Sacred Odyssey: Rise of Ayden is an Action RPG developed by Gameloft for mobile devices. And like Gameloft's other releases, is an imitation of on other mainstream games, this time based on the The Legend of Zelda games.
In the fantasy kingdom of Lasgalen, Ayden, a young farmhand raised by his uncle Brennan, spends his days training to be a warrior while working in the meadows, while trying to live up to the legacy of his father, a mighty swordsman who fought against the forces of Grimlok in the ancient days.
Desiring adventures, Ayden tries venturing beyond his home village one day on his trusty steed Miya. Near the farm's borders, after fighting some wild kobolds and wolves Ayden unexpectedly rescues a young maiden from some orcs. The young maiden, recovering from her injuries at Ayden's home, reveals her identity as the elven princess, Lyanora. The evil forces of Grimlok from ages past has returned, and Ayden is, unexpectedly, The Chosen One by the Goddess Uryah to save Lasgalen from the forces of evil.
Ayden, your Destiny is Upon you...
- The Alcoholic: Flugenveld is the village's alcoholic inventor, who's always seen intoxicated. His dialogue tends to be peppered with occasional Alcohol Hic(s) at random.Flugenveld: Hrruh? No. These damn Koboldsh *hic* Kobolds! I set her note down to scour the countryside here, I come back — boom! Uryah-damned Kobolds ALL OVER my ship!... Can't stand them *hic* Say, you wouldn't be amicable *hic* err, amenable, to helping me out with 'em, eh?
- Artificial Stupidity: The AI for enemy mooks tends to be all over the place. It's not uncommon to see Ayden fighting orcs and in a corner, a random orc would be running into a wall or pillar and continue going on.
- Autosave: There's a setting which saves the game every time Ayden reaches a checkpoint, notably before bosses.
- Big Creepy-Crawlies: The first boss, the Giant Acidbeetle, a tank-sized, scarab-like insect who either spits acid at Ayden, or flies upwards and tries smashing Ayden with it's underbelly.
- Bird People: Mycek, a recurring supporting NPC, is a hawk-man. His fellow hawkman brother runs a shop and Ayden can purchase stuff for a discount, since Ayden saved Mycek from being devoured by orcs early on.
- Big Red Devil: Red-skinned, horned demons with hooves appears as enemies in the third half. Being introduced late in the game when Ayden's power is fully-upgraded, they;re expectedly the strongest Elite Mooks.
- Boss-Arena Idiocy:
- The Giant Acidbeetle combines this with Tactical Suicide Boss; it's fought in a cave where a portal will repeatedly spew exploding orbs, which Ayden can use on the boss. Said beetle spends the whole boss battle airborne, but periodically lowers itself to grab Ayden with it's legs... with it's weak, soft underbelly in full view. Repeat until the beetle's dead.
- Horus is an ice giant vulnerable only to golden beams of light. How convenient then, since he's fought in an area containing a Light and Mirrors Puzzle allowing Ayden to move panels into reflecting light and damage Horus.
- Cool Horse: Ayden's trusty steed Miya, who begins as an ordinary horse until Ayden imbued Miya with enough magic energy. At which point Miya turns into a magnificient steed glowing with blue energy and leaves behind a glowing trail when it runs.
- Damsel in Distress: Ayden meets Princess Lyanora for the first time as she's being cornered by orcs trying to rob her, and he saves her by killing all the orcs. She gets captured again by Amonbane near the end, and once more Ayden needs to come to her rescue.
- Doomed Hometown: The stage, "Homecoming", where Ayden returns to his uncle's farm only to find it razed to the ground by orcs.Ayden: Oh, Uncle... it's my fault. I brought the orcs here...
- Dream Intro: The game begins with Ayden's dream of meeting Princess Lyanora before he's woken up by Uncle Brennan. He does get to meet the princess, roughly five minutes into gameplay.
- Equipment Upgrade: Ayden can upgrade his sword, shield, gauntlet, and whatever weapons he's carrying when entering a new village.
- Jumped at the Call: Ayden is simply too eager to partake in an adventure, not even hesitating when Princess Lyanora tells him there are monsters for him to face and he needs to save Lasgalen. He even sounds excited at the prospect of a quest.
- Lethal Lava Land: Firepitch Keep is a stage built inside a volcano, and the lava pits and molten streams are a recurring threat.
