Star Ocean is a series of science fantasy action role-playing games. It was created by the Japanese company tri-Ace and published by Square Enix, which was previously known as Enix.
Development
Star Ocean is one of the earliest real-time role-playing games (RPGs) that allows players to change the story's ending based on their choices and actions. This is mainly done through a social system called "private actions." The first Star Ocean game, released in 1996 by Enix and developed by tri-Ace, introduced this system. Players earn relationship points with other characters by making choices during the game. These points affect the story, leading to different paths and multiple endings. The 1999 sequel, Star Ocean: The Second Story, expanded this system, offering up to 86 unique endings, with hundreds of possible combinations. This set a standard for the number of outcomes in video games. Inspired by dating sim games, the system used friendship and relationship points to let players pair characters in romantic or friendly relationships. These choices also influenced how characters acted during battles.
The developers at tri-Ace, who are fans of science fiction and space travel, designed the Star Ocean series with a sci-fi setting. They were influenced by Star Trek, especially in the game's visuals and overall themes. The first game included more fantasy elements to attract a wide audience, but later games focused more on sci-fi. Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, described by its producer Yoshinori Yamagishi as tri-Ace's "ultimate vision" of the Star Ocean world, reflects this shift. The long time gap between Star Ocean: The Second Story and Till the End of Time in the game's timeline is due to the series focusing on building the fictional world rather than following specific characters. In Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, producer Shuichi Kobayashi noted that a key theme is the idea of first contact between different societies and planets.
Games
The first game in the series was called Star Ocean. It was released on July 19, 1996, for the Super Famicom and was only available in Japan. However, it was translated into English unofficially by a group called DeJap Translations through a process called ROM hacking. Players can now play the game using emulation. This game introduced key elements of the series, such as a futuristic setting, real-time battles, item creation, and private actions. The story takes place in 346 SD and follows Roddick Farrence as he searches for a cure to a sickness on his planet with the help of two Earthlings. An enhanced remake called Star Ocean: First Departure was released for the PlayStation Portable on December 27, 2007, in Japan, and later in North America and Europe in October 2008. This version used the engine from Star Ocean 2, included prerendered backgrounds and 3D battlefields, and added new character art, animated cut-scenes, and fully voiced dialogue. It also introduced new playable characters.
Star Ocean: The Second Story was released for the PlayStation on July 30, 1998, in Japan, May 31, 1999, in North America, and April 12, 2000, in Europe. It kept the features from the first game but added prerendered backgrounds, full motion videos, and 3D battlefields. The story takes place in 366 SD and follows new characters, including Claude C. Kenny, the son of Ronyx J. Kenny from the first game, and Rena Lanford. Together, they investigate the Sorcery Globe, which has landed on Planet Expel and caused disasters. An enhanced version called Star Ocean: Second Evolution was released for the PlayStation Portable on April 2, 2008, in Japan, January 20, 2009, in North America, and in Australia and Europe the following month. It included fully voiced dialogue, new playable characters, and new artwork and animated cut-scenes from Production I.G.
Star Ocean: Blue Sphere is a direct sequel to The Second Story and was released for the Game Boy Color on June 28, 2001, in Japan. A North American version was planned but canceled. This game adapted the series for handheld devices, changing features like interactive item creation, auto private actions, 2D side-scrolling battles, and Field Actions. It also removed random battles. The story takes place in 368 SD, two years after The Second Story, and follows the return of all twelve main characters as they investigate the mystery of Planet Edifice, which destroys civilizations every 200 years. A Japanese-only remake for mobile devices was released in 2008 with new graphics, controls, and a revised battle system.
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in 2003. A director’s cut with bonus dungeons, new playable characters, a versus mode, and improved gameplay was released in 2004 and brought to North America and Europe the same year. This game was the first fully 3D title in the series and included fully voiced dialogue. It kept most features from earlier games but added new elements, such as the fury and bonus battle gauge, the ability to patent items created during item creation, and the option to recruit inventors to make items for the player. The story takes place in 772 SD, nearly 400 years after Blue Sphere, and follows Fayt Leingod, who is pursued by Vendeeni forces after being separated from his family during an alien attack.
Star Ocean: The Last Hope was released for the Xbox 360 in February 2009 for Japan and North America, and in June 2009 for Australia and Europe. It was also released for the PlayStation 3 worldwide in February 2010. This game is a prequel to the series and follows the aftermath of World War III, where humanity must find a new home to survive. The protagonist is Edge Maverick, who is joined by his childhood friend, Reimi Saionji.
Star Ocean: Material Trader is a free-to-play card and item creation RPG developed by Hippos Lab and published by Square Enix for the GREE mobile phone social network in 2013. The service was discontinued in February 2014, and the game was later removed from the platform.
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness was released for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 in 2016. The story takes place between The Second Story and Till the End of Time, in 537 SD.
Star Ocean: Anamnesis is a free-to-play role-playing game with 3D characters and environments. Players could battle enemies in real time with up to four players. It was released in Japan on December 7, 2016, and later worldwide in July 2018 for Android and iOS devices. Both the global and Japanese versions were discontinued in 2019 and 2021, respectively.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam on October 27, 2022. The game features two protagonists and a story that changes based on player choices. Akira Yasuda, known as Akiman, returned as the character designer from Integrity and Faithlessness and Anamnesis.
Of the seven games in the series, six were released outside Japan. Star Ocean: The Second Story was the first game published in the USA by Sony Computer Entertainment America.
With the PlayStation 2 release of Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, Square Enix aimed to attract more gamers, especially in the United States, where the franchise had limited popularity. A Director’s Cut version with additional content was released in North America and included more playable characters, new games, and extra storylines. By July 2005, Till the End of Time was part of Sony’s Greatest Hits line, indicating its success in North America.
