Bolder than Star Ocean: First Departure R, this Star Ocean: The Second Story R developed by Gemdrops undertakes to modernize the game’s environments with 3D while remaining faithful to the style and 2D characters of the game released on PS1. It is therefore a rather special 2.5D rendering that awaits us, knowing that Square Enix has entrusted the mangaka Yukihiro Kajimoto with the task of highlighting Claude, Rena and the others with illustrations worthy of the name, the original drawings being dated to say the least. What has not aged a bit, on the other hand, in StarOcean 2, these are the fantastic melodies of a Motoi Sakuraba then in full creative enlightenment (imagine that the bugger will continue a year later with the incredible music of Valkyrie Profile). By straining your ears, this trailer allows you to have a little taste of the arrangements that the master himself has made for this remake, knowing that Sakuraba has also split all new melodies for certain parts of the story, including boss battles.
Double Dragon (the ref for Ashton fans)
As in the original game, Star Ocean: The Second Story R will allow you to start the adventure of your choice in the shoes of Claude or Rena. The first, from a technologically advanced world, wakes up one day on the planet of Rena, a young villager with pointy ears and blue hair, where magic has developed far more than science. This encounter between science fiction and fantasy remains Star Ocean’s signature to this day, but it is undoubtedly this second episode that has left the best memories, both for its characters and its systems and its universe, despite some imbalances that we hope to see corrected for the occasion.
Moreover, this remake will offer three new difficulty modes. ” Choose EARTH for a leisurely journey, GALAXY for a serious challenge, or go for UNIVERSE… if you really want to put yourself to the test “, Can we read on the Steam page where there is also talk of a new fast travel option. Always in real time, the fights are enriched with a new feature Break which allows you to stop enemies in their tracks before inflicting combos on them. “Assault actions” are also new and will involve allies to deal massive damage very quickly.
Sign that Square Enix does not seem to take this remake lightly, we will be entitled to a physical release on PlayStation and Switch, the choice of dubbing (Japanese, English) and subtitles in French, Italian, German and Spanish, which will be available when the game launches through an update. A collector’s edition is also available in limited quantities on the Square Enix store, including an artbook, the soundtrack on 4 CDs and a collection of mini acrylic plates. Now, at 209.99 euros the collector’s box, it’s up to you.