Board 8 > Star Ocean: The Divine Force Review Zone

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://opencritic.com/game/13891/star-ocean-the-divine-force/reviews

Not much to go on only 5 reviews as of yet. Between Bayonetta 3 and reviewers already having their hands on the new God of War I bet there's very few people who will be taking the time to review this game at release.

NEVERTHELESS we got 5 reviews so far and a 71% average which is.....higher than I thought it would be? Honestly anything over at 7/10 for a Star Ocean game seems like a win to me. Only the original releases of SO2 and SO3 hit 80%. SO6 takes inspiration from SO2 with the dual protagonists with branching paths and has a revamped battle system, but suffers from the same issues SO5 did where it clearly didn't have enough time or budget in needed to make a proper AAA game. However if it's better than SO4 and SO5 that's already a step in the right direction as far as I'm concerned.

Digitially Downloaded - 9/10
I dont want to take anything away from this game, though. I have enjoyed Star Ocean: The Divine Force more than any game in the series since the third one. The developers have calibrated just about everything about this game perfectly, from the classically entertaining JRPG plot and characters, to the incredible aesthetics and superb pacing. The Divine Force is by no means a short game, but it has a way of making the hours fly past so that it never feels like its dragging on your time. Yes, the combat is a little unrefined and too pacey for its own good, but its still very playable, and totally worth dealing with to enjoy the most exotic JRPG of 2022.

PSX Brasil - 8/10
Star Ocean: The Divine Force is both a love letter to what the series once was and a reflection on what its future might look with the power of current gen consoles. While the story and gameplay excite players and bring an unexpected depth, it falls short of its potential thanks to its technical limitations.

IGN - 7/10
The Divine Force isnt necessarily a standout in this long-running series, but it is a much more successful effort to bring Star Ocean into the modern age than its predecessor. The revamped battle mechanics do wonders for its previously limited combat system, offering more freedom and flexibility than ever before. The main cast of characters is also charming, even if the world they are exploring and the animations that accompany them are far less captivating. I wish its interface issues were less obnoxious, but even so, The Divine Force at least proves that Square Enixs sci-fi JRPG certainly deserved another shot.

Hardcore Gamer - 3/5
Star Ocean: The Divine Force feels drained of life. It has a strong, highly-customizable combat system along with a solid soundtrack, but theres not much praise to speak of outside of that. The two hero option is a fun gimmick we havent seen since The Second Story, only observing one perspective of the story at a time, but the problem is that there are so few compelling characters. The cast and story is one of The Divine Forces biggest downfalls, not to mention severely-fluctuating presentation values. Laeticia and Raymond are some of the stalest protagonists, lacking emotion and charm. There are also bizarre design choices that ruin the flow of progression, such as accessories being removed every time a party member is temporarily removed (which happens all the time) or not being able to interact with menus, maps or the world when theres the frequent unskippable fluff dialogue whilst traversing. Thats not mentioning the boring dungeon designs, although the traversal in the open areas itself is at least fast and enjoyable. I couldnt be more disappointed in how Star Ocean: The Divine Force turned out, to the point Id rather go back and replay tri-Aces Infinite Undiscovery. You can take solace that The Divine Force is at least better than Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness as there are moments of intrigue, but theyre overshadowed by how severely underwhelming the overall package ended up.

Worth Playing - 5.5/10
I wanted to like Star Ocean: The Divine Force a lot more than I did. It has a lot of interesting ideas and concepts, and I'm a prime target for Star Ocean 2 nostalgia bait. The game didn't have the time or budget to do what it wanted to do, and what we have is a half-baked title that does very little well. The story is dull, the combat is repetitive and poorly balanced, and the unique features fall by the wayside as the game progresses. There are glimmers that something great could have been created, but it isn't the game that we ended up with. It's difficult to recommend The Divine Force to even die-hard JRPG fans, since the game's few strengths are eclipsed by its many flaws. Wait for a sale if you're curious, but otherwise, there are plenty of other better JRPGs to play this year.

summer of star ocean lives on

If you're looking for length a japanese review mainlined it without doing much of any side content and finished it about 37 hours.

ah yes, the combat being unrefined yet "very playable." the hallmark of every 9/10 jrpg.

EZA impressions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybPBBCHVqBQ

ya go my star ocean

73 through 7 reviews

Maybe this helps propel enough sales for Star Ocean 7 in 2028

Better than Gotham Knights

I swear this was announced like a month ago and now here we are for the release.

it was actually announced exactly 1 year ago!

https://press.na.square-enix.com/SQUARE-ENIX-ANNOUNCES-STAR-OCEAN-THE-DIVINE-FORCE-COMING-2022

One calls them the "Stalest protagonists" and the one right above calls them charming gg

Also I've never actually played a Star Ocean game should I do that sometime

charmingly stale

Real "you tried your best" energy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MoKcwAeoxE

Just think: Tri-Ace has a goldmine game in just giving Crowe the spotlight. They're just scared of writing a protag that can survive a black hole.

Man I cant wait to pay 15 bucks for this game

RikkuAlmighty posted...

