![]() There is a port system that will normally take you to a sister port on another continent, but the majority of travel is done on foot between landlocked villages. Tri-Ace compensates for this lack of "stuff" by requiring frequent backtracking, which usually culminates in another cutscene that orders you straight back to where you came from-on the other side of the world. In fact, there's not much for you to do other than shop and enjoy pretty cutscenes. There are few full dungeons to complete as well, and those that you are given are easy to navigate. There aren't that many villages to explore and even fewer quests. Star Ocean's most disappointing aspect is that it feels devoid of everything except random battles and an optional crafting system. A final set of skills exists for additional tweaking, called specialties and super specialties, which activate unique skills that adjust experience or skill points earned in battle. You'll probably find it more useful to spend skill points to directly modify character stats for greater character customization or to enhance combat by unlocking special battle abilities that ignore enemy defense, decrease casting time, and the like. These should please item collectors, but unlocking them is largely an unnecessary, time-consuming venture given the ease with which you require money and items. ![]() There are numerous abilities for you to unlock, including item appraisal, crafting, and cooking. For example, in order to master art, you need to distribute skill points into both aesthetics and sketching. Skill points, which are acquired by leveling, can be spent on skills to learn special abilities once you've mastered them in the right combination. When you're tired of battling enemies, you may enjoy exploring the comprehensive skill system and crafting options, which provide nearly all of the game's depth. You may also find it difficult to outmaneuver or block attacks, which is especially irritating when you're being pummeled from all sides and the targeting reticle is locked bouncing between foes. This results in a lot of monotonous button mashing. Little to no strategy is involved even for boss fights, and while some enemies exhibit elemental weaknesses, they rarely impact skill or spell usage. Though the battle system has finally joined the 21st century, it quickly grows wearisome because of the game's barebones three-hit combos, lack of enemy variety, and limited skill slots that restrict your melee leader to two special attacks. You can now roam the battlefield to dodge attacks or switch targets, which is a great improvement that more closely links the game to the rest of the series. The system allows for precise strategic control by enabling you to set party tactics either across the board or individually, and as is customary with the series, you're free to switch between party members even midfight for more direct intervention. Battles are random and utilize a very quick, real-time battle system in which you control the party leader while the competent AI manages your teammates. The bulk of the gameplay occurs on an almost barren 3D world map, where you use an improved onscreen minimap with a convenient zoom feature to locate castles and villages. Unfortunately, this leads to roaming cities in search of new scenes, which may occasionally help you unlock party members, but are rarely informative or useful. The overall plot is quite bland, with almost no side quests, but it is accentuated by brief character dialogues called "private action scenes" intended to add depth and intrigue. Soon, however, he is joined by two Earthlings who transport him into the past with the hope of obtaining a vaccine. Roddick, a simple country guard, is searching for a cure but so far has come up short. The game opens on the primitive planet Roak, where a disease is turning people to stone. Pretty cutscenes and crafting simply cannot mask its overall shallowness.īattles are now in real time and just as flashy as ever, complete with free movement. But it soon deteriorates into empty button-mashing combat and a ton of tedious backtracking vaguely related to a narrow, mediocre plot. It retains the hallmarks of the series, including a fast-paced, real-time battle system and a highly robust crafting element. The game has received several graphical improvements for its Western debut, highlighted by impressive anime cutscenes courtesy of the popular anime-house, Production I.G. ![]() Star Ocean: First Departure is an enhanced remake of Star Ocean, the original Super Famicom classic and progenitor of Tri-Ace's most renowned franchise.
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