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[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

The Japanese outlet Famitsu recently interviewed various staff behind the recently released Star Ocean The Second Story R. This is a pretty in-depth interview that covers several topics, including the new artwork, spoiler content, the new fishing mechanic, and more.

One particular comment made by director Yuichiro Kitao also stood out, which was that the reception to this remake has been better than the team expected. Alongside producer Kei Komaki remarking upon the vast degree of positivity the title has received, Kitao wants to investigate what has made Star Ocean The Second Story R so beloved.

You can view the translated exchange below:

Interviewer: It has been about a month since the release of Second Story R. How has the reaction been?

Komaki: We have received much positive feedback from everyone and are filled with gratitude. I am also grateful for the many comments on social media about the game…I cannot reply to each of them individually, but I would like to express my gratitude to all of those who have played the game.

Kitao: We are honestly happy to hear that the game has been received better than we expected. As a developer, I would like to investigate in detail why the game received so much praise and what was so popular about it so that we can make the most of the experience next time as well. I think the fact that there were so many positive comments is largely due to the fact that everyone who played the original and PSP versions had vivid memories of them. Promotion and marketing are not everything in this area, and I think developers’ passion is also in demand, so I would like to keep both in mind: research is research, and passion is passion.

Star Ocean The Second Story R Reception Better Than Expected, Says Director - Noisy Pixel

The Japanese outlet Famitsu recently interviewed various staff behind the recently released Star Ocean The Second Story R.

noisypixel.net

 

[Hudo]

It was about time that the Star Ocean people caught a break. Maybe Square Enix will be less retarded with Star Ocean now and give a new game more money and time.

 

[Shifty1897]

It was about time that the Star Ocean people caught a break. Maybe Square Enix will be less retarded with Star Ocean now and give a new game more money and time.

Unfortunately Tri-Ace (who made Star Ocean 1-6) didn't make this one.

Glad it did well though, but it always make me laugh when Japanese devs say they aren't sure why a game was successful and are looking into why.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

The game is excellent, I hope more people pick it up.

I think the overall series could do with a mini reboot of sorts like Tales. Maybe just call the next one 'Star Ocean' or something.

 

[Hudo]

Unfortunately Tri-Ace (who made Star Ocean 1-6) didn't make this one.

Ah, didn't know that. Hmm... but they did do the original Second Story, right? Or was that another team as well?

In any case, it seems like a good break for Star Ocean in general. I always thought the IP was dead and buried after the last two big Star Ocean games flopped.

 

[Zephyranthes]

Ah, didn't know that. Hmm... but they did do the original Second Story, right? Or was that another team as well?

Yes, Tri-Ace did the original SO2. The studio who handled the remake, Gemdrops, is led by Yuichiro Kitao, who was a programming lead at Tri-Ace for about 15 years.

 

[StereoVsn]

Unfortunately Tri-Ace (who made Star Ocean 1-6) didn't make this one.

Glad it did well though, but it always make me laugh when Japanese devs say they aren't sure why a game was successful and are looking into why.

“Hmm… we took the best game in the series and did a really good job remaking it for modern audiences. It’s a mystery why this game has been received well. “

How about you give more than ¥1000 for the next Star Ocean game budget and have them write a decent story with decent characters.

 

[Celcius]

I never played the original but the remake was amazing. I’ve never seen a game blend 2d and 3d like that.

 

[Northeastmonk]

The first two games are the best imo. First Departure has some really good moments to it. Sadly, I never got hooked with later entries. The last one to come out I dropped a quarter of the way in. It wasn’t as engaging as SO 1 and 2.

 

[Sorcerer]

“Hmm… we took the best game in the series and did a really good job remaking it for modern audiences. It’s a mystery why this game has been received well. “

How about you give more than ¥1000 for the next Star Ocean game budget and have them write a decent story with decent characters.

