Star Ocean: First Departure R

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Worth PlayingSanford May

8.5/10

Featuring a revised game engine, improved battle system and fully voiced, all-new animated scenes displayed in 16:9 widescreen, players can now follow the exploits of humankind's journey across the stars in an adventure that has never before been released to the North American audience.

Nintendo World ReportNeal Ronaghan

8/10

Regardless, Star Ocean: First Departure R is an overall port of a good game. It stands out in a few ways from its contemporaries, mostly in its Tales-esque battle system and character recruitment and affection minutiae. My best recommendation for First Departure R might be that it’s a story-heavy RPG that spins a yarn compelling enough to keep you engaged while also delivering a battle system that is breezy and not as technical. Star Ocean has a lot of complexities underneath the hood, but taking it at face value can leave you with an approachable and enjoyable adventure.

IGNRyan Clements

7.4/10

I finished First Departure in about 27 hours. For an RPG, that's not a particularly long time, but considering the style and substance of the game, I'd say the length is appropriate. If you can look at First Departure and understand that it's based on a very old title, you'll likely be able to overlook the problems and get a fair amount of satisfaction from the simple but mildly rewarding gameplay and old- school themes. Otherwise, a bland, awkwardly-told narrative and weak characters prevent Star Ocean from being anything more than an amusing tribute to an old hit.

Video ChumsA.J. Maciejewski

7.2/10

The fantastic RPG studio tri-Ace's debut game is back in a remake of a remake so let's see if it's worth replaying in this day and age.

WCCFtechKai Tatsumoto

7/10

Sometime during the heyday of Square-Enix releasing their catalog of RPG’s on the PlayStation Portable came two Star Ocean titles. The duo, Star Ocean First Departure and Second Evolution, represented the first chance that many players would get to see the complete story of Ronyx J. Kenny and his son, Claude. Both were completely remade to work with an updated version of the second Star Ocean title’s battle system, bringing with them a number of visual and audio enhancements in addition to completely overhauling the combat system of the first Star Ocean. Now, a decade later, Star Ocean: First ...

RPGamerAlex Fuller

Star Ocean: First Departure R will be the best way for players to experience the start to this fantastic series. Does it show its age, or will fans find a gem that still burns bright to this day?

RPGSiteAdam Vitale

6/10

A fine port of a mediocre game. it's great Star Ocean: First Departure is on more platforms, but the game itself doesn't excel.

Gamer GuidesJarrod Garripoli

60/100

No summary available

DualShockersTomas Franzese

Unscored

As the JRPG has become more mainstream in the west over the past couple of years, now is the best time for Star Ocean to try and capture a bigger audience. Re-releases like Star Ocean: The Last Hope - 4K & Full HD Remaster and Star Ocean First Departure R are the series' best chance at doing so sans an entirely new entry. One can only hope that Square Enix will continue on this path and re-release Star Ocean: Second Evolution as well so the entire series will be playable on PS4.

Game RevolutionTyler Treese

Unscored

Tri-Ace released Star Ocean back in 1996 and the Super Famicom action role-playing game was an instant success and kicked off one of the most beloved JRPG series of the past 20 years. It finally got a North American released in 2008, when it was remade for the PlayStation Portable and now an enhanced version of that has been released over a decade later on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 called STAR OCEAN: FIRST DEPARTURE R. While it is the best way to play the historic title in 2019, it does not hold up as much in a more modern context.

MonsterVineNick Mangiaracina

Star Ocean: First Departure R struggles to find its own identity and no amount of remastering could make this game any more palatable. Though the art, story, and strangely deep crafting system manage to keep Star Ocean interesting. Sadly, they’re not enough to take away from the awful encounter rate and absurd difficulty spikes.