Evolution!

Star Ocean 2 is my third favorite game of all time. It contains some of my all time favorite characters, and the battle system is ripe for endless fun. I was thrilled to learn it was remastered when I was in high school, but I didn't play it until I was nearly done with college. I played the remaster of the first one at this time too. I noticed a few differences when I played it, and I've decided now is the time to compare them.


What do both do well?

Well, pretty much everything. The plot revolves around two lost people trying to get home. It's a simple story. It all blows up pretty fast due to an outside McGuffin. It wraps them up in a universal conquest war, and both characters get a happy resolution after a tumultuous familial journey.

And those endings are varied. While Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest only get one conclusion, Star Ocean gets eighty eight! Solos, couples, friends, and even a few special endings can all be obtained. Some can be tough to get, but I want to see them all. But I never have...

The battle system is fast paced and so much fun. As much as I enjoy turned based games, I understand why some people don't like them. But Star Ocean is an actual skirmish between two sides. And I noticed that even the battlefields can vary wildly. There are stage hazards and oddly shaped platforms that can alter the game. They're not too plentiful, but they're enough to change things up.

The Private Action system is the best thing in RPGs. My favorite part of Final Fantasy VII was the vacation in Costa del Sol because the party split up and did their own thing. I wished they had done it more often. In Star Ocean, they can! Any time you visit a city (with few exceptions), press square, and your party splits up to show some personality. Not all characters are equal, though.

Item Creation existed before Minecraft! And it's pretty in depth and malleable. Weapons, armor, and accessories can all be made, and they're usually better than what can be found in stores.

Because there are two distinct main characters and ten more secondary ones, replayability is off the charts!

This is Motoi Sakuraba's magnum opus. I called it my ninth favorite OST. This time around, I even picked up on the battle/rock themes. I didn't notice that all the wise men fights had their own tracks.


What do both do that suck?
I called Rena's twist comical, and I stand by that. It's over the top and a bit distracting. It kinda killed the weight of the scene for me.

A few characters are pretty lame. The party I ran with this playthrough lacked good PAs. I gave them mediocre marks in my first go around, but that's because I didn't know them well. Now that I've experienced them, I can confirm that Ernest sucks. He's the reward for Opera's side quest, but he's such a waste. He has no good PAs, nothing cute with his (kinda) girlfriend, and he's awful in combat. Bowman is fun when he wants to be, but a brawler isn't great in this battle system. Dias is that edgy douche that doesn't want to play with others. He's also meh in battle compared to others. Ashton, Precis, Leon, and even Noel are the better team. Crisato's pretty cool, though.

I wish there were more places to explore. Expel is a massive planet with a lot of empty space. It could have been used better, but this is a minor gripe.


But what of the differences?

The remake offers a visual novel style artwork when characters speak. I have the tendency to skip over names when reading, so this, along with the added voice work, makes character personalities pop. Every line of dialogue has a new voice actor during normal gameplay and not just for combat. It makes the voice collecting moot, and I can't recall if Philia's image was replaced. But I have issues with both of these.
The voices are fine, but nothing to drive home about. Is it better than the PS? Maybe. But it's less charming. TSS's voice work was so bad it's funny territory. SE is just mid.
In terms of art, why is Rena suddenly twelve? She was aged up for the PSP, but her portrait looks like a child. It's less cute and more creepy now.

The battle system has changed in one way. A combo system was added for melee characters. Instead of one sword swing, Claude now performs three if you press the attack button in quick succession. This is also bad! If you miss the first swing, you've now missed three. It felt like I spent a lot of time flailing about instead of being the Warrior of Light.

The PSP got a retranslation, and it's much needed. I can't recall any specifics, but I know a scene in the PS implied Rena could read the future.

Additional PAs have been made for the remake. Everyone who did nothing can now interact with other party members. Again, I don't know specifics, but I'll trust the internet on this. This is probably the most important change between the two games, and it should be pretty clear what game I'm going to suggest.

I don't like the art and voices because of my nostalgia. Ultimately, I can go either way with the combo system. But the new translation and PAs more than makeup for any minute negatives the others bring.


Plot: too many questionable characters. The Ten Wise Men are deep and interesting the first time you meet them. They get a bit bland later on, but only if you don't know their secret truth. Sadly, there are a few too many middling playable cast members that keep this from being perfect. I got closer to all three, but Ernest sucks, so we remained. 9/10

Gameplay: worth changing. Battles are amazing, but I'm making a change in my review process. Star Ocean has some of my favorite dungeons in the genre. I've been ignoring dungeon design for three years, but I need to start talking about it. I'm replacing the idea of tutorials. 10/10

Art: dreaded pallet swaps. Every enemy has multiple variants of itself. There are plenty of different types, but only a few colors. Fortunately, very few bosses get reused. 8/10

Sound: ninth best video game ost. Up and down the soundtrack are bangers and chill vibes. Every track is a worm, and I love the terrible voice work. It's one of those so bad it's good things. 10/10

Charm: give me more! Side quests and secrets abound. Every character has a success and fail text response to IC. There are just enough relevant side characters, and the abundance of playable ones (with endings) makes me want to play again. 10/10

With no negatives, Star Ocean 2: The Second Story and the Second Evolution get a 47/50. I'd suggest playing the PSP version, but both are amazing. I'm so glad I replayed this, even if my goal of pushing this to a perfect game failed. It actually went backwards, but oh well. I should play Blue Sphere at some point...

Dragon Quest month: coming soon!