I think most developers in East are much more humble about success to the point of self-deprecation. There are a few Rockstars of game development over on that side of course, but it seems more of an oddity. It's almost as though they may feel they may curse themselves by bragging about how great their game is. After all the next game could always be a misstep, so overhype could cause some backlash.
Western mentaility is somewhat, look at our game, look at all these features, fireworks!!! Eastern is more like, "You like our game? Thank you so much!!! They would rather you decide if you like it then tell you you should like it.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

I never played the original but the remake was amazing. I’ve never seen a game blend 2d and 3d like that.

Yup it's the best HD-2D game of the bunch so far and sets a new standard for it.

 

[Hudo]

Ok lads, Phantasy Star 4 vs Star Ocean Second Story R?

 

[GrouchyGamer]

Great! Now do Xenogears.

 

[Icymanipulator]

The first two games are the best imo. First Departure has some really good moments to it. Sadly, I never got hooked with later entries. The last one to come out I dropped a quarter of the way in. It wasn’t as engaging as SO 1 and 2.

I played the first game recently and while I’m a big star ocean fan, the first entry doesn’t really have a lot going on story wise. Barely anything happens and you walk back across the entire map like 5 times during the course of the story, which is super obvious padding. Not a great experience. SO2 and 3 are proper games though, and far far better in literally every aspect.

 

[Celcius]

Great! Now do Xenogears.

That would be amazing and I'd rather see them remake it like this than like a full 3d remake.

 

[Northeastmonk]

I played the first game recently and while I’m a big star ocean fan, the first entry doesn’t really have a lot going on story wise. Barely anything happens and you walk back across the entire map like 5 times during the course of the story, which is super obvious padding. Not a great experience. SO2 and 3 are proper games though, and far far better in literally every aspect.

I enjoyed the characters. Ioshua for instance wasn’t bad. I liked how the characters from space were introduced like they were from Star Trek or some other space opera. I took a break from it before coming back and finishing it. I got sick of the annoying high pitched anime voice they started adding to JRPG characters. That’s why I prefer 1 and 2. You finished First Departure?

 

[Werewolf Jones]

Literally just started it like an hour ago. It's better than Super Mario RPG already.

 

[StereoVsn]

Ok lads, Phantasy Star 4 vs Star Ocean Second Story R?

If we had a remake for PS4 (wouldn’t that be nice) it would be a competition. Currently though Second Story R no question.

 

[Icymanipulator]

I enjoyed the characters. Ioshua for instance wasn’t bad. I liked how the characters from space were introduced like they were from Star Trek or some other space opera. I took a break from it before coming back and finishing it. I got sick of the annoying high pitched anime voice they started adding to JRPG characters. That’s why I prefer 1 and 2. You finished First Departure?

Yes I finished the game. I had never played SO1 before this except some half hearted attempt at a fan translation when I was a kid. Never got past the opening town tho. I grew up on SO2 and 3. I played 2 first but definitely spent way more time in 3. I hope 3 gets the same level of care and attention in a remake that 2 got.

 

[Arsic]

It’s the best game in the franchise. They didn’t mess with the original and only added to it with better visuals and options for players on the audio side.

Easy slam dunk.

Even with all the resources though they can’t make a new star ocean worth a damn.

Remake Valkyrie profile in the same vein and you’ll get the same result.

After that you can set this team to do some dragon quest remakes to boot. Clearly that’s where the success is.

 

[Neon Xenon]

Good!

I had not played any Star Ocean game up until Second Story R, but I distinctly remember having an issue of Expert Gamer (Issue #61, if you want to read it) showing some of the character artwork, which always stood out to me. Didn't know there was a remake until I spotted the demo on Steam days before release. So I played it and enjoyed it enough to preorder the game. Still enjoying it.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Second Story R is maybe the best remake of all time. It feels like the people who made it really understood what made the original great. They kept everything that was good about the original and fixed the stuff that needed fixing. Bottom tier characters got buffed, mages are useful, reserve characters are useful, they added the break system which added new depth to the battles.

I love how they maintained all the character from the original. The sprites have so much charm. And it was awesome how even with the real time graphics they preserved a lot of the same camera angles, FoV, and composition of the pre rendered original.

And of course, they added tons of well thought out QoL features.


As a long time SO2 super fan I was slightly nervous about it being remade, especially by a different developer, but it was a slam dunk.