Welcome to our review of Star Ocean: The Second Story R, the remake of the classic RPG.
The highly acclaimed second instalment in the STAR OCEAN series, returns as Star Ocean: The Second Story R.
Brought to life with a unique 2.5D aesthetic, which fuses 2D pixel characters and 3D environments, this remake includes everything that made the original release so great while adding new elements too! Experience new battle mechanics, full Japanese and English voice overs, original and re-arranged music, fast-travel and so much more! Discover the definitive version of a classic but modernized JRPG that’s perfect for newcomers and long-time fans alike.
Space Date 366 – A Federation officer finds himself transported to a mystical planet. While searching for a way home, an encounter with a young girl draws him into a quest to save her people, just as an ancient prophecy foretold… Choose your path and witness an awakened destiny.
Fantasy and Science Fiction collide in a unique visual style. From dangerous dungeons to bustling towns, the world of STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R is depicted in a stunning 2.5D style that combines beautiful 3D graphics with nostalgic 2D pixel characters. Start your journey with either Claude or Rena. Depending on your choice, the perspectives and the allies you can recruit will change. Get to know party members via the unique Private Actions system, grow relationships and unlock various endings. New character illustrations have also been created by long-term series artist Yukihiro Kajimoto.
Thrilling, visually explosive battles! Enjoy fast-paced combat and use new mechanics to strategically defeat foes. “Break” by continuously dealing damage and order your allies to follow-up with an Assault Action to deal massive damage. Pair powerful gear with a plethora of skills. Customize party progression with a large selection of skills, including Cooking, Art, Metalcraft, and many more. Build up to Specialty levels and master the enhanced Item Creation system to craft ultimate equipment with different effects.
Japanese and English voiceovers are both present as well, so all event scenes are now fully voiced using the same voice cast from the original game. In addition, the dialogue from STAR OCEAN SECOND EVOLUTION (2008) is also included and can be selected. On top of which the iconic soundtrack rearranged by Motoi Sakuraba is present as well. All tracks have been re-composed, including full-band performance and strings sound. Exploration and movie scenes themes also have new recordings that take them to even greater heights.
Star Ocean: The Second Story R is not a new game for me personally, I have played more than a few entries of the franchise and they do hold a special place in my RPG-loving heart. Even the slow burn of the majority of their games, they are quite fun to play and this remake sure took me back. When I first started the game, it was mostly a surprise at how this blend of gorgeous backgrounds worked with the pixelated characters. It kind of threw me off guard at first. I got used to it pretty quickly.
When you review a massive classic like this, the biggest part is not about how great a storyline is or how smoothly it plays, spoiler alert, both facts stated are very true, great game that does not disappoint, but the big point is how the game withstood the test of time. Well, I would say it does a good job at that. For the most part, you would not notice you are playing a remade classic but are playing a brand-new game. And despite a lot of the controls being limited, they are a very welcome surprise in more than one aspect. I like the simplicity of things, a fact that I have often stated as downside for modern RPGs, the incredibly complicated controls and how some of them are just too much.
Star Ocean: The Second Story R does have extensive mechanics/controls behind it, yet it never gets tiresome. There is a simplicity in the chaos and that is what sets it apart from the big load of RPG games currently coming to/released on modern-day consoles. There are times when simpler are better.
In conclusion, Star Ocean: The Second Story R was a great game in its heyday and it still is! Being able to play it on the go on the Switch, is just such a blast.
