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All good franchises come full circle eventually. Game developer, tri-Ace Inc., and publisher, Square Enix, Inc., are bringing their Star Ocean series to the very beginning in Star Ocean: The Last Hope. As a prequel to three predecessors (and several remakes), this new game takes the player back to the origins of the sci-fi RPG game series' universe.
The new game is being released for the first time in the franchise's history on the Xbox 360 (having previously been released on PLAYSTATION's consoles). As a prequel, Star Ocean: The Last Hope will offer a great jump-on point for players that never played the original games (The first of which was never released in the US, but is currently being remade for the PSP), as well as, an interesting origin story for fans.
Set in the aftermath of World War III, the world is all but destroyed by nuclear war. Humanity must find a new home. When a professor succeeds in his space warp experiments, missions to space begin. Time is also no longer counted in AD, but in the new SD time. Events of the game start at SD 0010.
The game will follow Edge Marverick, a young volunteer who travels the solar system in his ship, The Calnus. Similar to most RPGs, he will be joined by friends and allies along the way, giving the player seven characters to choose from when making a playable party of four. Players will want to strategically choose characters based on skills and abilities, but also vary them occasionally to level-up evenly.
Star Ocean: The Last Hope
will have the same real-time battle system as previous incarnations, but with some new, updated elements. Players control one character while the A.I. controls the remainder of the party during a battle. New features include the ability to jump, which is essential to dodge attacks. Another great new battle technique is Rush, a gauge that, once full, allows for a pre-emptive strike.
Other popular elements from previous games have been incorporated into this version. These features include Synthesis and Item Creation, both which allow characters to gain items that may be useful. There will be a Dictionary system, as seen in Star Ocean's third installment, giving historical information to players. Most interesting is the Private Actions feature, used to strengthen the team dynamic.
With over 40 hours of play time and CG cut scenes by Visual Works, the studio whose work includes the cut scenes for the Final Fantasy series, this game promises to be a must play for fans of the RPG genre. Developers have also promised many bonus features and hidden elements, creating a higher replay value.
Producer Yoshinori Yamagishi has stated that Star Ocean: The Last Hope will be the last game of the saga. Players new and familiar to the game alike will want to mark February 24, 2009 on their calendar to pick up this space journey.
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