Star Ocean Integrity and Faithlessness

Six years after lackluster entry The Last Hope, the Star Ocean series is back again to attempt to return to its former glory. Developer Tri-Ace made a name for itself by creating fun and strategic action battle systems, but the Star Ocean franchise stood out for its copious customization options and eclectic party members. Now Tri-Ace has a new generation of RPG fans to impress alongside fans who were disappointed in its last outing.

Going hands-on with Integrity and Faithlessness at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, I was filled with plenty of nostalgia for what made me fall in love with the series, but gameplay improvements also showcased the series evolving in exciting ways.

Star Ocean will never have the budget of a Final Fantasy game to impress with its graphics, but Integrity and Faithlessness’s visual improvements from prior entries are noticeable thanks to sharper character models, more detailed enemies, and a grander world that’s visible in the distance. In addition, separate load screens no longer appear to engage in battle; you fight enemies directly in the environment. Cutscenes also get a similar treatment, seamlessly occurring as you explore.

Battles are still the series’ main attraction, and they have never been about just hitting buttons to victory. The action in Integrity and Faithlessness feels smoother than ever, with regular strikes using single button presses and longer holds for special attacks. In addition, you have knockdowns and aerial attacks for extra impact. Strike at the right time and you can cancel or counter an opponent’s oncoming attack.

The battle system mimics a rock-paper-scissors format. For instance, light attacks beat heavy strikes, while heavy attacks can break through an enemy that’s guarding. You control one character, while the A.I. takes the reins of the other characters (party size has now increased to six-member affairs). All these improvements feel for the better; controls are the best they’ve been, and I loved anticipating an enemy’s next move and canceling it out.

When not in battle, you’re exploring and chatting with party members about your next move. Dead ends, hidden treasure chests, and secret passages are all around. Square Enix and Tri-Ace have yet to reveal what kind of social system is in place, but it’s been a popular mechanic in past games, so I’d be surprised if private actions or relationship-improving events don’t return in some form. One thing that does return is the tense boss battles. After making my way through baddies, such as dragons, spiders, and bats, I finally met my first human adversary and boss – a mysterious guy with a metal mask. The battle started out promising; my screen-filling attacks looked amazing, but then he wiped the floor with my party after a few short minutes.

Memories of tough battles from past entries started flashing back to me – how every little thing from your skills to customized armor and weapons could change the tide of battle. I’m still thinking about where I went wrong, and can’t wait to get my revenge when the game launches.

More importantly, since other RPG series of yore like Suikoden and Shadow Hearts have vanished, it’s great to see Star Ocean giving it another go.

The Star Ocean series has been around for 20 years, but we haven’t seen a new entry since 2009’s The Last Hope. The absence almost makes the series feel like a relic from the past at this point. Thankfully, Square Enix and tri-Ace are giving the series a much-needed upgrade. From crafting to combat, Star Ocean always stood out for its fun and complex systems. After spending a few hours with the latest entry, that’s still the case.

The story begins in typical RPG fashion: The main character, Fidel, and his childhood friend, Miki, must deal with enemy soldiers invading their village after an unexpected war breaks out. Fidel vows to do everything in his power to protect his homeland. Soon enough, Fidel realizes the war is bigger than he thought, affecting not just his hometown, but all of Resulia. Things only get more complicated when he runs into an amnesiac child who has magical powers he’s never seen before.

Determined to find answers and keep the world he knows and loves safe, Fidel and Miki venture to find answers and help the mysterious child. While the narrative has plenty of threads typical of the genre, it should be interesting to see how it all pans out. Star Ocean has had some crazy plot twists over the years, so I’m hoping the story and characters get more interesting along the way.

The best features of Integrity and Faithlessness so far are the battle system and progression system. The action battles are fun, allowing you to dole out weak and strong attacks along with specials. You can cancel attacks with its rock-paper-scissors system. For instance, weak attacks can interrupt strong attacks, strong attacks can break an enemy’s guard, and guarding can stop weak attacks and initiate counterattacks.

Battles flow well, and you can swap between characters at any time to build up your combos. A reserve rush fills a gauge to different levels and allows you to activate a charged special attack for deadly damage — an essential for tough boss battles.

Every character has a slew of roles and can equip up to four at once. These allow you to build characters to your play style and liking. For instance, I assigned Miki to healing and defensive roles, while Fidel learned skills to aid in melee combat. Assigning roles also gives each character perks, such as raising their attack power, allowing them to take more actions, or letting them guard more often. You can even increase their damage for certain enemies.

The role system looks to be one of the most promising innovations; they can be leveled up and you can set different roles that play off each other well. It gave me a behind-the-scenes way to control the tide of battle.

With Integrity and Faithlessness’s release date right in view, seeing the game in action was reassuring. Hopefully, tri-Ace can find ways to make the many gameplay mechanics exciting throughout the whole trek.

Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is a Japanese role-playing game developed by tri-Ace and published by Square Enix. It is the fifth main installment in the Star Ocean series. The action is set on the planet Faykreed, which is at a stage of technological development close to the Middle Ages. The player controls Fidel Kamu, a young swordsman, and his friends, who are trying to prevent conflict between different factions on the planet. The main theme of the game deals with the conflicts between progress and tradition, as well as issues of faith and trust.

Features

• High-quality graphics and animation, which makes the world more lively and attractive.
• Soundtrack by composer Mitsuo Suzuki
• Character customization