Earth to Clint…Earth to Clint….this Game isn’t so Bad
So my initial impression for this game was quite bad. It felt like ages until this game opened up and became interesting. But…it did happen. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have hesitated to throw it out the window. There is a specific point, actually, when the game starts to really heat up. I don’t want to spoil any details about the game, so I’ll just say that it happens when you have a special ‘mission’ on Earth. At that point- finally- the game feels like a unique offering, like a story worth getting involved in, and quite possibly getting excited for. Finally, the game did something unique, that it could call its own- something that the previous Star Ocean games haven’t done (at least the ones that I have played).
From here, the game takes off, and once you get to planet Roak, it actually feels like a proper Star Ocean game. Unfortunately, by that point, you are practically half way through. By the game’s end, it felt like the game was very short, when in fact it really wasn’t- I clocked over 60 hours- it was because the first leg of the game was such a bore, I banished its experience from my memory until now for the purpose of this review. Whew…
Oh Planet Roak…if You Were a Woman, I’d Marry You
The events on planet Roak are mostly a joy to experience. By this point, most of the characters are in your party. You’ve started to gain impressive new abilities, and even the awesome coliseum opens up, which is a longstanding tradition that every JRPG should have. Side quests open up, as well as intrigue, interesting storylines, and fun. On Roak, you will meet an innocent, winged being who is being chased by crazy religious people. You’ll help a king protect his city. You’ll meet a sassy-but-wise fortune teller. You’ll spend hours climbing the ranks at the local coliseum. You’ll travel through a desert on a bunny (yes, a bunny). Finally, this is the Star Ocean that I remember.
The game has quite a bit of depth with the item creation system as well, but this is expected of a Star Ocean game. You’ll be able to create many, many things, and a lot of sidequests can only be completed by finding rare items, and then merging them together to make even rarer items. It’s also a blast to upgrade different skills of your characters, from abilities that affect item creation to other skills that affect battle or other field abilities. I have to say that I got addicted to the fortune telling ability. I keep thinking that there’s some new secret to discover because of it.
A Battle That Lasted a Fortnight
Seriously, this subtitle is no joke. Depending on the level of your characters, many of the boss battles will take……forever…..to finish. I can think of a couple off the top of my head, where I was hanging on by literally a thread- I managed to win after an intense war of attrition with said boss, and when I won, I felt an incredible sigh of relief. I assume this may frustrate some people, but that very feeling of winning by a hair’s breadth is downright exhilarating. In some cases, the boss battles could almost be called as unfair- but only so because the game obviously required more grinding. But you know, that is what I love about having some freedom of movement in these newer JRPG battle systems. They give more room for skill and reflexes, instead of relying heavily on numerical values like turn-based systems of old. There really is something to be said about the battle system of the Star Ocean games, and while Tri-Ace has tweaked the system a great deal over the years, the core mechanic is still the same, and it holds up well.
Any Last Words?
So, let’s recap. At first, this review was looking….rather grim for the latest from one of my favorite JRPG series. I almost stopped playing, almost….but I held on, and found the heart of this game, which unfortunately took forever to get to. Thankfully, I didn’t have to bother dealing with the English voicework. Actually, there is a scene later on in the game which is quite an emotional experience between Edge and Reimi. It is very well written and directed, and the Japanese actors seemed to deliver the emotion very, very well. I was very impressed. I only wondered what the English version would be like, and I thanked the heavens that I was able to experience it in a way that was more akin to how it was originally intended.
The music is also quite fantastic. Perhaps not quite as memorable as Star Ocean: The Second Story, but hey, sometimes magic happens spontaneously and you can’t capture it in a bottle. That being said, the soundtrack is still a joy to behold, especially the opening and closing pieces. Motoi Sakuraba is a genius composer, and his pieces have always captivated me in some way.
The Decision
It took me a while to figure out what score I would give this game. As I have written, my experience with it has been up and down, love and hate. Sometimes I just want to rag on this game, and how it is a disappointment- even more so than the much debated Final Fantasy XIII- but on the other hand, there are some qualities that save it from the depths of disgust. In the end, the game comes out on top as a memorable experience despite early grievances, and I would still recommend JRPG and Star Ocean fans alike to play it to see for themselves. So now, I present to you the score.
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Overall |   |
Oprainfall’s Review System:
- 5 Stars– A Must Own Game. Games don’t get much better than this. We recommend you buy it if you can.
- 4 Stars– A Great Game. It’s not perfect, but it’s close. If you like the genre, you should like this game.
- 3 Stars– A Good Game. This game may have some flaws, but is enjoyable. Give it a try, you might like it.
- 2 Stars– A Poor Game. There is something off about this game. Fans of the series or genre might like it.
- 1 Star– A Bad Game. There are obvious flaws that keep the game from being enjoyable. We cannot recommend this game.
