One of the biggest surprise announcements of Wednesday’s Nintendo Direct was the reveal ofStar Ocean: The Second Story R. It’s a remake ofStar Ocean 2, a JRPG first released on the original PlayStation in 1998. The game is receiving a massive and striking 2.5 visual update, additional quality-of-life features, and all-new combat improvements.Star Oceanfans won’t have to wait long, either, asStar Ocean: The Second Story R’s release date has been confirmed bySquare Enixfor later this year.
Star Ocean: The Second Storyis, as its name implies, the second game in the nowsix-game-longStar Oceanfranchise. It was first released in 1998 but received a remastered re-release in 2008 for the PlayStation Portable. That re-release was then brought to PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita, but only in Japan. As such,Star Ocean: The Second Story Rwill the first opportunity to playStar Ocean: The Second Storyon modern platforms in the west, or for those who never picked up a PSP the first time.
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Well over a dozen games were shown duringWednesday’s Nintendo Direct event.Star Ocean: The Second Story Rwas revealed towards the end of the show and was one of the most exciting reveals overall. The short trailer revealed a dramatic rework of the JRPG’s visuals, shifting to a 2.5D style with 3D backgrounds, pixel in-game characters, and hand-drawn character profile art. It’s akin to Square Enix’s 2.5D titles likeTriangle StrategyandOctopath Traveler, but stands out on its own in a beautiful way. That’s possible because Square Enix appears to be developing the remake.
This isn’t wholly the same game as the originalStar Ocean: The Second Story, however. Improvements are being made to theJRPG’s combat systemto make it faster and more dynamic. That includes chain attacks that can stun enemies, assist attacks from allies not currently in the party, and more changes. While some fans of the original game may balk, Star Ocean: The Second Story Rwill hopefully be better as a result.
Before JRPG fans start to worry thatStar Ocean: The Second Story Rmight beexclusive to the Nintendo Switch, it’s already been confirmed otherwise.Star Ocean: The Second Story Rwill be launching not just on Switch, but also on PC, PS4, and PS5. The official release date for all platforms is November 2.
2023 is already packed with outstanding games to play, and the year isn’t even half over. It’s not unlike 1998, whenStar Ocean: The Second Storyfirst released. Hopefully, Square Enix is rewarded this time around andStar Ocean: The Second Story Risn’t as overlooked as it was in the past. At its heart,Star Ocean: The Second Storyremains an epic sci-fi/fantasy JRPG with a sprawling narrative and dozens of incredible characters. The improvements are a bonus.
Star Ocean: The Second Story Rreleases November 2 on PC, PS4, PS5, and Switch.
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