New details about Star Ocean: The Second Story R have been revealed in an extensive Famitsu interview with Gemdrops producer Yuichiro Kitao and the Star Ocean team. Star Ocean: The Second Story R will include several quality of life changes, difficulty adjustments, new side quests, and much more.
Development of the upcoming remake was decided due to growing interest for the Star Ocean series. Star Ocean: The Second Story is one of the most popular games in the franchise, and Square Enix received many fan requests for a remake. Some fans may have noticed that the official logo for Star Ocean: The Second Story R harkens back to the logo from the original PlayStation version instead of PSP’s Second Evolution. This change was intentional, but fans can still expect character voices from Second Evolution.
Star Ocean: The Second Story R – New Side Quests, Adjustments, and More
In Star Ocean: The Second Story R, events will be fully voiced, and the world has been recreated in 3D graphics. Despite not being a true HD-2D title, the remake captures a similar aesthetic. Additionally, the game’s difficulty has been completely reworked with several adjustments to the combat system. Difficulty adjustments were needed in Star Ocean: The Second Story R to adjust the tempo, hit feedback, skill effects, rage, and other mechanics in combat. One of the main goals for the remake was to create a “stress-free” and accessible title for players to enjoy. As a result, time freezing mechanics have been adjusted to compensate for the gameplay changes.
Characters outside of the main party may join as “assist-type” characters. Some of the mid-game bosses in Star Ocean: The Second Story R have been strengthened without serving as an overwhelming challenge. Moreover, Star Ocean: The Second Story R will feature new side quests that offer useful rewards. Three difficulty levels from the original game are still present, but fans may change the difficulty level at any time now.
Lastly, Star Ocean: The Second Story R launches November 2 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.
