STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R
In this science fantasy RPG, choose between Claude or Rena, play through their perspectives, and unlock various endings. Recruit allies and defeat foes in fast paced real-time battles.
STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R is a rpg, jrpg and action rpg game
developed by Square Enix, Gemdrops and Inc.
and published by Square Enix.
Released on November 02nd 2023 is available only on Windows
in 9 languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese.
It has received 3,123 reviews of which 2,965 were positive and 158 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.1 out of 10. š
The game is currently priced at 32.49ā¬ on Steam and has a 35% discount.
The Steam community has classified STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
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Requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: WindowsĀ® 10 / 11 64-bit
- Processor: AMD A8-7600 / IntelĀ® Coreā¢ i3-3210
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: AMD Radeonā¢ RX 460 / IntelĀ® Arcā¢ A380 / NVIDIAĀ® GeForceĀ® GTX 750 Ti
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 20 GB available space
- Additional Notes: Expected framerate: 30FPS with 1280x720 resolution and default graphics options
Reviews
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
If you have fond memories of the original, this game is an easy recommend. This is a top-tier remake that clearly understands what was good about the original, but is also not afraid of streamlining some of the 25+ year old cruft and making a few welcome modernizing changes. Judged purely as a remake, it may be the best one I've played, and as game on its own merits, I think it is great. If you are not familiar with the original game, then it becomes a much less clear-cut a recommendation. For all that I just described it as great, Star Ocean 2 is not particularly good on the traditional axes of evaluation. The plot is mediocre in the extreme. The characters are alright, but their interactions are often awkwardly written. Even with a couple tweaks, the combat is pretty bad by modern standards. So what does this game have to recommend it? In the context of a console RPG from 1998, it is filled with a ridiculous amount of stuff around a skill and crafting system, creating a game that clearly wants to be broken over your knee. You can often craft gear way more powerful than what you will get from chests or shops, or items with wild effects completely out of line with the mundane story. It feels intentional that you spend 30-50% of your first playthrough messing around in menus. It is possible to get arguably the best weapon in the game (before the post final-boss content) around 40% of the way through the game. You can collect royalties on books you published. You can forge a document that lets you tell an inn-keeper that you get to stay at their inn for free for the rest of the game. As might be concluded from the previous paragraph, the difficulty of the game can be uneven. If playing on a higher difficulty, and particularly at the beginning of the game, it can be easy to completely steam roll random encounters, and then get destroyed by the next boss. Don't be afraid to turn the difficulty up and down. When you fail an encounter, the game gives you an opportunity to change gear/party, as well as the difficulty. As mentioned above, this game is a remake of a game that is now more than 25 years old. It has made a lot of good changes to modernize the game, but at its core, it is still a game from 1998. There are a lot of reasons to give this game a pass. It truly isn't for everyone. But if all my warnings haven't scared you away, check it out. I have difficulty thinking of games that do the same sorts of things as this game; it truly sets itself apart.
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So....iv never played nor heard of Star Ocean before. So yes, that means I'm a newbie, and as a newbie I have a newbie perspective, that only use newbies can bring to such a clearly beloved classic. Hopefully I can do it justice for all you old school classics out there, because man, I love this game. The Stars Await You.... So ya, it's a good game. Combat mechanics are fun and unique, story is rich and rewarding, interesting characters and sub-plots, old school classic vibes all over the place here. What I gatta say though is the story clearly takes the cake, and it should for a RPG like this. Rena has already become one of my favorite characters, with others hitching a close 2nd behind her. And I say others because honestly they all so far have been extremely interesting, dynamic, and feel real. Sure some lines don't make sense at times (like a weird lost in translation moment, or I missed something), but other than that It just keeps bringing me back. I enjoy them so much in fact that I almost want to just skip the combat all together and rush to get the plot moving. That's good story telling and good character writing. Speaking of which, combat. Now I'll be the first to tell you that the mechanics are NOT something you can just pick up and feel good with. Well they kind are when you start out, sorta.....and then they throw you around like a rag-doll 180 into the air and karate chop you in half before you hit the ground again. It's really a "WTH!" moment. There is a LOT to unpack in the combat mechanics, and almost so much that I feel it just kinda jam packs it too early and without much context, making you feel extremely under powered at times and then overpowered in others. Overall though it is fun once you get the hang of it. You just need to take your time, and read and invest in what they tell you. Which if your playing this....an RPG notorious for little details...then ya...you probably ...hopefully will be already. Just don't have the mechanics right away and give it time and your set is all I'm saying, it's worthwhile. Either way I'm only 3 hours in, and with already a ton to unpack as it is I find it hard to put down. It's an extremely addictive and enjoyable game, again mainly for the story and the characters overall that I start to find myself attached to. More and more they grow on me, and more and more they seem relatable with flaws and weaknesses like anyone else. That's what makes a good characters, a feeling that they are too alive and have had a rich past and history, young or old. That's what this game does best, and clearly why people have loved it. I encourage you to try the demo, it's a whopping 3 hours long with some restrictions, but well worth it and will tell you all that you need to know about the game and what your in for. "Well Id say that's worth....10/10."
