Star Ocean: First Departure R Shows Renewed Visuals in New and Nostalgic Gameplay

Today PlayStation Access and Square Enix showcased plenty of gameplay of the Star Ocean: First Departure R remaster during a livestream from EGX in London. 

We get to see the visual improvements made to the game, including the brand new portraits drawn by Katsumi Enami, who is known for designing the characters for Star Ocean: The Last Hope.

That being said, if you prefer the old character design you can switch back at any time, which is always a good option to have.

It’s certainly a welcome trip down the memory lane, and likely a great introduction to the series for those too young to have played the original game. 

Now, if only we could get a brand new one worthy of the franchise’s legacy….

Personal considerations aside, you can check the gameplay out below.

If you want to take a look at the difference between the new and old portraits, you can check out some screenshots released a while ago.

You can also watch a trailer from September, alongside information about the English localization.

Star Ocean: First Departure R releases for PS4 and Nintendo Switch in Japan and in the west on December 5.

About the author

Giuseppe Nelva

Proud weeb hailing from sunny (not as much as people think) Italy and long-standing gamer since the age of Mattel Intellivision and Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Definitely a multi-platform gamer, he still holds the old dear PC nearest to his heart, while not disregarding any console on the market. RPGs (of any nationality), MMORPGs, and visual novels are his daily bread, but he enjoys almost every other genre, prominently racing simulators, action and sandbox games. He is also one of the few surviving fans on Earth of the flight simulator genre.

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