With the back-to-back launches of Sea of Stars and Starfield, it’s easy to forget that another star-themed RPG is coming this year. To hype the release of Star Ocean The Second Story R, Square Enix has uploaded the remake’s new anime intro to YouTube.
Technically speaking, this isn’t the first time Star Ocean: The Second Story has received an anime intro. Star Ocean: Second Evolution for the PSP already added one that probably would have worked just fine here. However, Square Enix seems to be pulling out all the stops for this remake. This one’s decidedly more action-packed, with a song that sounds like it should be featured in a game like Deemo.
The third Second Story
The existence of Star Ocean The Second Story R is honestly fascinating to me. As mentioned above, Square Enix probably could have ported Star Ocean: Second Evolution to modern consoles and called it a day. In fact, many consider that version of the game a “remake,” making Second Story R a… re-remake?
That said, it makes sense why they’d go so hard on a full remake for this game. While RPG fans will argue over the quality of the Star Ocean series, the second game generally holds a consensus as the high point. Heck, some (like yours truly) consider it one of the best RPGs for the PlayStation. Star Ocean: The Second Story is a surprising behemoth of a game, packing so many secrets into its world(s) that you’ll feel like you only scratched the surface after one playthrough. Combined with the vast roster of unlockable characters and an active combat system, it holds up shockingly well.
Obviously, there’s still a lot to modernize with a remake like Star Ocean The Second Story R. The original game came out 25 years ago, after all. But whether this is a transformative or faithful remake, it’s one to watch out for this year.
We’ll see how this star-themed RPG pans out when it launches on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch on November 2.
