STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R

What if you could play your favorite classic from the past, but redesigned with all the features of a modern game? Star Ocean the Second Story R is the reboot of the original as its name suggests, but it is packed with new features and quality of life enhancements for new players. Whether you are a firm fan of the series or a new player just starting out, there is something in this game for everyone. Let’s take a brief look at what the game is about, before moving on to the new features and enhancements.

The story opens with dual protagonists. Players can choose to start out with either Claude or Rena. The story is centered around Claude, a young Ensign in the Earth’s federation. He accidentally ends up getting transported to a planet called Expel, where he is mistaken for the Hero of Light by Rena. The game develops and changes depending on what choices the player makes along the way, but this premise remains the same.

The Changes

The original game is a very cute 2D style game, but the new reboot takes graphics to a whole new level. The developers have matched 2D cartoons with 3D backgrounds to give the game a new and polished look. On top of the beautiful graphics, the game is also now fully voiced in both English and Japanese, a huge improvement on the sound quality from the previous game. The original soundtrack was also remixed, so it has a modern touch but the same classic feel.

Finally, there are a whole host of quality of life enhancements in gameplay itself. Fights are no longer triggered randomly as players are walking around the map. Monsters can be seen and engaged with or gone around. If monsters are snuck up on from behind, it gives the player a bonus—but it works the other way around. Mobs can also attack from behind and it will give them the bonus if they are successful. The game is packed with similar features and enhancements.

The Classics

Although there are many new features to the game, it is a fan favorite for a reason. The original game, Star Ocean the Second Story was the second in what is now an eight part series, and it was hugely popular for a reason.

Star Ocean the Second Story R has many of the same features, including lots of crafting skills such as cooking, art and metalcraft to help your party with its progression. The result is a game with many features to keep players busy and add tons of replay value.

Pros:

• Endless replay value
• Fully Voiced
• Quality of Life Enhancements

Cons:

• Break mechanic is overpowered in the game

I will admit that am a real casual player when it comes to this series, but STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R captured my attention as soon as I saw it. This is a remake of what many people seem to say is the best game in the entire series which when you consider this series started all the way back on the Super Nintendo back in the mid-90s is saying something. I have only ever played one game in this series on the PS2, but as I said, this game looked like something very special.

Two Heads Are Better Than One!

STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R has a fantastic story, I cannot speak for what is different or what has been kept from the original game, but I loved it. We have two main characters, first of all is Claude. Claude is a young man who is messing around with a piece of machinery that his dad warns him against and next thing you know, he has been teleported to a rather backwater planet. He meets a young girl called Rena and after saving her from monsters, the two of them embark on a journey together where he tries to get home and she tries to find out who she really is. It is honestly gripping stuff and has many interesting and unique characters.

A Real Clash Of Styles!

What I thought was really neat about the story in STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R is that we have a real clash of styles. The planet that Claude is from is technologically advanced and these rather simple villagers see him as some kind of savior as he was able to shoot a monster with a laser! Rena on the other hand is more of a fantasy/magical kind of character. She has these natural healing powers, but her world is about as far from being technologically advanced as you can get! It makes for a great mix and seeing the two have to explain things to each other was a lot of fun.

A Touch Of The Old With A Touch Of The New

I came into STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R not having played the original, but I have read that they did modernize the gameplay a bit. It is still a classic JRPG with turn based combat and that is awesome as it is a style I love and the combat here is very satisfying, especially when you figure it out and smash an enemy's shield that has been a pain in your ass. There are 12 playable characters, but you cannot have them all in a single playthrough. Different character combinations can lead to different conversations and skills so there is a lot of replay value here, I can see myself certainly playing through it again with a focus on other characters. If you enjoy JRPGs, I do not see there being any way that you will not enjoy this.

2D Heroes In A 3D World

I love and I mean love the visual style of STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R. This game takes what games such as Octopath Traveler and Live A Live do. It has these amazing 2D sprites for the characters, but the backgrounds are all done in 3D. It is such a great clash of styles and one of the best and most eye catching examples of this trend that many modern JPRGs have been using. As well as looking absolutely fantastic, the game also has some excellent voice acting. I cannot speak for what it was like in the original, but here the English voice acting is fantastic and adds a great deal of weight to the story.

Pros:

• I really enjoyed the story
• It has a large collection of characters to get to know
• The turn based combat system here is a lot of fun
• This has some of the most stylish visuals I have seen this year!

Cons:

• You do have to like JRPGs to get into the game
• The dodging mechanic that the game has was hit or miss for me