In 2008, Square Enix released an enhanced remake of the original Star Ocean for the PlayStation Portable called Star Ocean: First Departure. This was followed in 2009 by an enhanced version of The Second Story for the PlayStation Portable called Star Ocean: Second Evolution.
Star Ocean: The Last Hope was released in North America just one week after its Japanese launch on the Xbox 360. An enhanced version
Common elements
The characters in the series were designed to look like action figures. A feature that would have changed the characters' appearance when they used different equipment was planned but not used because there were too many characters to design. In a later game called Star Ocean: The Last Hope, the characters' appearances did change to match the weapons they used.
A common gameplay element is that some story choices and endings are hard to find because players are not shown details like "affection points." This has made some players frustrated because they feel they are missing choices they didn't know about. However, others enjoy the challenge of discovering new choices, which allows them to experience different stories when they play again.
Star Ocean games include a wide variety of items. Party members can make new items or improve old ones through activities like metalworking, alchemy, writing, painting, and cooking. The strongest items and equipment are usually only available by creating them. Many other items can be sold for money or used for other purposes, such as books that teach new skills or cooked food that helps players carry more items. This shows how important item creation is in the games.
Star Ocean games are known for their real-time battle systems, which were among the first of their kind on consoles. Battles happen on a separate screen, and all characters can move freely in three dimensions. They can dodge enemies, chase them, and use spells or attacks even when enemies are trying to stop them. In earlier games, magicians used spells, and fighters used special attacks called "Killer Moves." These abilities are learned after reaching certain levels, completing specific tasks, or using special items. In Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, all characters can use both spells and Killer Moves.
Music
Motoi Sakuraba composed the first Star Ocean game. The music included sounds from real instruments like flutes and digitized battle cries during fights. Sakuraba also composed and arranged the scores for Star Ocean and First Departure. Critics praised his use of progressive rock style and his musical creativity in these projects. Some tracks from Star Ocean: The Second Story were added to the First Departure album. These tracks included both familiar Star Ocean themes and less-known songs. Some musical pieces were not on the original album but were added in the remake. The First Departure remake included the theme song "Heart," performed by the Japanese group Asunaro. This song played during the game's opening and ending scenes and was part of the 2008 official soundtrack. For the First Departure R version, the theme was replaced with "Atarashī Ippo" by Yauchi Keiko of Shadow of Laffandor.
Motoi Sakuraba also composed the music for Star Ocean: Blue Sphere. He created the soundtrack using a PC-9801 computer. Composing for the Game Boy Color was challenging because of limited sound capabilities. Sakuraba especially remembered the battle theme "Hand to Hand," as he tried to show the energy of battle despite the hardware limits. He composed the music for Star Ocean: Till the End of Time. The soundtrack was released in four parts. A special edition of the first volume included a box to hold all four albums. When the game was revised into the Director's Cut, Sakuraba composed new music and released an album with these tracks. The song "The Small Bird That Forgot How to Fly" by JPop singer Misia was used for the game's ending credits.
Sakuraba also composed the music for Star Ocean: The Last Hope. The soundtrack was released in two parts: the first was a 3-CD set with 71 tracks, including a DVD with an interview with Sakuraba, footage of his workshop, and videos of him performing original music. The second part was an arrange soundtrack with remixes of tracks from the original. Sakuraba is a key composer for the Star Ocean series. He included a synth-rock soundtrack in Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness. As with other games in the series, the music for Star Ocean: Anamnesis was also composed by Motoi Sakuraba.
Manga and anime
There was an unfinished manga series created by Mayumi Azuma that was based on the game Star Ocean: The Second Story. This manga inspired an anime series called Star Ocean EX, which was also unfinished. The anime was released in the United States by Geneon Entertainment. The series has 26 episodes that follow events from the first disc of the PlayStation version of the game. After the anime ended, the story continued on drama CDs.
Reception
By 2013, the game series had sold more than 4.2 million copies. In a 2009 review, Nintendo Life praised the technical quality of Star Ocean, calling it "one of the best-looking Super Nintendo games ever created" and noting that the soundtrack "never ceases to amaze." Famitsu reviewed Star Ocean: The First Departure, a remake of the original Star Ocean, stating that the animation and characters were well done and the story was "charming." However, they noted that players could only save progress at specific points, such as the world map, which they felt was too large and had a limited field of view. Star Ocean: The Second Story is one of the most popular games in the series. While most reviewers gave positive feedback, some considered the game only average. Jeff Lundrigan, reviewing the PlayStation version for Next Generation, wrote that the game had both strengths and weaknesses but ultimately called it "average." Star Ocean: Blue Sphere gained popularity in Japan because of its story and gameplay systems, which led tri-Ace to remake it for mobile devices. The remake included redrawn graphics and a remastered soundtrack.
Initially, Star Ocean: Till the End of Time received mixed reactions in Japan. Some parts of the game had technical issues, and it did not work properly on older PlayStation 2 models (SCPH-10000). Enix blamed Sony, as they had used features from updated software that were not compatible with older systems. Star Ocean: The Last Hope was reviewed by IGN, which noted that while the story's pacing was uneven, the game's action-packed gameplay helped it remain enjoyable. One issue was the need to switch discs when traveling between planets later in the game.
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness was noted by IGN for having graphics that ranged from very high quality to low quality, similar to the game Minecraft. The review also mentioned that the lack of cutscenes reduced the emotional impact of the acting. However, the game's score and characters were praised. Star Ocean: Anamnesis was described by Kotaku as "exploitative but charming," highlighting its use of nostalgia but criticizing the "blandness" of its free-to-play format.