B1bby reviewed Star Ocean: The Second Story R:

Star Ocean The Second Story R Review - A Classic RPG Brought Modern

The action RPG Star Ocean: The Second Story R got a lot of praise this year. Exputer reports that the devs will make use of the positive feedback in their future projects:

Star Ocean: The Second Story R Flooded With More Praise Than Expected, Says Director

The devs want to investigate what made it so popular.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R has left its indelible mark on the gaming scene this year despite the remarkable competition. However, not even the devs expected that it would be showered with so much praise and critical reception. The game director Yuichiro Kitao and the producer Megumi Komaki recently appeared in an interview with Famitsu to discuss its unexpected acclaim. The devs claimed that the response of players left them amazed.

"It’s not that we didn’t have confidence in making it, but we’re honestly happy to have received more positive feedback than we expected. As a developer, I would like to investigate in detail ‘why it was praised so much’ and ‘where it was popular’ and make use of it for the next experience,” says the game director.

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RPGamer has reviewed Star Ocean: The Second Story R:

Star Ocean: The Second Story R Review

Star Ocean: The Second Story was one of my favourite games growing up. I must have played it more than ten times, I could recite parts of it line for line, and it’s a game that gave me some of my dearest friends whom I still speak to today. Not every RPG stands the test of time, but Star Ocean: The Second Story is often one many RPGamers cite as being both a favourite game and an influential release. When Star Ocean: The Second Story R was announced, I remember laying in my bed with my broken arm, screaming how I wanted the game injected into my veins at that moment. Gemdrops has created a worthy remake that is not only more accessible than the previous iterations but has made what is arguably the most definitive edition of the game to date.

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As soon as Star Ocean: The Second Story R released, I was glued to my recliner and I didn’t want to stop playing. Not only is this a favourite gem from my childhood, but this edition is definitely the definitive one. Everything Gemdrops has produced in Star Ocean: Second Story R shows a lot of love and respect towards the original game while making it much more accessible and fresh to newcomers. While I will always cherish my memories of the cheesiness that is PSX edition, the joy I felt replaying a favourite game was strong throughout. Star Ocean: The Second Story R is the best Star Ocean game hands down, and every RPGamer owes themself a chance to enjoy this amazing remake. You won’t be disappointed.

Score: 4.5/5

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The J-RPG Star Ocean: The Second Story R will be released today:

Star Ocean: The Second Story R

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.

STORY
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.

KEY FEATURES
- 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.

- Experience a story with dual protagonists
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 voiceover
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.

- An iconic soundtrack rearranged by Motoi Sakuraba
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.

- 3 difficulty modes
Pick EARTH for a relaxing journey, GALAXY for a satisfying challenge or UNIVERSE… if you’re brave enough to really put your skills to the test.

 RPG Site reviewed the upcoming Star Ocean: The Second Story R:

Star Ocean The Second Story R Review

Don’t take this as gospel, but in my own personal experience, there are broadly two types of Star Ocean fan: the ones who have enjoyed several entries, and the ones whose warm feelings extend solely to Star Ocean: The Second Story. It doesn’t matter that it’s a sequel to a game comparably fewer people have played - it stands alone just fine. Nor does it matter that there have been four further mainline installments since - it’s like they’re all on one side of the conversation, and The Second Story dominates the other. Among JRPG enthusiasts, Star Ocean: The Second Story is frequently cited as one of the best ever made; all of this is to say, the remake had a lot to live up to.

They did it. Gemdrops — the studio behind Star Ocean: The Second Story R — has brought this RPG forward in a way that makes it all the more enjoyable today, all without losing sight of what made the original version such a classic. By judiciously examining how decades of advancements in the gaming industry have created certain modern quality-of-life expectations, the developers have revamped The Second Story in a way that makes it more accessible, more easily replayable, and quite frankly, better than ever before.