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I'm only 5 hours in and Rena is becoming one of my fav protags in RPG's! :D Pro's + Great cast of characters + Fantasic visual style with HD2D + Gameplay is simple but fun + TON's of character customization + Fishing + Fishing in Kross Castle town Water Fountain + FE Style support convos from PA Events (Some even voiced too!) + Been able to Run Max Settings at 144 FPS 1440P with no real hicups or dips Con's I really can't think of any besides it could have had just a bit more Voice acting. TLDR: It's worth it's price on sale or not :)
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I remember seeing the [url=https://youtu.be/DdfiH-xTXlg?si=PeDMdT_tqk7PQuWt] commercial (<-Original PSX commercial in 1998!!) for this game when i was in late middle school and being blown away by the looks and potential. When i FINALLY got my hands on a copy of it, i was ecstatic! It IT NOT DISAPPOINT! I Sunk literal HOURS of my life into this Legend, every weekend ALL DAY, After school Late into the night, and sometimes even playing hookie from school to play some more! I was hooked by his game! It wasn't til much much later I found out how to achieve Multiple endings, and even some other Characters i didn't know i could recruit (The internet as we know it today was still in its infancy back then, and wasn't as easily accessible to most people). over the years i played it and never stopped loving it! Fast forward to 2024, AND WE HAVE A RE-MAKE (if you call a mostly graphical overhaul and some game-play mechanics a remake, not to mention the few other 'remakes' that have been released on other hand-held consoles) that just looks phenomenal! SO far its exactly as i remember it, with some really NICE background improvement that are BEAUTIFUL, some game-play mechanics that are honestly IMO, very needed and welcome! All-in-all, STILL the game I loved back then, with more to it! Basically, if you played this game when you were younger, on the origianl Playstation and loved it, do your Kid-self a favor and play this one, you can honestly feel the kid in you stir a little with glee! And if you havent played this EVER, and you a Young'n? PLay it anyway, it was one of the GREATEST RPG games ever made from my childhood back in the late 90's; a literal and personal GEM!
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Star Ocean: The Second Story R offers great quality of life additions, rewards players who familiarize themselves with its various gameplay systems and has a lot of replayability on top of that. Unfortunately it also offers an unimpressive story as well and might be potentially overwhelming for genre newcomers Star Ocean: The Second Story R is the kind of remake that will replace the original game for most players ā simply because it keeps all the qualities of the original while adding features that enhance the overall experience, thus making it more enjoyable even for modern audiences. A list of [url=https://www.rpgsite.net/guide/15012-star-ocean-the-second-story-r-version-differences-comparsion]the various additions to the game is simply too long to discuss it here, but notable additions to the JRPG remake include the removal of random encounters (enemies show up on the map, unfortunately only as moving shadow blobs),the addition of objective markers, fishing and a combat rework which includes a stagger system and changes to spellcasting. That said, even with all of these (very appreciated!) additions present, The Second Story R is still a game made for a very specific audience - and as such might not appeal to everyone, including fans of the JRPG genre. The basics first: As indicated by the āRā in the title, The Second Story R is a remake of the 1998 PlayStation One game Star Ocean: The Second Story - a game many consider to be the best (& as such most popular one) of the franchise. Despite being called The Second Story however, the story connections to the first game in the franchise, Star Ocean (1996), are slim - mainly consisting out of a short recap at the beginning of the game as well as a few references here and there. This makes The Second Story R a great choice as your first Star Ocean game, unless you prefer playing through a franchise chronologically. Thanks to the excellent āHD-2Dā treatment already seen in games like Octopath Traveller or Live a Live , The Second Story R is also beautiful to look at while not being very demanding in terms of system requirements. I do wish the locations had a more varied look at times, but thatās just how the original game was like. The battle animations are also a sight to behold, looking very flashy to the point where itās sometimes hard to determine whatās going on. Still, the game simply looks great overall and even features new artworks and a (toggleable) rearranged soundtrack, which really make a game from 1998 seem like a modern AA JRPG. Despite following the usual JRPG formula of following the story through an overworld, town and various dungeons, The Second Story R offers two notable differences compared to other JRPGs. For one, there are two routes to choose from after starting the game ā Claude or Rena. While the core story remains the same, there are a [url=https://www.rpgsite.net/guide/15068-star-ocean-the-second-story-r-claude-rena-which-protagonist-should-you-choose]few differences between the two. While nice to have for a potential second playthrough, itās not necessary to play through both in order to āgetā the story. However, it does matter for the second notable difference: The party system. The Second Story R offers twelve potential party members besides the protagonists Claude & Rena ā but the maximum party only allows for eight characters (including both protagonists), which means itās impossible to recruit all potential party members during one playthrough. Some characters also wonāt join depending on the chosen route or already recruited party members. As different party members offer different abilities, interactions (āPrivate Actionsā) and change the endings of the game (there are 99 different character endings!), recruiting is one of the most important parts of the game. However, it proves to be a double-edged sword in practice. On the one hand, having your recruitment decisions shape the story (even if itās not much), is a nice touch and allows for more individual playthroughs. On the other hand, without [url=https://www.rpgsite.net/feature/14999-star-ocean-the-second-story-r-character-recruitment-guide-and-best-party]a recruitment guide , itās impossible to know some of the recruitment conditions as the game doesnāt tell you ā not even during what time of the story the last possible character can be recruited. You might recruit characters too early in fear of missing out ā or you end up with fewer party members than expected because you waited for too long. Of course, if youāre already planning for multiple playthroughs, this doesnāt matter since you can simply try different combinations. But if you prefer playing through games just once, itās a different story entirely. Speaking of story, the plot of The Second Story R is probably the weakest aspect of the ~20h game. I would even go as far as to say that if you play (J)RPGs for the story, this might not be a game purchasing. The plot is a fairly standard one and predictable at that. Even worse, the story barely even moves during the first half (!) of the game, almost coming to a halt just after the introductory sequences. And while there are some okay character moments, almost all of them are largely forgettable. The story of The Second Story R might be serviceable to guide you through the game but if youāre even barely familiar with (J)RPGs, chances are high that youāve encountered more interesting stories elsewhere. If I had to describe who The Second Story R was made for instead, Iād say that itās the type of game thatās made for players who not only like to familiarize themselves with the various gameplay systems but also like to take advantage of them. The Second Story R is a JRPG that offers a lot of ways to influence your battle performance ā and by that I donāt just mean the usual suspects like levelling, changing equipment or optimizing the party composition. No, there are also additional gameplay systems like battle formations, bonus gauges, assault actions, perfect counters, item creation, item modification, battle skills, special arts, combos and specialties in place. If you like (J)RPGs that offer more than āsimpleā level-ups with predetermined stat increases and equipment that can only be bought at shops or found in dungeons/battles, The Second Story R has a lot of min-maxing & replayability potential to offer. Thatās not to say that The Second Story R is an especially punishing game on ānormalā difficulty, as some of the remakeās additions prevent potential frustrations. A few examples include fast travelling from almost everywhere (even in dungeons!) to stock up on supplies in cities, gaining advantage on enemies by ambushing them from behind in the overworld or simply retrying a fight after making strategy readjustments instead of being forced to load the latest save. However, you also wonāt beat the game by simply ignoring gameplay systems (item creation in particular), randomly investing your skill points and mashing buttons during the real-time fights. As the AI can occasionally perform frustratingly bad (especially ranged characters), The Second Story R requires you to interact with at least some of its systems if you want to stay on top of the difficulty curve without brute-forcing it through grinding. Concluding, The Second Story R is a JRPG I could easily recommend to fans of the original game who want to experience the possibly best version of it. Itās also a great game for players who prefer more varied, complex gameplay systems that allow you to ābreakā the game early on if you know what to do (Claudeās ultimate weapon can be acquired only a few hours into the game, for example). Players who are entirely new to the genre or play (J)RPGs mainly for the story might be better off looking for other games, however.
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Last Updates
| Steam data | 19 November 2024 22:15 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 20 December 2024 01:03 |
| Steam price | 23 December 2024 12:50 |
| Steam reviews | 23 December 2024 15:47 |
Online players
126
Developer
Square Enix,
Gemdrops, Inc.
Publisher
Square Enix
Release
02 Nov 2023
Platforms