Ahhh how I'm reminded of the good ol days when PS1/PS2 era RPGS were at their most peak.
As a long time Steam Ocean Fan I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the series was alive and still kicking but SO2 out of all titles in the series would be getting the (Octopath) remake treatment. Hesitant at first, knowing how companies and studios like to make shoddy remakes/remasters as a mean to make a quick buck but boy howdy was I disproven. Square is a lot of things but if there's one thing they get right now of day, it's trying to bring old titles back from the dead one last time for a new audience Legend of Mana, Live A Live, SaGa Frontier Remastered, Tactic Orge and Romancing SaGa are such examples (still holding out hope they'll bring Xenogears back from the dead).
Just like the additional dimension that the elder cousin Tales series is known for, SO2 is a party based action JRPG that takes place in a 2D space all the while happening in real time. With the remake rendition, triAce truly went above and beyond to bring in a whole host of new changes like complete 3D backgrounds, revamped 2DHD sprites and a plethora of QOL changes like adaptable spell animations that no longer take hours to cast, combat revamps, no enemy encounters, new enemy systems.. fishing?!
SO2R also has an in-depth item crafting system as an extension of its skill system that gives you plenty of room to create many items you wouldn't otherwise be able to access through regular game play or access powerful weapons early if you put the time into leveling up your skills and experimenting with combining items together. Plus, along with the deep leveling/specialization systems, it makes up for a meaningful way to refine your party, becoming more self-sufficient the further along you get. This complements some battle encounters that are deeper than many other RPGs on the market, always keeping you on your toes if you ever decide to foolishly to speed blitz the game without paying attention to the game mechanics. Since replayability is also a defining factor because of the different paths throughout the game, there are multiple difficulties that can ramp up the challenge if you so crave it (do be warn, if you see any dragon that's about to cast dragon breath, back the ♥♥♥♥ the away please!) and as part of triAce tradition, Star Ocean 2 features a pretty extensive post game that will really test your knowledge on the game's various systems.
Not only that but throughout the game, the events you see, the choices you make and the people you take into battle with you will start to cause characters to build affinity toward your player character and for each other. Not only does this open up more side story events, but plays into the game mechanics as well, such as, characters get enraged if someone they care for falls in combat. As a result of character pairing, each possible pairing also has multiple possible endings based on the pairing's affinities for each other, leaving you with a so much possible ending combinations.
It should also be noted that I applaud the team for trying to appease both old and new fans with fully voiced Japanese and English characters with the ability to pick two separate Japanese tracks that are recorded by the voice actors from not just the original PS1 release but the PSP version as well!! You also have the ability to freely swap between from the original OST or the newly arranged OST, all of which are remixed by the main man himself, Motoi Sakuraba, who composed the original soundtrack.
Truly a fine display of what a remake SHOULD be, modernizing old time classics with QOL improvements but not completely removing its identity on what made them enjoyable to begin with.
For new fans, welcome, enjoy one of the best Star Ocean games in the series and one of the most underrated JRPGS.
For long time fans, finally, we are eating good today. T-T sniffles
As a long time Steam Ocean Fan I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the series was alive and still kicking but SO2 out of all titles in the series would be getting the (Octopath) remake treatment. Hesitant at first, knowing how companies and studios like to make shoddy remakes/remasters as a mean to make a quick buck but boy howdy was I disproven. Square is a lot of things but if there's one thing they get right now of day, it's trying to bring old titles back from the dead one last time for a new audience Legend of Mana, Live A Live, SaGa Frontier Remastered, Tactic Orge and Romancing SaGa are such examples (still holding out hope they'll bring Xenogears back from the dead).
Just like the additional dimension that the elder cousin Tales series is known for, SO2 is a party based action JRPG that takes place in a 2D space all the while happening in real time. With the remake rendition, triAce truly went above and beyond to bring in a whole host of new changes like complete 3D backgrounds, revamped 2DHD sprites and a plethora of QOL changes like adaptable spell animations that no longer take hours to cast, combat revamps, no enemy encounters, new enemy systems.. fishing?!
SO2R also has an in-depth item crafting system as an extension of its skill system that gives you plenty of room to create many items you wouldn't otherwise be able to access through regular game play or access powerful weapons early if you put the time into leveling up your skills and experimenting with combining items together. Plus, along with the deep leveling/specialization systems, it makes up for a meaningful way to refine your party, becoming more self-sufficient the further along you get. This complements some battle encounters that are deeper than many other RPGs on the market, always keeping you on your toes if you ever decide to foolishly to speed blitz the game without paying attention to the game mechanics. Since replayability is also a defining factor because of the different paths throughout the game, there are multiple difficulties that can ramp up the challenge if you so crave it (do be warn, if you see any dragon that's about to cast dragon breath, back the ♥♥♥♥ the away please!) and as part of triAce tradition, Star Ocean 2 features a pretty extensive post game that will really test your knowledge on the game's various systems.
Not only that but throughout the game, the events you see, the choices you make and the people you take into battle with you will start to cause characters to build affinity toward your player character and for each other. Not only does this open up more side story events, but plays into the game mechanics as well, such as, characters get enraged if someone they care for falls in combat. As a result of character pairing, each possible pairing also has multiple possible endings based on the pairing's affinities for each other, leaving you with a so much possible ending combinations.
It should also be noted that I applaud the team for trying to appease both old and new fans with fully voiced Japanese and English characters with the ability to pick two separate Japanese tracks that are recorded by the voice actors from not just the original PS1 release but the PSP version as well!! You also have the ability to freely swap between from the original OST or the newly arranged OST, all of which are remixed by the main man himself, Motoi Sakuraba, who composed the original soundtrack.
Truly a fine display of what a remake SHOULD be, modernizing old time classics with QOL improvements but not completely removing its identity on what made them enjoyable to begin with.
For new fans, welcome, enjoy one of the best Star Ocean games in the series and one of the most underrated JRPGS.
For long time fans, finally, we are eating good today. T-T sniffles