Albert Odyssey (1993 video game)

A typical battlefield scene

Albert Odyssey is a role-playing video game with strategy elements where players must travel through a fantasy environment battling monsters and other enemies to advance the story. The game uses two-dimensional character sprites and environments accompanied by the Super Nintendo Entertainment System's Mode 7 graphics capabilities that give the impression of three dimensions. Players move their characters from a top-down perspective through towns and other peaceful areas, while the game's overworld and dungeons are rendered as large battlefields laden with enemies. Throughout the game, players take part in the story by interacting with non-player characters and performing story-driven quests that continually expand the game's narrative.

Using a turn-based system, both the player and computer opponent take turns moving and attacking across the field. A player may choose to move, attack, perform magic, use an item in their possession to aid themselves, or retreat to the nearest safe area to rest or restock supplies. Once two characters come in contact with one another, a battle sequence ensues where the attacking character deals damage to the opponent, lowering their health. When the player or enemy's health reaches zero, they are defeated and ejected from the field. Player's advance by confronting and defeating enemies, gaining experience points in the process that go towards making characters stronger and learn new abilities. A character can be further augmented with progressively more powerful weapons and equipment can be purchased in towns or found on defeated enemies. Progress is recorded by using save points found in set areas throughout the game that utilize the Famicom's battery backup-up system. If all of a player's characters are defeated at any time, they are forced to restart the game from the last recorded save file.

The music for Albert Odyssey was written and programmed by Sunsoft in-house composer Naoki Kodaka, with the game being his first Super Famicom and role-playing endeavor.[2] On June 25, 1993, Sunsoft released an official soundtrack titled All Sounds of Albert Odyssey in Japan published by Datam Polystar featuring all background music and jingles from the game.[2] Later that year, selected music from Albert Odyssey was performed by the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra as part of the third Game Music Concert series in Tokyo, Japan, later made available as a commercial album the following December.[3] The two tracks represented were "The Road Walked by Heroes" and "Hometown Tibelis", retitled as "Albert Odyssey Theme" and "God's People" respectively.[3]

Albert Odyssey 2: Jashin no Taidou (アルバートオデッセイ2 邪神の胎動, Aruberto Odesei Tsu Jashin no Taidou, lit. Albert Odyssey 2: Sign of the Devil) is a tactical role-playing video game developed and published by Sunsoft for the Super Famicom and released in December 1994. It is the sequel to the original Albert Odyssey and retains many of the same gameplay and story elements while featuring enhanced graphics and battle features.

The game is set ten years after the previous title and follows the story of Dean, a young warrior who is enthralled by the exploits of the hero Albert who saved the world a decade earlier from an evil magician. Setting off on his own journey to investigate the conflict, Dean becomes entangled in an adventure of his own while meeting characters from the previous game. He soon learns that the world is once again in danger from an ancient evil god known as Okutoba, and must become a hero himself to stop him from throwing the world into darkness.

• Official website at Sunsoft (archived) (in Japanese)
• Albert Odyssey at MobyGames