I’ve been a long-time fan of the Star Ocean series, since my undergraduate days. I discovered the joy of ordering video games through my college bookstore. With limited funds, acquiring Star Ocean: Till the End of Time was a dream come true, and I immersed myself in its captivating gameplay, replaying it countless times and mastering strategies to conquer post-game content.
During a challenging period in my life, when money was tight, I had to sell most of my video games to make ends meet. However, I held on tightly to Till the End of Time. Selling almost all of my video games was a wake-up call; I learned that I had to budget better. On the positive side, having only that game to play for a couple of months helped me develop a deep appreciation for it.
Over the years, each new Star Ocean game brought with it a tradition for me to reflect on my evolving life. As a result of Star Ocean: The Divine Force's lukewarm reception last year, I feared the series might come to an end. The game's lackluster reaction from the fan community didn’t seem to create enough anticipation for a big-series comeback following the negatively reviewed Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness in 2016. But then we got an out-of-the-blue trailer for Star Ocean: The Second Story R. And it’s not only a remaster, but a remake.
And the fans are to thank for that.
Star Ocean is known for its fast-paced, free-action combat and the blending of futuristic technology with fantasy elements. Typically, the plot revolves around someone from Earth landing on an underdeveloped planet and getting involved in its affairs. The first game came out in 1996 on the Super Famicom, and its development team originated from the creators of the Tales of Phantasia series. When creative differences arose within the Tales of Phantasia team, some of its members broke off and formed Tri Ace, which eventually produced all the Star Ocean games. While the original game was never released in the West, we did get remakes with various improvements, especially The Second Story, which remains a fan favorite.
Second Story's triumph paved the way for a thrilling sequel and even an anime adaptation, though opinions on the latter were mixed among fans. The merger of Squaresoft and Enix undoubtedly played a role in its success, but the immense popularity of The Second Story truly had a significant impact on its continuation.
However, fans were faced with a dilemma, as we longed to experience the nostalgia of Second Story on modern platforms. Unfortunately, the game remained confined to either the PS1 or PSP in remastered form, and even then, it was only available in Japanese regions. Fans were told by the developers that if we wanted to see Second Story on modern consoles, we had to be vocal.
In a remarkable turn of events, the passionate fandom rallied behind the cause and started multiple petitions while voicing their requests via social media. The pleas didn't go unheard, as Square Enix acknowledged the game's significance and, to celebrate its 25th anniversary and the fans' persistence, decided to grant us more than just a simple port or remaster.
The development team aimed to create faster-paced battles that fostered a greater sense of cooperation among the characters. To achieve this, the team completely rebuilt the core battle programming from the ground up. Adjustments were made to the pacing, impact, frame rate, skill effects, and ranges, resulting in a more modern experience. While maintaining the overall atmosphere, the developers relaxed the time stoppage during the game’s bombastic techniques to preserve the fluidity of battles.
You'll find that the difficulty level of battles has been slightly raised, especially for mid-story bosses, making them formidable challenges. The team has also introduced new quests for equipment and items to enhance your gaming experience. Just like in the original version, you have the option to choose from three difficulty levels: EARTH, GALAXY, and UNIVERSE. If you prefer a more relaxed journey, EARTH is the easiest level, allowing you to progress through the story without undue stress. Plus, you have the freedom to switch between the difficulty levels at any point during the game, giving you control over the level of challenge you want to face.
The story features branching narratives, allowing you to choose between two main protagonists, Claude and Rena, leading to different experiences and different characters joining your party. The game has some of the most well-developed characters in the series, with Claude especially being a standout example.
One of the most appealing features in the game, however, is the variety of possible endings, and which one you get is based on your decisions and interactions. The series features Private Actions—little moments that happen between the events of the main story that give you a chance to talk more intimately with the other cast members. While optional, these private actions are touching and memorable. They give a chance for the side characters to shine, like Ashton, who has an interesting story involving the two snakes on his back.
The remake will also be the first in the series to combine free-action combat with the popular HD 2D aesthetic seen in games like Live A Live and Octopath Traveler 2. This was a great idea by the developers. The Second Story perhaps would’ve made for a good modern remake, but if there's anything that those other HD 2D games have established, it's that there’s a hungry niche in the RPG market for retro aesthetics combined with HD dynamics. All the characters maintain a sprite-style look in the game, but the backgrounds, spells, and newly created full-motion cutscenes will give a more modern, crisp presentation.
I remember sitting up on my bed, right after just waking up and seeing a Star Ocean: The Second Story R trailer waiting to be watched on my YouTube feed. I took a deep breath and felt a knot in my stomach. “We did it,” I thought, “we proved to Square Enix that there was indeed still life within this almost 30-year-old series.”
In the light of strong series and developer revivals, such as the well-received Tales of Arise, and the growing popularity of Monolith Soft, it would’ve broken my heart to see this series die away like some of my other favorite classics, such as the Shadow Hearts series. With the scary increase of many classic games becoming critically endangered, I worry that without fan-based rallying, many of the RPGs I love will become lost as original copies become less and less accessible.
At least for now, one of my all-time favorites is preserved on the PlayStation 4 & 5, because once Second Story R comes to the consoles, all six of the mainline entries will be downloadable, and I’ll have the full collection again.