I first played the Star Ocean franchise way back when Star Ocean: Second Story was released for the PS2 in the 90's. I had never played the first Star Ocean title. Now, re-released for the PSP, this game has been given a graphics overhaul and some nice anime cutscenes, in hopes of entertaining old fans and introducing new ones to the colorful Star Ocean franchise.

Gameplay

The Star Ocean franchise is known for the deep level of gameplay mechanics that is offered within each game. A plethora of sidequests and character crafting skills can take hours by themselves, and if the gamer has taken the time to acquire enough funds for the characters, you could literally spend hours not even touching the main story. First Departure is no different in this aspect, with crafting skills (playing music, cooking, etc) and side quests galore. However, I cannot shake the feeling that Squaresoft and Tri-Ace took the skin and game engine from the second game and simply slapped the story and characters from the first. The games are very similar.

That is not to say that the game is not fun. The live-action battle system is a refreshing change from the menu-driven battles that litter many RPGs. Sadly, most battles can be won by simply smashing the X button repeatedly. You have the option to set the other characters within your party on auto attack (this is the default setting), and simply choose their attack style from a set of option (go all out, conserve mana, etc). The AI for your teammates is good, and the healer in your party (Millie), is solid and very effective.

In regard to your party, the Star Ocean mechanic of recruiting members is still very strong. As with Second Story, the ability to gain a character for your party varies based upon your actions within the game. And the actions required vary depending upon the character. For example: if you want a certain character, you may have to travel to a certain town at a certain time. Or, maybe you cannot recruit another character. None of these clues are readily obvious, either. Sometimes you stumble upon a character by accident. But more often than not, you will probably need to review a FAQ or strategy guide if you want a specific character for your party.

The frustrating aspects of the game center around the learning curve and the travel times. In most RPGs, there is a steady levelling pace from each point in the story to the next. In this title, you are forced to grind (that is, run around in an area looking for monsters to kill for an unspecified timeframe) for several levels in between each event, or you will wipe. And we are not talking 3 or 4 levels. In some instances, you need 5-10, if not more, to successfully traverse the next dungeon. While a dedicated RPGer will not mind this, to the casual gamer, this may be enough to put down the game for good. Combine this with the sketchy encounter rate, and you can almost consider throwing your PSP in frustration. In one area you may encounter monsters every few steps. In others, you can travel quite a distance before you will have a fight. This lack of a steady encounter mechanic can make the relatively simple task of grinding a chore.

The other frustration, travel time, can be a blessing or a curse, depending on the level of reality you want in your gaming. However, having to spend 5-10 minutes to travel from one destination to the next is annoying. I admit, I have not beaten the game yet, and you may eventually acquire some sort of a vehicle allowing you to travel faster. In the early parts of the game, you run along from one town to the next, spending an indeterminate amount of time before you may reach your destination. If you are looking to do a bit of adventuring on your work break and only have 15 minutes to play before you have to put your PSP on sleep mode, you may spend the bulk of your time travelling, and accomplish little to nothing. For that reason, I recommend setting aside a good amount of time if you want to advance the story.

Story

The story is not exactly epic, but it is interesting and will keep you entertained. The characters all have unique personalities, and the voiceovers are well done. The translation from Japanese to English is top notch, and you will not encounter any odd phrases that make little to no sense. If you are familiar with the second Star Ocean game, this title is the prequel, documenting the adventures of the father of the hero of the second game. In short, an unknown race of aliens are attempting to create a super weapon, and they have released a bioweapon on a planet which turns the people to stone. There is no known cure. The main character, Roddick (which is not the father), must try to save his friend. At this point, the story unfolds, and a mixture of science fiction and fantasy pepper the tale. You will find yourself confused with the odd terminology at times, as the story does make the presumption you are familiar with the Star Ocean universe (no pun intended). However, once you have played for a while, you will enjoy yourself.

Graphics and Sound

The game mixes rendered 3D environments with 2D sprite characters. This may irritate some gamers who may balk at the low-tech approach, but the world is colorful and interesting. The towns have great detail and are interesting to explore, if confusing. The only real complaint is the overworld, which is lackluster and generic. The towns looks like boxes with minor detail, and the environmental details (grass, trees), have horrible texturing and color. Fortunately, though, the gameplay mostly involves running in dungeons and/or cities, so this minor complaint shouldn't deter you.

The sound is very good, with decent music. The voiceovers are top-notch, with unique voices for each character. Combat is very annoying, with the characters announcing the name of each attack they are using every time they use it. As every important conversation involves text bubbles or dubbing, you don't have to play with the sound, and turning the sound off eliminates the need to hear the annoying combat announcements. Still, the ambiance of the music and hearing the conversations adds a nice element to the game, so it is your choice if you want to mute your PSP.

Overall

In short, I recommend this game for someone who either likes the Star Ocean franchise or is a devoted RPGer. If you are a casual gamer you may end up enjoying this game, but the amount of time you would need to invest to explore every aspect is high. Not to mention if you wanted to play with every possible character for your party you would need to replay the story several times over. For this reason, the replay value is high. Between the story, the gameplay, and the depth of the crafting system, the game is definitely fun. If you never played this game when it was first released (like me), it is also worth picking up to see the first adventure within the Star Ocean series, and also to understand Claude's references to his father from the second game (that comment is specifically for you RPG junkies who played Second Story). Overall, if you are craving a good RPG fix that doesn't involve endless combat menus, this title is for you.

Recommended: Yes