Star Ocean First Departure R Arrives in December According to Square Enix

Written by Brandon Hofer on September 10, 2019

News: A remastered version of a Star Ocean title is currently in development and will be released later this year.

Star Ocean First Departure R is an HD remaster of a classic Star Ocean title and it will be arriving later this year on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. Pre-orders for the PlayStation 4 version will include a commemorative PlayStation 4 theme and a digital mini soundtrack from the Star Ocean Live 2019 concert.

Originally released in the west on the PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, Star Ocean First Departure R tells the story of a young swordsman, Roddick, and his companions who at first set off on a journey to find the cure to a deadly disease, which then spirals into an adventure that spans across the sea of stars. This HD remaster version includes the following features and boosts to enhance the experience:

Full Voiceover – Players can choose between the original full voice cast from the PSP version of the game in either Japanese or English, or the newly recorded version, featuring the voice cast from the original Super Famicom version in Japanese, which was previously released in Japan only.

New Character Illustrations – Players can opt for the original character illustrations utilized in Star Ocean First Departure or brand-new versions drawn by the famous illustrator Katsumi Enami (Star Ocean: The Last Hope).

Speed Mode – Players can speed up movement to traverse the world more quickly.

Adjusted Game Balance – Adjusted battle difficulty enabling players to enjoy more challenge in combat, a signature quality of the Star Ocean series.

Star Ocean First Departure 4 is currently slated to be released on December on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. Take a look at the trailer below and then tell us what you think. Will you be picking it up?