The original Star Ocean was released on the Super Famicom in Japan, but it’s one of the many role playing games that never left Japan. Perhaps it’s because of the late release or instead due to Enix being a smaller publisher but either way English speakers missed out on an official version until the PSP remake was released stateside. The RPG genre exploded in worldwide popularity during the 32-bit generation, and when a sequel was released for the Playstation console it was the first taste North Americans had of the series. It’s a bit odd to start with the second installment, but I was instantly sold on this one by the commercials proclaiming that it features over one hundred different endings. I later learned that this isn’t exactly accurate, but the game itself was incredible. Star Ocean: The Second Story is a very unique RPG, and is one of my long time favorites. Today I’m here to tell you about why you should play it.
Star Ocean: The Second Story follows the exploits of a young man named Claude Kenni. This unlikely hero just happens to be the son of two of the heroes of the first game, but that’s just about the only direct connection it has. Claude’s world is turned upside down during his first mission after being appointed as an ensign with the Earth Federation. While investigating the remote planet of Milocinia Claude inadvertently activates an odd warp device and in a flash of light he’s gone. Our foolhardy protagonist awakens on an underdeveloped planet called Expel and discovers he’s too far from the ship to use his communication device. He soon finds a blue haired girl being attacked by a monster in the woods, but he quickly dispatches the beast using his phase gun. The girl, Rena, mistakes this weapon for the ‘sword of light’ spoken of in local legends, and takes Claude back to her small village of Arlia. Everyone here assumes that he is the hero of light from their old prophecies. The elder of Arlia requests that Claude travels with Rena to investigate the sorcery, and since he doesn’t have anything else to do while awaiting rescue he agrees. What’s particularly interesting about this game is that you can choose which scenario to play; Claude’s or Rena’s. The story line is the same, but there are several instances where they separate and different characters join each of them on the quest. They are different enough that it’s worth playing as each.
This game at first appears to be a traditional two dimensional RPG. I use the word ‘appears’ because in actuality it’s far from it. Characters are drawn entirely with sprites, and within town areas/dungeons the backgrounds are entirely pre-rendered. This gives Star Ocean a retro look that’s very charming. The world map however is entirely 3D with a dynamic camera and polygonal terrain. It’s a huge contrast, but works very well. Battles occur at random while wandering around in hostile areas (dungeons and the world map in particular) and take place on a separate screen. These battle fields are also 3D, but the combat system isn’t traditional by any means. The characters in your party (up to four at a time) can move freely around the 3D battlefield, and so can the enemies. The battle system occurs in real time which is a drastic departure from the traditional role playing game, but at the same time the developers implemented a few elements to make it more familiar for fans of the genre. You can freely move your character around with the directional pad, and the X button causes your character to automatically run up to and attack the targeted opponent with their weapon. Triangle brings up a menu which pauses the action while you cycle through options that include access to your spells, items, and the ability to run away. You can set hotkeys for your special moves and spells by assigning them to the shoulder buttons. This battle system is fun and intuitive.
What makes Star Ocean: The Second Story particularly enthralling is the characters that join you. Some are exclusive in Claude’s scenario while others are in Rena’s. For others you must travel well off the beaten path either by interacting with specific NPCs, or traveling to areas not specified within the story. Most of the characters simply join as the story dictates, but others are hidden decently well. There are also some instances wherein you are given an indirect choice between two characters, and have no option to gain the other after you’ve chosen. This makes the game extremely replayable and gives off some very serious Suikoden-vibes. Which characters join your cause also has a big effect on the endings. While it doesn’t have the one hundred plus endings that were originally advertised each character gets their own snippet at the end. What’s interesting about this is the fact that various characters can end up together with each other in a either a romantic or platonic relationship. This aspect of the game is determined by characters participating together in battle, by story developments, and item crafting (but more on that later). Most won’t care about this, but diehard fans will love tinkering with the system. It does add significant replayability to the package.
The battle system is a ton of fun, the world is entertaining to explore, and the characters are incredible. What really makes this one stand out from the rest of the pack is its deep crafting system. Characters can create items through a variety of different means. You gain skill points from each battle, and can assign these to skills that each of your characters have. Some of these affect combat and gameplay in various means, but for the most part this is for crafting items. You can cook food, combine items, craft medicine, create new weapons/armor, and more. What’s particularly interesting to me is the fact that success in these methods of item creation is determined by innate talents that each character has. These are chosen at random for each character as you start the game, but they can also be gained gradually as you craft items. The system is extremely rewarding. Those willing to take the time to experiment with it will discover that you can create weapons and armor that you wouldn’t otherwise find until much later in the game. Some aren’t even found naturally throughout the course of the adventure. I enjoy the system so much that I’ve spent more time crafting items in the past than actually playing through the main story.
Star Ocean: The Second Story can almost pass for a Super Nintendo game from some screenshots, but in motion it looks significantly better. Outside of battle the characters are highly expressive and are very charming. The world map is one of the more impressive looking ones of that generation. The terrain is varied with hills, mountains, forests, and more. It’s all constructed with a large number of polygons, and looks really good by the system’s standards. The rotatable camera is a definite nice touch. The battle fields are pretty darn nice although the camera is less dynamic here. I’m a really big fan of the enemy designs. They’re generally quite distinct and I really enjoy the style. Unfortunately they lack numerous frames, and animate a little poorly. It’s forgivable considering the fact that there are so many different enemies even if some are mere palette swaps. The soundtrack is absolutely incredible. This is some of Motoi Sakuraba’s finest pieces of work. The music has very natural tones to it, and this is what makes it stand out significantly from his other soundtracks. I actually own the music from this game; it’s genuinely that good.
When most people speak about the best RPGs on the PlayStation the Final Fantasy titles are frequently mentioned, sometimes the Lunar remakes, and Suikoden as well. You really don’t hear a lot about Star Ocean: The Second Story. This is odd because it easily stands up to the other more popular releases, but it came at an unfortunate time when Enix struggled to market the release of anything outside of Japan. This is no cookie cutter RPG; on the contrary it’s one of the more unique ones you’ll find from this era.
