Star Ocean: The Second Story R Reviews
Star Ocean The Second Story R is a lovingly-crafted remaster of a golden age RPG that offers a replayable and approachably complex adventure.
Seeme like Square Enix has finally found a way to give value to its enormous catalogues of great JRPGs: after Live a Live and Tactics Ogre Reborn, Star Ocean Second Story R marks the third successful entry in this newfound current of remakes. A great journey for both veterans of the genre and newcomers.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Star Ocean: The Second Story R stands out as one of Square Enix’s most accomplished remakes. While the original game had its shortcomings, this remake effectively addresses those issues and elevates the overall experience to new heights. Gemdrops has transformed a solid RPG into an exceptional one, establishing a new benchmark for remakes in the gaming industry.
Star Ocean: The Second Story R is the best example of how a game can become a jewel after being forgotten for years. A remake full of changes and improvements that surprises by adapting a niche JRPG and transforming it into a modern classic.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Star Ocean Second Story R is riding heavily on the new visuals and audios which made the fan's favorite Star Ocean game even better, but the clunky manual dodge button they added and the major difficulty spikes are what's holding this gorgeous remake back from becoming a modern masterpiece
Review in Arabic | Read full review
It's an enjoyable action RPG with a wealth of player choice and a lot of charming quirky aspects. If you've ever been curious about Star Ocean and have an affinity for old-school action RPGs, this is a must-play. Even beyond that, the beautiful presentation might be worth the price of admission by itself.
Star Ocean: The Second Story R is a great remake not only of an excellent Action RPG, but of one of the best and most influential games of the golden age of JRPGs. With a unique and pleasant look, considerable novelties in its gameplay that will keep even long-time players engaged, and several quality-of-life improvements, Star Ocean: The Second Story R is a must-have for fans of the genre.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
It was wonderful revisiting Rena and Claude yet again in STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R and it's undoubtedly the best edition of their grand journey so far. I wasn't expecting to be reminded of as much retro baggage as I was, though, but it's still a great RPG. 🌌
Star Ocean The Second Story R ticks all the right boxes for a faithful remake of a beloved title from the PS1 era. Its stunning new visuals and new meaningful mechanics make it a must-play JRPG for both newcomers and fans of the original. When considering the whole package, Star Ocean The Second Story R may not be a heavy hitter like other titles from this year, but it’s definitely a charming remake that tells a compelling story JRPG fans should experience at least once.
Gemdrops revitalizes one of the best installments of the Star Ocean saga with Star Ocean: The Second Story R, a new remastering that offers a wonderful RPG experience. Square Enix should take into consideration giving more possibilities to Gemdrops because it is a studio that has the capacity to create real gems. A beautiful video game from the best era of the genre brought to the present day.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Gemdrops has created a worthy remake that is not only more accessible than the previous iterations but has made what is arguably the most definitive edition of the game to date.
With Star Ocean: The Second Story R, Gemdrops has worked in the round on every aspect of the original 1998 game, giving JRPG lovers an indispensable production that everyone should play at least once.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Star Ocean: The Second Story R rejuvenates the classic JRPG with modern graphics and a dual protagonist system, offering a visually appealing and immersive narrative experience. Its enhanced combat system and quality-of-life improvements cater to both series veterans and newcomers.
Star Ocean The Second Story R left me with mixed feelings. It started with a visually impressive 3D game intro and continued with stunning 3D environments, albeit with pixelated characters and monsters, which made me wonder about the design choices. However, these visuals didn’t detract from the excellent story, engaging combat and emotional impact the game delivered.
With Star Ocean: The Second Story R, a JRPG classic is celebrating a glorious comeback. Thanks to its likeable characters and complex gameplay, this is a game that no fan of old-school JRPGs should miss out on.
Review in German | Read full review
Star Ocean: The Second Story R is an excellent remake that introduces plenty of new ideas whilst embracing the nostalgic charm of the game’s original release. I loved the unique visual style that blends 2D sprites and 3D environments wonderfully, the combat was more satisfying than ever thanks to its intuitive new mechanics, whilst the countless other additions such as fishing, quest markers, and voice acting go a long way in making Star Ocean: The Second Story R stand out as a VERY impressive release that deserves the attention of all RPG fans.
Star Ocean: The Second Story R is a fantastic remaster of a game from the golden era of JRPGs. The newly arranged music is great and the voice acting is good as well, and the improvements to the battle system from the original to this one is leaps and bounds better. The graphical choices made in this remaster is spot on with a nod to the original sprite graphics mixed in with more modern environments. Anyone looking for a classic-style JRPG to play should pick this one up.
Star Ocean: The Second Story R features the same classic story fans love combined with modern elements that make this enhanced release easily the best way to experience this beloved RPG.
This is how you bring back a classic to the spotlight with a remake treatment that respects the original team’s vision, improves the game where it's needed, and understands the key points as to why The Second Story is still embedded in people’s minds as one of the greatest JRPGS they’ve played years ago. Hopefully, Square Enix will use this as a blueprint for future projects similar to The Second Story R as they nailed it.
Star Ocean: The Second Story R manages to fulfill its role of revitalizing a classic and re-presenting it in a way suitable for the new generation. More than the new aesthetic that plays with 2D and 3D, its main advantage lies in its quality of life features that make the game a much more pleasant experience.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review