Star Ocean: The Divine Force Reviews
This is the best new Star Ocean game in a good while. Star Ocean: The Divine Force makes great use of the power of current gen consoles to create a visually great world and incredibly pretty, almost doll-like characters. The story is a nice short-ish length and is compelling enough to drive the player forward.
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.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force has a terrific battle system, a variety of unique exploration possibilities with a lot of vertical mobility, and a solid cast of characters, but the game's pacing can be a problem, and the writing is somewhat weak.
From the way the storytelling really takes advantage of its genre hybrid to the distinct and action-packed combat system, this is an excellent JRPG that hits its targets far more often than it misses.
It almost feels like Star Ocean: The Divine Force’s existence is some sort of miracle. Even more so because, while there are some elements that can feel a bit dated and it isn’t exactly perfect, it’s generally a joyful and solid experience.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force admittedly has a number of issues. A poor interface, a main story which isn’t all that interesting, and certain character designs that just look bad. For me, however, its strengths more than overcame those issues, with a truly charming cast of characters, intense and enjoyable combat, and a novel twist in D.U.M.A. who makes moving around both in and out of combat a joy. It won’t be for everyone, but fans of the series or genre who have spent years waiting for a Star Ocean game worth their time will find this is exactly the sort of B game they don’t make enough of anymore.
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 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.
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
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 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
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 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
Star Ocean: The Divine Force is an excellent addition to the franchise, giving its gameplay a new lease of life. Despite its problems, the plot manages to maintain a consistently serious tone throughout the main events, and the relationships between the characters are well established. Here's hoping that future games can expand on what went well in this one, and explore elements of the Star Ocean universe even further.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
An immersive, agile, beautiful and extremely fun JRPG. If you are fans of the genre, Star Ocean: The Divine Force is a fantastic gateway to the saga.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
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 delivers fast paced combat and a great setting that allows it to tell an engrossing tale but a number of visual choices heavily damper the experience.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force presents us with a game that may have once been a stellar JRPG title 20 years ago, but those standards just don't hold up in 2022. When compared to its contemporaries, it's just not on the same level, in any way. It's always been a B-Tier Square Enix franchise, but once upon a time, Star Ocean was an essential title. It's a shame that more effort has not gone into modernizing and revitalizing a beloved franchise.