Yoot Saito's Odama

Since the old thread is gone, might as well make a new one.

From the creator and the makers of Seaman for Dreamcast (and Sim Tower for PC), comes Odama, a bizarre mixture of feudal warfare and pinball.

A brief summary at Nintendo.com describes it best:

Originally Posted by Nintendo.com

The main character in Odama is Yamanouchi Kagetora, the general credited with creating the Way of Ninten, a philosophy that puts the greater good above the individual’s needs. With this philosophy to guide him, he finds that his individual soldiers can band together to create a force strong enough to defeat even the most powerful enemy.

When his nemesis, a general named Kendare, kills his father, Kagetora exacts his revenge against a vast army with only 30 soldiers in his command. Kagetora has a secret weapon, however – a legendary weapon called the Odama.

The Odama itself is the most prominent character in the game. This gigantic ball rolls across the battlefield, pulverizing anything in its path – friend or foe. A commander stands guard between the two flippers, hacking down any soldiers who attempt to pass. The army of soldiers carries items for players and obeys their every order.

So basically you have to go to war against enemy troops, commanding your armies by shouting into a microphone that comes with the game, all the while controlling a gigantic pinball ball and using it as a weapon against enemy forces. The trouble is, the ball will crush friendlies alike, so you need to be careful and guide your troops accurately for the best coordination. Hitting enemy troops with the Odama let's you convert them to your side, growing your army further. Many battle fields have all manner of obstacles you need to get past or destroy, such as getting your troops to cover a large moat with a makeshift bridge in order to get your Odama to strike the enemy on the other side (and naturally so your troops can cross as well).

I've been interested in this game for well over 18 months now, ever since I first read about it. At the time it was destined to become and stay a japanese import oddity, so I was excited when I heard a European release had been confirmed on Nintendo Europe's official website. I went to a supermarket to look for empty DVDs today and I noticed the game is already being sold over here, while the official release date seems to be April 10th (for the US as well).

Screens:







More screens

Nintendo.com Odama page

Got-Next's Odama preview

Jam it back in, in the dark.