24 years later, JRPG fans rejoice as Star Ocean The Second Story R sets "the new gold standard for any new remakes" amid stellar reviews
Star Ocean The Second Story R, a full-fat retelling of the PS1 cult classic, has wowed retro and modern JRPG fans with one of the best remakes of the year – in the year of Dead Space and Resident Evil 4 remakes, no less.
Like everyone, I have a back catalog of games I’ll likely never get to despite my best intentions. As much as I’d like to do that new Cyberpunk 2077 playthrough for the Phantom Libery DLC or complete those Final Fantasy 6, 8, and 9 replays, any effort to do that is upended by my meandering progress through Baldur’s Gate 3 or commitment to the fashion grind within Final Fantasy 14. Now the fan reception to The Second Story R has me seriously considering if it needs to fly right to the top of that list – and with the Christmas break coming, why not?
Star Ocean The Second Story R is Square Enix’s latest effort to bring the old bangers of its own back catalog forward for a new generation of fans. The new 2.5D aesthetic – a fusion of 2D pixel art character sprites and 3D environments – will be familiar to anyone who’s played either of the Octopath Traveller games or, indeed, Live A Live, another banger from another time. You’ve also got other welcome tweaks like new battle mechanics, re-arranged music, and fast travel.
What's really wowing fans, though, is how all that and more heightens what everyone loves about the 25-year-old JRPG. Following some glowing reviews from several outlets, Star Ocean The Second Story R has launched on Steam to equally stellar reception. At the time of writing, there are 1,110 user reviews, with 96% bringing the JRPG to an 'overwhelmingly positive' rating.
"This is the definitive version of a classic PS1 JRPG," one review reads. "This is the new gold standard for any new
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