So you’re looking for a new JRPG series to dig into? Well, you’ve come to the right place. From the golden age of the Super Nintendo to the present day, we’ve played and studied more Japanese role-playing games than anyone alive, and we’re here to help you find the next big thing.
Star Ocean games
Star Ocean has had its ups and downs over the years. Despite coming into the JRPG scene at the same time as Final Fantasy VII, the first Star Ocean game, released in 1996, wasn’t localized for Western audiences until 2011. Even then, it took a while for the series to find its feet, and the first three games are more cult classics than true masterpieces. However, Star Ocean: The Second Story, from 2000, is considered a masterpiece, with multiple romance options, a dense battle system, and an almost intimidating item creation system.
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness tried to return to that style, but its chaotic combat and low-budget storytelling detracted from the experience. The series’ tendency to explore the consequences of interfering with primitive cultures has been a core theme since the first game, and Integrity and Faithlessness’s attempt at a Na’vi-like culture was a bit clumsy.
But Integrity and Faithlessness isn’t representative of the entire series – far from it, in fact. Star Ocean: Blue Sphere, a Game Boy Color sequel to the first Star Ocean, never made it to the West, so you’ll have to take my word for it that it’s a passable JRPG with a slightly claustrophobic overworld. Meanwhile, Star Ocean: The Last Hope had a terrible script but a refined and fun battle system.
The series has had its ups and downs over the years, then, but things are looking up. Star Ocean: The Second Story is a near-perfect JRPG, but The Divine Force, from 2011, is almost as good. The characters are more fleshed out, the production values are higher, and it even has that dense battle system fans will know and love. It’s the best the series has been in 20 years, at least.
Things took a turn for the chaotic with Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, but it’s not representative of the series.
Then there’s Star Ocean 5, the contentious fifth entry in the series. With improved graphics, a dense battle system, and a plot that takes itself a little too seriously, Star Ocean 5 is divisive, but we think it’s worth a try – especially if you’re a fan of the genre’s JRPG heavyweights, like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and, of course, Tales.
Finally, there’s Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, from 2006, which is the polar opposite of the dense and slow-paced Star Ocean 5. It tries to emulate the fast-paced combat of Devil May Cry and God of War, but the results are mixed. It’s not a bad JRPG; it’s just not very Star Ocean.
That’s Star Ocean in a nutshell. It has its ups and downs, but it’s still worth checking out.