Square Enix is bringing back one of its semi-dormant franchises. Star Ocean is now set to make its grand return later this year as the company has officially announced that the next entry, Star Ocean: The Divine Force, will launch later this year on October 27 for multiple platforms. It was initially thought that the title would have separate release dates for each region, and be prioritized in its native Japan first. However, it was soon discovered that the title will be releasing on October 27 worldwide, as multiple digital stores were updated with the aforementioned release date.
The company also released an official trailer on YouTube, giving us a nice glimpse into some of the cast of characters as well as the combat system. The developer tri-Ace, which has developed every single Star Ocean title since it began in 1996, seems to have really outdone themselves this time. The trailer offers a beautiful look at some of the overworld maps, where we see the player character roaming around, and sometimes flying around with a mobile jetpack. The story will feature two protagonists, Raymond and Laeticia, the latter of whom is a princess from the kingdom of Aucerius, a planet that is underdeveloped.
The combat uses the signature Star Ocean style, where the player can command everyone in his party to do a predetermined action while surveying the landscape, or take control of each character and use their abilities one at a time. This JRPG fighting mechanic has since been utilized in several titles and is often compared to MMORPG battle mechanics as everyone involved tends to play a critical role in the battle. As we mentioned earlier, tri-Ace has been the main developer for every single Star Ocean entry since it started in the mid-1990s. The series itself saw its peak from that era until the PlayStation 2 time frame, where two particular entries, Star Ocean: The Second Story, and Star Ocean: Till The End of Time, are still considered the best in the entire franchise.
The most recent entry was Star Ocean First Departure R, a remake of the PSP title Star Ocean First Departure, which itself is a remake of the very first Star Ocean game. This will be the first mainline entry for the series since 2016’s Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, a five-year gap for the series. Star Ocean: The Divine Force joins a line of classic titles in one of the most storied JRPG franchises, and we can’t wait to get our hands on it.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force will officially launch this year on October 27 for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.