Star Ocean Sci-Fi RPG Series Gets Stunning 2.5D Remake

(CTN News) – In 1999, The Second Star Ocean Story was released for the PlayStation platform for the first time.

In order to bring it back, a 2.5D remaster has been created that uses the style of Octopath Traveler and Triangle Strategy.

As the best game in an uneven and much ignored sci-fi RPG series, it’s time for a revival for the best game in the series.

It will be available on PlayStation 5/4 and Nintendo Switch on November 2 (with a physical edition), with Star Ocean: Second Story R being a graphical overhaul of the 40-hour epic about a Star Ocean Trek-like space cadet trapped on an alien planet about to be destroyed by another alien planet.

There is an appearance of a scene for scene replica, but with a 2.5D presentation that combines the pixel art sprites with the environments that are 3D.

There are also beautiful character portraits accompanying every conversation in the game, a game which has thousands of them.

In addition, it seems that the voice performances might also be new, and not a copy of what was on the PlayStation Portable version of the game.

Additionally, Star Ocean Square Enix has hinted at a new battle mechanic called “Breaking” in which players can stagger their enemies to deal extra damage during a follow-up all-out attack.

This series is famous for its dual protagonists and branching character paths, with Star Ocean players deciding who to recruit and who to forego as their relationships deepen through side quests and optional dialogue scenes that add depth to their characters.

I found the Second Story in particular to have dozens of different endings, and although some only had minor differences, a few had meaningful consequences based on the decisions you made during the game itself.

There was no doubt that Star Ocean 2 was the best balance between sprawling RPG plots, frenetic real-time combat, and granular crafting systems out of all the games on the market.

It is possible to turn your roster into an eight-piece orchestra towards the end of the game, which will allow you to summon a super powerful side boss.

As the series progressed, the games became more unwieldy, perhaps due to a combination of dwindling resources and high expectations as graphical fidelity on new consoles improved over time.

It is interesting to note that Square Enix’s most recent RPG game, Star Ocean: The Divine Force, was actually a pretty decent game, a great improvement from the prior couple of games even if it might not be able to compete with Square Enix’s other juggernaut franchises.

I don’t mind at all if that is the case. As much as I like the original, I would prefer a beautiful 2.5D remake of the best game in the series.

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