For many, Star Ocean: The Second Story R may just be another remake of a highly revered PlayStation title, but in all honestly, it is one of the must-play JRPGs of the year. In many ways, the remake successfully retains the characteristics of the sci-fi/fantasy themes from the franchise while introducing new features that bring it up to par with modern titles. The game’s visuals have also been overhauled and inspired by Octopath Traveler’s aesthetics, making it a very charming world to get lost in.

Square Enix has taken a big bet on its proprietary HD-2D/2.5D graphic style, which seems to be paying off. While Star Ocean: The Second Story R’s visuals might be the main attraction here, its solid foundation of charismatic characters, new gameplay mechanics, and gripping side stories make it an impressive package worth experiencing. With meaningful new quality-of-life features and impressive gameplay, Star Ocean: The Second Story R may just be slightly ahead of the curve for JRPG remakes.

Related: Star Ocean The Second Story R Developers On How It's "An Entirely Different Experience"

Star Ocean: The Second Story R’s Story Still Mesmerizes

Star Ocean 2 is set 20 years after the events of the first game, albeit one is not required to play it for Star Ocean: The Second Story R. You start by picking one of the two main protagonists, Claude or Rena. Claude is a member of the space force Earth Federation, while Rena lives on a medieval-esque planet called Expel. Like any Isekai anime, both characters cross paths after Claude interacts with a mysterious object on a newly discovered planet. After arriving at Rena’s village and being mistaken as a fabled hero by the locals, the two set off on an adventure for different reasons. Claude wants to contact his ship, while Rena wants to investigate Cataclysms on Expel caused by a meteor.

Much like classic JRPG tropes, their quest to get answers entwines with each other that could affect the fate of the world. While the overarching story might seem predictable, it is full of twists and riveting side stories that cement an emotional bond with party members. In fact, there are 11 party members you can come across during the adventure, each having a side story that adds more life to the overall experience. These are known as “Private Actions,” which give more background about party members and their origins using cutscenes in a town or an area of interest. However, Star Ocean: The Second Story R takes it even further by introducing a friendship system that can directly affect the story’s ending.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R’s narrative is an excellent amalgamation of classic sci-fi and fantasy storytelling that will captivate players for about 30 hours. Even though the main narrative is simple like its original counterpart, the game truly shines during smaller moments with subtle romantic moments and mesmerizing Private Action set pieces that do the bulk of the world-building.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R’s Gameplay Spin Keeps Things Interesting

The gameplay for Star Ocean: The Second Story R is rooted in classic JRPGs, albeit with new systems that make it more engaging and fast paced. You travel on an overworld between towns; however, instead of random encounters, you now have to battle enemies denoted by blobs. These battles often end up being extremely short encounters that can get a bit monotonous later on.

Even though the overworld encounters can be quite repetitive, they do have a natural flow that makes them quite exciting. Most of these encounters last 10-20 seconds depending on the number of enemies, but the engaging combat puts a modern spin to keep things interesting. Coupled with a new ‘Break’ and dodging system, some of the tougher fights can be pretty exciting and a bit chaotic at the same time.

However, these short encounters don’t prepare you for some boss battles, as they are significantly more challenging. Star Ocean: The Second Story R lacks the right balance of formidable overworld enemies that give players enough practice and the opportunity to Special Art moves. Additionally, since you can only control one character at a time, Ally AI is not up to par with some modern titles and requires intervention during crucial moments. There were many instances where Party Members would remain stagnant, even with specific strategies set for them.

This prevalent issue would force you to switch between characters to move them around to avoid powerful attacks from enemies, resulting in interrupting the natural flow of combat. While combat gameplay might not be perfect, it does enough to keep things interesting for the entire playthrough and isn't much of a hindrance once one gets used to it.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R New Features Make It Timeless

The visuals of Star Ocean: The Second Story R take inspiration from other Square Enix titles and use the HD-2D graphics style. However, it sets itself apart by rendering a 3D world with 2D sprites. It’s a neat take on the style and, in many cases, looked prettier than the two Octopath Traveler titles. The unique visual style is also quite alluring, with stunning vistas that look quite hyperrealistic and fitting for a timeless modern remake.

To bring Star Ocean: The Second Story R up to par with modern titles, Square Enix has also added some fresh mechanics that aid during combat and leveling up. For example, the new Assault Action system lets one summon guest characters from other Star Ocean titles that help you in combat. It works seamlessly in boss encounters and adds more flair to an otherwise repetitive loop.

Other systems include a new gauge where you pick up golden orbs each time an enemy is defeated. Once the required amount is collected, you get passive buffs such as better defense. However, what makes this mechanic interesting is that the gauge resets if you don’t dodge on time or get damaged from certain attacks. It’s an excellent reward system that encourages players to master basic mechanics and improve stats along the way.

One last time-saving feature that felt like a great addition was the ability to equip better equipment automatically. When purchasing better gear, a pop-up notifies players that better equipment is available for a certain party member. You can instantly equip the item without having the need to go into the menu. When one adds up many of the new little quality-of-life features, Star Ocean The Second Story R shapes up to be an excellent example of how a remake should be made.

Star Ocean The Second Story R ticks all the right boxes for a faithful remake of a beloved title from the PS1 era. Its stunning new visuals and new meaningful mechanics make it a must-play JRPG for both newcomers and fans of the original. When considering the whole package, Star Ocean The Second Story R may not be a heavy hitter like other titles from this year, but it’s definitely a charming remake that tells a compelling story JRPG fans should experience at least once.