For those who are new to the game, here’s a quick rundown: its heroes are deuteragonists Claude C. Kenny and Rena Lanford. You choose between the Pangalactic Federation ensign or the mysterious magic-casting villager at the very beginning, but the character you didn’t select effectively plays the role of runner-up protagonist throughout the story. In other words, you’re getting a big taste of Star Ocean’s trademark ‘science fiction meets high fantasy’ themes regardless, but your primary perspective will either be Claude and his coming-of-age Star Trek vibe, or Rena and her more medieval understanding of the world around her. 

Battles are action-based, with players able to select any party member to control outright. There’s a sizable difference in one’s approach to combat depending on whether they’re playing as a melee-oriented fighter or a sorcery-swirling caster, as you’ll want to get close to engage the enemy if you’re a sword-wielder like Claude, or stay back and harass them with spells, healing your allies as needed, if you’re someone more akin to Rena. 

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Star Ocean: The Second Story R has brought a cult classic into a new era. It’s been thoughtfully retooled, but it’s still packed with all the heart and soul of the original. Graphically, it’s gorgeous. It still sounds sublime, subjective song preferences aside, and the new quests and features range from fair to fabulous. It’s one of my favorite video games in even finer form.

Score: 9/10 ​

The remake Star Ocean: The Second Story R goes live on November 2:

STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R - Launch Trailer

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Square Enix introduces - Claude C. Kenny and Rena Lanford - two main characters of Star Ocean: The Second Story R:

Star Ocean The Second Story R - Claude C. Kenny Trailer

Star Ocean The Second Story R - Rena Lanford Trailer

Noisy Pixel checked out the remake Star Ocean: The Second Story R:

Star Ocean The Second Story R Preview - A Gorgeous Remake of a Must-Play JRPG

RPG Site checked out the remake Star Ocean: The Second Story R:

Star Ocean The Second Story R PAX West 2023: symbology improvements in combat, super crisp 2D pixel art, and Weepy Ashton

When Square Enix unveiled Star Ocean: The Second Story R several months ago, I’m sure I shared a similar reaction with fans of the original classic - very excited, a little scared, a bit anxious, and extremely curious to learn more. Many Star Ocean fans hold the second mainline installment in high regard and to many, it’s still the best Star Ocean yet. When I heard that it’d be playable at PAX West 2023, I knew that it’d be one of the titles I had to check out. It’d be doing you RPG Site readers a disservice if I didn’t.

The brief hands-on demo with Star Ocean: The Second Story R started in the Lazgriz Mountains (previously localized as Lasgus Mountains) up to the boss fight with Zinae. Right away, the most significant change fans will notice is the overhauled visual style. Although it’s not quite HD-2D, Star Ocean: The Second Story R’s environments are all completely rendered in 3D; meanwhile, the character and enemy models themselves retain their 2D pixel art. 

I know many remain divided on this visual direction for Star Ocean 2’s remake, but I warmed up to me the more I played. It’s as if the character sprites are wandering through a 3D diorama rendition of the original game’s environments. More importantly, the pixel art for characters and enemies are extremely crisp to the point that you can see each individual pixel that comprises their model when the in-game camera zooms in on them. There is no smearing that tries to blend the pixels together. I had a mental sigh of relief when I saw it in person.

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Noisy Pixel reports that the remake Star Ocean: The Second Story R was requested by the fans:

Star Ocean The Second Story R Was Developed Thanks to Fan Requests & to Celebrate the Game’s 25th Anniversary

Famitsu recently interviewed the Star Ocean team regarding the newly announced Star Ocean The Second Story R. One of the early exchanges revealed that this remake was made to celebrate the original game’s 25th anniversary. Additionally, numerous requests for this project contributed toward its actualization.

Interviewer: First of all, please tell us how you came to launch this project.

Star Ocean Team: With the release last year of Star Ocean 6 THE DIVINE FORCE, a new numbered title of the Star Ocean series, we believe that the series is currently attracting a lot of attention from fans. In addition, Star Ocean: The Second Story is one of the most popular games in the series, and we have received many requests for a remake.

Therefore, in the 25th anniversary year of Star Ocean The Second Story, we decided to release Star Ocean The Second Story R as a remake, completely revamping the game system and graphics so that both old and new fans can play the game with a fresh perspective.

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The J-RPG Star Ocean: The Second Story R will be released on November 2: