania style of game was little more than a twinkle in its creator Hidetaka Miyazaki eye. This innovative style is what genuinely makes Odyssey stand out among its peers and one could hardly find such experience on home computers back in the day.
Amiga Graphical Excellence
Odyssey has been rightly praised in possession of extraordinary visual skills, using the graphic potential of Amiga to its utmost. Every stage is decorated with detailed pixel art, showing beautiful, unfamiliar sceneries generously soaked in color and accompanied by several layers of parallax scrolling. This kind of layering produces an effect of depth that was rarely matched by contemporaries, and makes the alien worlds of Odyssey vibrant, vast and deeply atmospheric.
Of note is the protagonist in particular, who animation is surprisingly fluid, showing the kind of movements as smooth as any of the higher-end console games of the early 90s. Not less impressive are the alien enemies in the game, which move with a level of detail that gives them depth and makes them feel real, a major bonus to the spooky vibe of the unknown universe of Odyssey.
Immersive Soundscapes
To match its excellent graphic presentation, Odyssey also features excellence in sound, taking advantage of the powerful audio capabilities of the Amiga. The soundtrack of the game is spooky and atmospheric, and was written to enhance the tense mood of exploration. Delicate songs naturally incorporate themselves into the gameplay and form a hypnotizing sound environment that submerges players into the depths of the alien enigma that Odyssey is.
Audio effects in Odyssey also help to make the player more immersed in the game, providing nuance to each movement, be it the echoing footsteps in the dark caverns or the unique mechanical buzz of alien technology. Such careful sound design can go a long way, and it certainly helps to play the game even when it becomes brutally challenging.
Game Mechanics and Play
The gameplay of Odyssey is unique combination of exploration, puzzle-solving and exacting platforming. The game puts players in the role of a brave adventurer exploring a large, interconnected alien planet, with only the most basic movements and jumping at first. Players also obtain new abilities slowly as they play, such as being able to jump higher, environment suits and weapon upgrades, all of which are necessary to reach new locations and defeat new obstacles in the game.
Odyssey offers exploration as its core aspect, and its environments are designed in a way that promotes and rewards going back. To add to the feeling of adventure and exploration, players are often compelled to go back to areas they have already been to in order to find secret routes and areas that can be unlocked. But these are moments of triumph combined with the infamous difficulty of Odyssey, with its unstoppable challenges and merciless traps which require patience and accuracy.
Difficult Gameplay: Satisfying and Infuriating
On the one hand, Odyssey is an unarguably unique game; on the other hand, it is extremely violent. Many of the instant-death traps require trial-and-error gameplay, and in many cases multiple playthroughs to remember exact placements of the hazards. These rough and sudden elements often take away the otherwise captivating exploration mechanics.
In addition, Odyssey has some of the precision platforming segments that need perfect timing and execution. In conjunction with a checkpoint system that is relatively non-existent, players are often forced to replay significant portions of the game due to making relatively small errors. Although this style brings an indescribable feeling of satisfaction when it works, it also creates an enormous amount of frustration, which more than frequently dwarfs the positive elements of this game design solution.
Metroidvania Pedigree and Exploration Greatness
The central loop of Odyssey is a fantastic reflection of the exploratory nature that was quintessential to games such as Metroid and Castlevania. The open world gets increasingly interconnected, and new locations that were closed initially are unlocked as the player gains new skills and acquires upgraded equipment. These improvements consist of increased jumping, sophisticated weapon systems and exploration suits able to withstand hostile conditions.
There is so much encouragement in the level design to backtracking and thorough exploration, and those players who are careful and observant will be rewarded with secret areas and previously unknown paths. Such a multi-layered and vast world-building makes a contribution to the replayability of Odyssey but also makes the game one of the most progressive titles of its time.
An Amiga-exclusive game.
Odyssey is unique in the context of Amiga gaming. Odyssey was also one of the first platform games to integrate character-progression and exploration gameplay unlike more cinematic-focused platformers like Flashback and Another World, or more traditional platformers like Zool. Its unique European visual style is a far cry away in both the Metroid-like sci-fi atmosphere or the gothic elegance of Castlevania and serves as a breath of fresh air in its originality.
The weapon and equipment development systems in Odyssey are also exemplary and provide diversified combat options and encourage strategic planning when engaging enemies. Environ puzzles can be a bit esoteric, but they task the player to actually pay attention to the environment, which adds more substance to the gameplay experience as a whole.
Legacy and Historical Significance
Looking back at Odyssey now shows just how much was achieved, but also how much could not be done, with Amiga development in its twilight years. Odyssey is a testimony of what was possible when developers were allowed to be creative on a capable but specialized computing platform. alongside the brutish challenge, the game has clearly attempted to technologically challenge the limits of the Amiga platform and has helped in establishing the exploration-based style now commonly referred to as Metroidvania.
Even though Odyssey was not a commercially successful game, especially because of its sadistic gameplay, it is a very interesting and valuable project demonstrating creativity in the European gaming industry of the early 90s. It summarizes the spirit and innovation which defined the Amiga gaming catalog and was rightfully referred to as a forgotten gem which should be rediscovered by modern gamers.
Even by playing Odyssey now, players and developers alike can recognize the early experimentation and brilliance that would come to inspire numerous subsequent and more popular hits in the platforming, exploration genre.
Odyssey with its unique visuals, iconic sound and revolutionizing gameplay is a legendary Amiga game a very difficult, yet fulfilling game that any fan of the genre interested in the origins of Metroidvania and the artistic possibilities that made the classic Amiga gaming scene so special should not miss.
