Just because Square-Enix opted to throw the banhammer down on Final Fantasy XIII at this year's E3 doesn't mean there isn't enough RPG love to go around. Admittedly, E3 has been mostly about explosions and guns and chest-stomping, but there is some news for the more sword-and-spell types. You just have to dig for it.

Behold the Lost Odyssey trailer where we learn a little about Kaim's history. He is, for all intents and purposes, immortal, having been alive for at least a millenia. The story centers around the mystery of his longevity and how he deals with the emotional trauma that 1000 years worth of memories has caused him. Oh, yeah, and he saves the world and stabs hideous monsters with a big sword. No biggie.

One thing I have to comment on is the art style, penned by comic artist Takehiko Inoue -- it's gorgeous. What I'm even more impressed by is the variety of style in Mistwalker's line-up (unlike some other RPG houses I could name). Toryama's Blue Dragon looks totally different from Hideo Minaba's ASH which looks totally different from Lost Odyssey.

There's not too much gameplay information availble, so I'll have to resist getting too hyped up. Lost Odyssey (and Blue Dragon and ASH for that matter) may not revolutionize the jRPG genre, but they definitely seem poised to contribute some fantastic games to it. 

Hit the jump for a gameplay montage and some Famitsu scans.

[Scans via SiliconEra, thanks BlindsideDork! You're a peach.]