As far as in-game graphics go, the game certainly ages better than First Departure, but it still has its bumps and bruises.‚ In-town and dungeons are 2D-sprites layered on top of pre-rendered backgrounds, and they still work extremely well, but when the game tries to go semi-3D in movements from town-to-town, the blocky graphics and significant draw-in can be a bit jarring.‚ Nonetheless, there is enough diversity in settings and areas where it’s rarely a big issue, and it can even be enjoyable when you frame it with the context that in some ways, you are viewing a historical document.
The Star Ocean series was one of the earliest action RPGs, where the battle system involves actually moving one’s character around the battle field while attacking/defending/healing in real-time.‚ In the game, battles happen on a 2D playing field, with the player controlling one character, while the A.I. controls the remainder of your party, although you can switch the player-controlled character at any time.‚ Party members can be given basic instructions in the easy to use menus, and they perform generally very well, attacking opportunistically, taking advantage of enemy weaknesses and knowing when to heal and help others.‚ The game is nearly a decade old, yet there are still plenty of more modern role-playing games with a similar battle system that have yet to match this level of NPC intelligence, and it’s one of the stronger points of the game.‚ In addition, the level system also feature a unique skill system that allows players to develop various characters skills on an individual level, with these choices also influencing a creation system to make items from things gained in battles that take advantage of those skills.‚ It’s mildly complex yet simple in its usage, and again, many more modern games fail to match it in terms of flexibility and customization.
The new version does have some balancing issues however.‚ With the original version often being chided as far too hard, especially the boss battles, Square made enemies a bit weaker, but also implemented a combo system, where as what was once just one attack can quickly turn into three with some quick button mashing.‚ The addition was certainly well-intended, but in many ways the game has crossed to the other side of the tracks and become far too easy with your main character seeing his attack tripled, and against all but the toughest of enemies, strategy and the use of specials can often be thrown out the window.
I almost want to give this game two scores.‚ As an older gamer who played the original upon its release, I couldn’t help but be overcome by an incredibly warm feeling of remembrance from the opening cut scene to the final battle, while also appreciating how ahead of its time many of the games inner workings are.‚ Still, for somebody picking up the game for the first time, the game may feel too easy and a bit dated.‚ Therefore, Star Ocean: Second Departure is a must-buy for the hardcore and those looking for a little bit of history, but its old-school style and gleaming nostalgia might not charm all newer players.
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