Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness Reviews
Star Ocean Integrity and Faithlessness had so much potential. The game looks stunning but there are way too many flaws for this game to be considered a good game.
While Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness pulls together a strong story and great gameplay, it's plauged by technical issues.
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is flat-out disappointing, from its bland cast and story to its problematic battle system and recycled content
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is a classically made JRPG for the modern day. It's not perfect, and certainly not for everybody, but if you enjoy science fiction and JRPGs, then definitely check this game out.
Star Ocean's return is a bumpy ride, with slick combat and smart upgrade systems bogged down by a watery story and some frustrating technical designs.
The return of Star Ocean could have certainly been better, but if you love the genre (and you’re used to its quirks) and the series, you’ll most probably find plenty to enjoy in Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness.
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is a weird game in that it's a by-the-books RPG one minute, and a completely new feeling the next. Any future iterations after this one will be a tough sell, but if this is where its journey ends, it had a good run.
In the end, I’ve enjoyed Star Ocean 5, despite its shortcomings and any old school tendencies. I hope it sells well here, because the last thing I want is for Tri-Ace’s brand of JRPG to stop coming west. There’s promise in Integrity and Faithlessness that Star Ocean’s next incarnation could be really something special. Right now, it’s just not quite there in this edition.
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness has good ideas but never goes anywhere with them
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is a lot of RPG gaming for your money. It will take upwards of 40 hours to run through the game’s campaign, and perhaps up to even 100 hours to fully complete the game and find everything that it has to offer. However, the game’s presentation feels very dated, graphics performance fluctuates, players new to the franchise may feel left out in the cold, and the story is somewhat predictable. Yet, despite these issues, the game is ultimately very fun for RPG fans, both Japanese and Western, thanks to the meaty campaign, countless strategy options, and numerous unlockable and upgradeable skills and roles. Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is a perfect time-sink to game away those lazy summer afternoons on.
Integrity and Faithlessness is a much faster game than previous Star Ocean entries, but it sacrifices narrative and contextual depth for it. There are a few interesting but unsuccessful design choices here which let the game down, but it mostly makes up for its shortcomings with a frenetic battle system, excellent character design, and a standout soundtrack. It's a little bit vague, and it's a little bit shallow, but there's still plenty of fun to be had in tri-Ace's latest, and for newcomers, it's by far the most approachable entry in the series.
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness excels in areas like combat and crafting but not in narrative or characterization. It has enough gameplay options to bring any JRPG fan to the table, but not everyone will leave content.
While Star Ocean started as an innovative series full of fun, bold ideas, its current form amounts to the most middle-of-the-road RPG experience you could possibly have. It's not particularly awful, but in a reality full of RPGs, so many better options exist.
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness wants to be a grand sci-fi JRPG, but its mediocre production values undercut it at almost every opportunity.
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is a clunky, sometimes beautiful mess, navigating between some exciting highs and many disappointing lows to fall short of its promise.
The fifth entry into the series suffers from old habits, but long time fans may still find something special in the mix.
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness can be loads of fun, but also doesn't offer anything new. Fans of action JRPGs such as the Tales series will find something to enjoy, but definitely not everyone.
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is an RPG that merely fulfills its obligations. It's not awful thanks to a cast of likeable characters and an interesting premise, but an abundance of clichés, uneven polish, and messy combat and AI make it less than memorable. And as its main story only provides around 20 hours of playtime instead of the 60 or more the series usually delivers, some of those obligations aren’t met in full. As for me, I can't say I regret my time with Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, but 20 hours was enough.
A JRPG with great classic tones, but too "inflated" and formulaic to recover only through a discrete combat system.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is a microcosm of everything wrong with modern JRPGs, from its slapdash presentation to its trope-filled narrative. Worst of all, it's seen fit to cram in everything that genre aficionados hate: unskippable cutscenes, greyed-out save points and painfully poor AI are just a few of the hurdles you'll face on your way to fun.