Star Ocean: The Divine Force Review
Forty-five hours, a few laughs, and a few frowns later, we shrugged off
Star Ocean: The Divine Force. It's a middle-tier Japanese RPG that never threatens to rise to the top or fall so far that it's crammed between
Hyperdimension Neptunia and
Unlimited Saga. Failure to even crack the top half. The most opulent building in the JRPG genre.
Considering the series' troubled past, The Divine Force's middling quality is likely an improvement. Some of the changes and systems implemented here make it possible that the next Star Ocean game may be genuinely good, even if this game wouldn't make our best of 2022 list unless we're doing 100 games each this year. It's possible it'll turn out to be really good.
[...]
Conclusion
Like a cozy pair of JRPG slippers,
Star Ocean: The Divine Force is easy to sink into. In case you're craving a Japanese RPG but have already exhausted the good options, this one should satisfy your cravings. That's fine. It's the kind of food that makes you feel better. You know how it is to be watching Criminal Minds when you really want to be watching Mindhunter and you can only watch one episode because Netflix hasn't renewed Mindhunter yet? That. It's a cosmic first.
Pro:
- Combat is fun, fast, and flexible
- Some banging music
- Ticks all of the traditional JRPG boxes
Cons:
- Rough animations
- Occasional slowdown in parts
- Story takes ages to get going
- Look at Raymond's hair
- LOOK AT IT