- Light and Mirrors Puzzle: Ayden needs to solve these puzzles in the Temple of Altemagus and Firepitch Keep by moving panels that reflects light and unlock exits. Horus, a Puzzle Boss, can only be harmed by using one such puzzle to reflect light upon himself.
- Nephewism: Ayden is an orphan raised by his Uncle Brennan. It seems like Brennan inherited the farm from Ayden's parents after the war, and to wit he's a Cool Uncle who genuinely loves his nephew.
- Our Kobolds Are Different: Kobolds are the first and most common enemies encountered, being a stand-in for goblins in similar games. They're skinny, stood up to Ayden's waist and goes down rather easily.
- Pardon My Klingon: Because of the fantasy setting, cuss words with the word "God" gets replaced by "Uryah", the patron deity of Lasgalen.Ayden: Uriahdammnit!
- Power Fist: Ayden defeats the Giant Acidbeetle, only to suffer a terrible scratch on his left arm that couldn't be healed either way. Returning to Dentoras, the ancient tree then repays Ayden's deed by giving him the Fabled Gauntlet of Brakor, a magic gauntlet made of gold fused to Ayden's left arm for the rest of the game which allows him to pummel enemies with his fists. Said gauntlet can even unleash a Charged Attack to destroy barriers.
- Power-Up Mount: Whenever Ayden rides his trusty steed Miya, his speed increases and his forward-slash deals more damage. Using Miya's "Sprint" also allows Ayden to tackle his way through fences and certain obstacles. On the downside though, this attack tend to miss smaller enemies like Kobolds and it's difficult for him to turn around after every charge.
- Rewarding Vandalism: Being a Zelda clone, Ayden can obtain bonuses, loot, and other pickups by smashing vases and potteries lying around stages.
- Shout-Out:
- Defeating the Giant Acidbeetle unlocks an achievement called "Beetle in the Sky with Diamonds". Beetle, because - Beatles? With Diamonds? Get it?
- Another achievement for killing orcs is called "Bad Orcs, Bad Orcs, What'chu Gonna Do?"
- Sticks to the Back: Ayden's sword is attached instantly to his back, even with the abscence of a sheath.
- Suspect Is Hatless: Parodied in this funny scene when Ayden meets Dentoras, the ancient, sentient tree for the first time.Dentoras: WHAT'S THIS? WHO DARES TO APPROACH ME ON TWO SAPLESS LIMBS?
Ayden: Sorry sir. I'm looking for a tree... a talking tree, much like yourself... a Tree of Wisdom? Named Dentoras?
Dentoras: WHO DO YOU THINK I AM, SAPLESS ONE?
Ayden: Very sorry, sir. You are Dentoras?
Dentoras: DO YOU SEE ANY OTHER TALKING TREES NEARBY? - Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Ayden is one to Link, while his seedling Fairy Companion is a less annoying Navi and Princess Lyanora is Zelda as a human. The game is heavily inspired by the Zelda series, after all.
- When Trees Attack: There is a Mini-Boss Ayden needs to contend with, a tree-demon near a gorge with a glowing face and ability to lash out with roots or spew poison from a giant Foul Flower growing on it. Defeat said tree and it collapse into an impromtu bridge Ayden can use to cross the gorge.
- Wings Do Nothing: Mycek and his fellow hawk-men civilains have wings in place of arms, but are never seen flying with them. They do work as Feather Fingers though.
- Wise Tree: Dentoras, the ancient "Tree of Wisdom", who provides advice and exposition for Ayden when he's furthering his quest. Though Ayden needs to do Dentoras a favor by eliminating the Giant Acidbeetle nesting in Dentoras' bark.
- Would Hit a Girl: In the orcs' introduction scene, a group of them are assaulting a defenseless Princess Lyanora (then identified by the game as "Mysterious Girl") before Ayden pulled a Big Damn Heroes moment. After Ayden had dealt with the orcs, Princess Lyanora passes out because of her injuries, though Beauty Is Never Tarnished is in effect - she didn't even have any visible scratches on her, save for a torn sleeve.
- You Won't Like How I Taste: In Mycek's introduction, some orcs are contemplating to eat the hawk-man. Mycek attempts this trope, but it doesn't work - luckily, Ayden is nearby to save him.Mycek: No no no no! L-listen to me! Take everything I own - you can buy as many l-l-l-legs and wings and ranch dressing as you want! My legs are scrawny... see?! Tiny! Disgusting! I'm pretty sure I have bird flu or salmonella!
Orc: Shut up! Food stops talking now!
