I missed out on Star Ocean the first time it was released because it was in Japan. Sure, there was the fan-translation, but I never really got into it. My first Star Ocean was Star Ocean 3, and it’s a miracle I still played the series afterward. I did not care for a few things about SO3. Time and again I was told “Play 1 and 2 mate, they’re amazing!” and when they came out on PSP, I did!
The PSP was awesome, too! So, when I heard the PSP remake of Star Ocean 1 (Star Ocean: First Departure) was going to get remake/re-release on the Switch and PS4, I was so excited I could hardly stand it. Most of my downtime has been absorbed in this game over the last week or so. That’s why this took so long to get up; I couldn’t put it down!
What You’re In For:
This is a remake of Star Ocean: First Departure, so all of the content from that game is here. There isn’t, that I’m aware of, extra content that wasn’t in that game. That’s perfectly fine. Star Ocean 1 comes from a time when there were always different ways to play RPGs. There are tons of secrets, fun things to unlock, and several different paths to walk.
One of the most important things about Star Ocean that I feel new players have to know is the cast. While Roddick is the main character, there are three “playthroughs”. Not all characters will want to adventure together. There are three essential routes: Cyuss, Ashlay, Phia. I won’t spoil for you who journeys with who, but bear this in mind. I would definitely look at who does what and decide for yourself.
My party was: Roddick, Cyuss, Ioshua, Maevelle. I had a pair of brutal warriors, a healer (that doesn’t have raise dead), and a spellcaster. I’m at the end of the game now, and they have served me well. Combat is very easy, too. Or so it seems. When the screen blurs and you shift into battle, you’re in a small area with your team and the enemies. It’s an action RPG like Tales, if you aren’t familiar.
You control one character, but you can hit Circle to swap to someone else to use an item or a specific spell/attack. You have an attack button, buttons for your special skills, and your item button. It’s also important to note that you can only have two skills as active powers on the R1/L1 buttons. NPCs can cast as many abilities as you give them permission to (in the Special Power screen, you can disable whichever you like). Combat is easy, fun, and very satisfying. I found more often than not though I ran through a lot of items. Maybe that’s just me being inept; I’m willing to believe that.
A New Look on a Classic:
There is something that sort of surprised me: the characters on the overworld look brand-new, and the overworld map is the same PSP map. I mean, it looks good, and it makes the characters pop visually. But it really surprised me. There’s also a new voice over for the Japanese characters, as well as the original voiceover. The same goes for character portraits. There are the remakes of these too, and oh man, they’re gorgeous. The art styles are very different.
The combat is still the same though, even if the encounter rate feels incredibly high. That’s always bothered me. Even with the ability to reduce encounters, that seemed to never work. In fact, when I used this specialty in-game, I had more battles, with every three steps being a new, frustrating battle.
It’s also important to note that in my experience, about 40% of fights are sneak attacks or surround attacks. Almost every fight made me dazed, so I recommend putting points into the skill that reduces “Daze” time. I enjoy the Star Ocean/Tales combat, I always have. But when every other fight is a surround or ambush attack, I was tearing at my hair in fury.
Bringing it Back: 4/5 (Great)
Star Ocean 1 is a game that, despite being on the PSP as well, I feel it is a forgotten classic. This is a faithful rendition of a game that I fell in love with when it was remade the first time. The story is well told and is incredibly deep. There are a lot of really dark twists and turns, and most of the characters have interesting backstories and motivations.
I don’t want to spoil it, but Star Ocean: First Departure-R is a tale of humans with high technology coming to a planet of less-developed cat people. A terrible catastrophe has befell this world, and we’re going to meddle to set things right. I cannot possibly say enough good things about Star Ocean 1. You can easily build however you want, and there are tons of skills and ways to create and customize gear. There are plenty of characters to choose from, but depending on who you have, they might not want to join you at all. Do some research before you dive in to avoid disappointment.
Other than the tedious walking back-and-forth between long distances, and constantly being ambushed, Star Ocean: First Departure is a must-play. Plus, it’s on the Switch too! Don’t miss out on it! I’m willing to bet it will come to the PC sometime next year, too.