Star Ocean: First Departure Review

Star Ocean: First Departure may be simplistic and not offer anything new by today's RPG-standards, but it's an entertaining game that some might have passed-by because they were unwilling to brave the language barrier.

The plot of First Departure is both simple and convoluted. Playing as Roddick, you'll find yourself travelling back in time to join forces with a number of characters to save Planet Roak from becoming extinct.

There are several changes in this PSP remake; most notably the graphics. The game is not amazing looking, but the graphics do have a certain nostalgic charm, reminding you of the 16-bit gaming days.

You'll also find a number of pre-rendered cutscenes, but since they are few and far between, Square Enix has missed on the opportunity to exploit them and improve on the less-than-impressive in-game graphics. For instance, the pre-rendered battle between the hero and villains is awesome, and would have suited many of the other events.



There are also new skill-sets for you to tinker with. Arguably the soul of Star Ocean, skills allow your character to improve their stats and learn a number of abilities in item creation or new battle techniques. The additions might be lost on first time players, but it's now definitely more rewarding to upgrade your characters.

The story isn't the greatest aspect of the game; never picking up to draw you into the game. Still, the characters are pretty decent, especially the females: Pericci comes out with classic battle lines like "Power-up!" and "Do you think I'm sexy now?" Ilia also exudes coolness in her character and voice.



While the main story's dialogue might suffer, the private actions (or PA) do reveal some of the funnier moments in First Departure. Completists will want to watch all of these character skits, but watching them isn't necessary to experience the game.

The game's battle system will be familiar to those who played Star Ocean: Second Story on the PSX. With your character on one side and the enemy on the other, the battle is not turn-based: instead everything is done in real-time. You'll be able to control one character while the others are operated by AI.

The battles can be frantic, especially when you're surrounded by enemies that fire out hit after it; nevertheless, the gameplay is very enjoyable and ensures that battles start fast and end fast.



Whilst Star Ocean: First Departure isn't the most exciting RPG, it's certainly a thank you from Square Enix before the release of the superior Star Ocean: Second Story. The cynical might look at the game as another Squenix cash-in, but in reality, there are worse games than this.

7/10

Gabriel May