Star Ocean: The Divine Force Reviews
Star Ocean: The Divine Force successfully reinvigorates the RPG franchise with an interesting story and characters as well as beautiful settings. D.U.M.A. also makes it fun to zoom around the map and fly through the air on the battlefield. Although the graphics are hit and miss and there are some quality of life improvements needed, Star Ocean: The Divine Force is a JRPG that's definitely worth your time.
There’s still a layer of jankiness the series can’t escape in terms of visuals and tropey writing. But the compelling characters and gameplay mechanics overshadow the rough edges. If this is the last Star Ocean game, Tri-Ace has gone out with a bang.
Star Ocean The Divine Force wears the undeniable merit of bringing back a franchise that had been derailed after the disaster of Integrity and Faithlessness six years ago.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force will likely win back fans unimpressed with Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness. With its fun cast and expansive narrative, I found the game easy to get invested in, despite the predictably tropey JRPG melodrama. The mobility upgrades and combat overhauls make it the most fun Star Ocean game I have played yet. It's a shame that the awkward character models, ridiculously small text size and sluggish level up mechanics may prove a roadblock for some. If you're not already a Star Ocean or JRPG fan, Star Ocean: The Divine Force might not be that easy to get into. However, if you are willing to overlook some of its shortcomings, and want a fantasy action-RPG with a sci-fi twist, it is worth checking out.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force isn't a bad game at all. I enjoyed my time with it thanks mostly due to the D.U.M.A. mechanic. The experience of playing this game makes me reminiscent of my memories of playing PS2-era JRPGs. A lot of them weren't polished or even that great, but I still had fun playing them.
Rather than aiming for evolution similar to Bandai’s Tales of Arise, tri-Ace and Square Enix went back in time for Star Ocean: The Divine Force. The result is solid, but The Divine Force had the potential to reach even greater heights and establish an identity for the series as a thoughtful reflection on technology and philosophy. If nothing else, at least it proves Star Ocean is still brimming with possibility and deserves another chance, one that will hopefully be more forward-thinking and give the series a chance to shine at last.
I admittedly haven’t played any of the older Star Ocean games from back at the peak of its popularity, so I can’t say for certain whether Divine Force is a return to form. But for fans disappointed with the previous entry, there’s plenty here to make a dive back into the franchise worthwhile. Here’s hoping tri-Ace gets another shot with a bigger budget next time, because I believe they’re on an upswing.
Star Ocean The Divine Force is therefore at the end of the day a solid new entry in the saga, one that maintains its action jRPG soul thanks to gameplay that is both frenetic and tactical. A title that would certainly have benefited a lot from a bigger budget, see for example for a graphic technical aspect that is not up to the mark, but that nevertheless manages to entertain and give everything one could have expected. In short, if you love the genre and the series, don't underestimate it.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Star Ocean The Divine Force is the best Star Ocean game in years, it fulfilled it's promise with providing a great combat system and gameplay, but it fell flat in the technical side and story which left too much to be demanded to make the game's overall experience more than just good at best.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
One positive point: the game is really of a higher quality than its predecessor. I had a lot of fun in my Star Ocean: The Divine Force journey and I believe that is the ultimate goal. Granted, the game is far from perfect but this series never was. If you stick with the story, you will definitely enjoy it as well as the personality of the characters, because the writing is so good. Unfortunately, I've also strained my eyes more often than I care to admit. For the role-playing enthusiast, I believe it deserves your attention.
Review in French | Read full review
Star Ocean: The Divine Force is not a memorable game, but it is a more than worthy new installment of a saga that had fallen out of favor. Its style reminiscent of the typical PlayStation 2 JRPG is one of its strengths, but also, despite the success of DUMA as a mechanism to energize combat and exploration, it acts as a limit that prevents it from reaching more memorable heights.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Star Ocean: The Divine Force is a promising new beginning for the saga, thanks to its combat system and the new exploration gameplay ideas that support a great cast and a meaningful story.
Review in Italian | Read full review
An improvement on the last Star Ocean game but Square Enix's veteran sci-fi franchise still feels stuck in the past, rather than exploring new frontiers.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force has exciting combat mechanics and a fun traversal system, but it's hampered by poor performance, bland cutscenes, and questionable pacing.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force is the new game in the series. The revamped gameplay will take some getting used to for fans of the series, but it has a lot to offer. The mix of Fantasy and Sci-Fi provides a perfect entry point for newcomers. In any case, you are assured of hundreds of hours of fun.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Star Ocean: The Divine Force soars through the stars, carried by the gentle breeze of a great combat system and a world of possibilities.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Star Ocean: The Divine Force is not a perfect action-RPG, but it does have a lot going for it that make it extremely enjoyable. It has top notch production values for the most part and it more than makes up for the utterly disappointing Integrity and Faithlessness. The the balance of awesome visuals, exciting combat and addictive exploration mark this entry as a series high point.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force might not set the world on fire, but it’s well-made and thoroughly enjoyable. Everything from running around to fighting is a blast, and though it looks a bit odd and can feel a little repetitive at times, the unique premise, snazzy soundtrack, and voice acting make The Divine Force worth any JRPG fan’s time.
Quite fun and adictive although there are several flaws in the technical aspect that could influence in the global game experience. The exploration factor and the story (well written) are two of the key points of this game that will be quite enjoyable for the JRPG fans.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The Divine Force refines the Star Ocean series' combat and exploration to deliver a sci-fi tale with engaging, action-focused gameplay, but a few of the franchise's longstanding flaws persist.