Classic RPG fans must be loving all these HD-2D remakes, like LIVE A LIVE. While this isn’t the Chrono Trigger announcement many were hoping for today, Square Enix did reveal Star Ocean The Second Story R, a 2.5D remake of Star Ocean: The Second Story that originally released in 1998 on the original PlayStation. The remake will launch November 2, 2023 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, and PC.
Today’s trailer showcases the game’s new art style, gameplay, and a rearranged soundtrack by the original composer, Motoi Sakuraba. The remake will bring back many of the game’s original features that made it so iconic, but will also add new gameplay changes such as real-time combat and battle mechanics, customizable party progression with an array of skills, and three new difficulty modes: Earth, Galaxy, and Universe.
For those not familiar with Star Ocean: The Second Story, the RPG tells the story of Claude, a Federation officer, who finds himself transported to an undeveloped planet. There, he meets a girl named Rena and joins her quest to save her people. In Star Ocean The Second Story R, players get to choose which adventure to start with — either Claude or Rena — and depending on their choice, the perspectives and the allies players recruit will change.
The game will support both Japanese and English text and voiceovers, and the voiceovers are performed by members of the original cast. Preordering the game grants access to the following digital content as a bonus:
- Pangalactic Federation Longsword
- Forest Knuckles
- Sunrise Ring
- Set of recovery items (Mixed Berries x20 + Resurrection Potion x20)
