Star Ocean may not signify anything to anyone other than old-school JRPG enthusiasts. The series has always been two or three levels below in popularity from Final Fantasy or even Dragon Quest, but those who have delved into it are eager to proclaim its glories. Star Ocean games have appeared at an inconsistent pace since their inception in 1996, with just five core games released to date, the most recent being Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness in 2016. That game, as well as the preceding instalment, were not well received, leaving fans concerned about the future of this minor series.
The unveiling of Star Ocean: The Divine Force at Sony’s October 2021 State of Play event means a lot to fans of the franchise and has made fans of JRPGs in general excited about this unique game that merges fantasy elements into a sci-fi-inspired environment. The trailer was barely two and a half minutes long, but more information has been released. If you’re interested by this unusual-looking JRPG from Square Enix, here’s all we know about Star Ocean: The Divine Force.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force has been given the release date of October 27, 2022.
While the teaser for Sony’s State of Play event only mentioned the PlayStation 4 and PS5, Star Ocean: The Divine Force will also be available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and S, as well as PC. It will be available on every platform on the same day and date, thus there will be no platform exclusivity, timed or otherwise. Obviously, we anticipate that the current-generation versions will have advantages over earlier generations, but we don’t yet know what those advantages will be. The typical suspects include graphics, load times, and frame rates.
While each game in the series is distinct from the others, players of previous games may notice some familiar concepts in Star Ocean: The Divine Force. We already know about the dual-protagonist system, but whether you play as Raymond or Laeticia, exploration and traversal were key highlights. Verticality was emphasised in especially, with characters soaring in all directions up and around the landscapes. The game will promote complete 3D exploration, making the planet even more enjoyable to inhabit.
Combat was also given a lot of screen time, as well as some more indications via official pronouncements. This JRPG starts with full-on action fighting, which means it’s not a turn-based affair. Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness featured a combination of real-time and turn-based combat, but this time they’re focusing on action. There will be no gaps between combat and exploration, and no random battles. Enemies exist in the world for you to interact with or avoid at your leisure. If and when you decide to battle, there is no transition, and attacking appears to be quick and responsive thus far.
The game will also offer a more tactical style of play by allowing the user to halt the action at any point to give instructions, switch characters, or just plot.
Aside from Raymond and Laeticia, whom you will select at the start of the game, the other party members are also playable. We see Elena sprinting through a canyon-like area, fighting with a laser whip weapon, and Albaird throwing ice magic. We may therefore infer that, provided the cast is greater than these four, all party members will be playable. You’ll get a distinct cast of party members depending on whatever character you choose at the outset.
Outside of battle, you have a multitude of movement options, such as jumping and gliding around the landscape.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force debuted a new teaser at the Tokyo Game Show 2022. This one begins with our core cast against the Federation, especially an officer who wrecked Raymond’s ship. Instead of seeing how this plays out, we get additional detail to the continuing struggle on Aster IV. It’s worth noting that the Federation appears to be allied with the Empire, which explains why our two protagonists would band together against their mutual foes.
There are also lighter moments when Aster IV characters are sent through space and into new, future worlds.
There is also a lot of speculation about an invader with the capacity to convert individuals into something they are not. While the details are sketchy, this looks to be a serious issue for the actors.