Man I cant wait to pay 15 bucks for this game

This and Valkyrie Elysium for $15 total, you mean.

Based on the demo $15 is still too much.

It's PS+ or bust for me.

y'all are lightweights my copy arrives TOMORROW

Arti posted...

summer of star ocean lives on

I feel like Square's JRPGs haven't had great discounts recently, but maybe I'm wrong?

I'll be honest the 70s is higher than I thought it would be getting

MacArrowny posted...

I feel like Square's JRPGs haven't had great discounts recently, but maybe I'm wrong?

FF doesnt but DQ and KH usually do.

none of them get discounted like Tales does though

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/4/7/AAB6RfAAD0tr.jpg

and thus the Summer of Star Ocean continues

Noisy Pixel - 8/10

Star Ocean The Divine Force is a strongly crafted action JRPG that returns the franchise to form, boasting involved upgrading and customization systems alongside a well-thought-out narrative that may not satisfy or intrigue everyone but will compel those entranced by its cutting edges of notion. Moreover, its excellent English voice cast intensifies the emotional weight of several story-heavy scenes and character-bonding moments. Unfortunately, performance and graphical presentation faults and more minor issues damage the overall experience. Although, if you can look past those stumbles, Star Ocean The Divine Force is a must-play entry for all fans of the genre, whether they already are fans of the franchise or not.

SHINE_GET_64 posted...

returns the franchise to form

Huh?

SHINE_GET_64 posted...

Moreover, its excellent English voice cast

HUH???

I mean, I was only half kidding in earlier threads where I said it looked kind of good

like the character designs are Horrendous, and exploration looks like ass, but the combat seems good enough

I probably would've gotten physical on launch if I didn't have too much personal life stuff going on right now

Reviews are certainly not very good but better than expected for a Star Ocean game.

I'll give this a shot for 10 hours to see if it is worth playing. SO4 and 5 both made me quit by that time so let's see if things are different this time.

I beat SO4 and I regret it...a whole lot.

SO5 I didn't even give 10 hours I think, the game had literally nothing going from it by any conceivable metric. I distinctly remember there wasn't even a catalyst for it. I was sitting alone plying it, reached a save point, chuckled out loud to myself that "wow this sucks", and never booted it up again. I think it was after passing some big gate.

https://noisypixel.net/star-ocean-2-second-evolution-west-ps4-depends-fans/

BE NOISY

UshiromiyaEva posted...

I beat SO4 and I regret it...a whole lot.

but did you play it for 600+ hours to get the platinum

No, but there was a cutscene near the end where I went downstairs, made and ate lunch, and came back and it was still going.

Words cannot express how much I had checked out. And I was in high school, where my tolerance for bullshit was at it's highest!

that platinum fundamentally changed me as a person to the point I assume my tolerance stat was completely maxed out and possibly broke the scale for what should be possible for a human being

SHINE_GET_64 posted...

that platinum fundamentally changed me as a person to the point I assume my tolerance stat was completely maxed out and possibly broke the scale for what should be possible for a human being

Makes sense since I've seen you post "Aww yeah Shine Platinum Get #7633 "insert tedious game to Platinum" multiple times.

I dunno how you guys find the energy to Plat games you don't enjoy. I only do it for games i like and even then only if it's not a ridiculous requirement.

I think SO4 and SO5 are underrated. I quite enjoyed both and replayed SO5 recently to get the universe and chaos trophies (still working on chaos). Would they win game of the century.....certainly not, but they're jot as bad as most make out.

SO4 platinum/100% is a beast tho due to the battle trophies. I think I only ever managed 70% of them and lost the will tonslay 100,000 of each enemy or whatever the target was.

I'm looking forward to getting Divine Force. I won't be getting it straight away though.

yellowwolley posted...

lost the will tonslay 100,000 of each enemy

What the fuck

Well that explains Shine's playtime of 500 or 600 hours or whatever that was.

SHINE_GET_64 posted...

https://noisypixel.net/star-ocean-2-second-evolution-west-ps4-depends-fans/

BE NOISY

We better fucking get it.

That opening movie sure is a choice.

Honestly, game is super fun to play. Field exploration with DUMA is great, and the combat is very quick paced and feels pretty good.

Not far enough to have a real opinion on the characters or story yet, but it hasnt been offensively bad. The character models still look derpy though.

yellowwolley posted...

I think SO4 and SO5 are underrated. I quite enjoyed both and replayed SO5 recently to get the universe and chaos trophies (still working on chaos). Would they win game of the century.....certainly not, but they're jot as bad as most make out.

SO4 platinum/100% is a beast tho due to the battle trophies. I think I only ever managed 70% of them and lost the will tonslay 100,000 of each enemy or whatever the target was.

I'm looking forward to getting Divine Force. I won't be getting it straight away though.

Hello new best friend. I love star Ocean 4 the best of all five of them. And my husband and I enjoyed our playthrough of 5 enough

https://twitter.com/NoisyPixelNews/status/1587818161889591297

SHINE_GET_64 posted...

https://twitter.com/NoisyPixelNews/status/1587818161889591297

KITTYTYTYTYYYITYIYITIYITYIT