Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness was already promised to Japanese audiences, but was just announced to be coming to North America and Europe in 2016. The fifth entry in the sci-fi JRPG series is set between the events of Star Ocean 2 and Star Ocean: Til the End of Time and will be available exclusively on PlayStation 4 courtesy of Square Enix and tri-Ace.
The action RPG combat in the Star Ocean series has always been a highlight, but Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness seems to take it to another level. With no pause or transition before battle begins, there’s no wait to tear into your foes, and battlefields are likely enclosed, but offer ample space for strategic party placement and movement. The number of active party members in a fight has increased, and juggling and combo potential seems to have followed suit. Never letting your foe hit the ground and watching them bounce off of yours and allies attacks while flurries of damage counters appear is an incredibly satisfying experience, and the trailer seems to indicate that this will be prominent in Star Ocean 5.
Along with the technical improvements, SO:IAF also appears to be a more focused, personal story about our protagonist Fidel and his friend Miki trying to protect their hometown from the growing civil tension. I’m sure this will eventually evolve into a galaxy traveling epic journey against an incredibly powerful uber-boss, but here’s hoping things won’t get so far removed from our characters’ stories that we’ll become overwhelmed. I’m sure it will be as focused as a game in a franchise with such in depth world building that there are large lore encyclopedias for terms and historic events in each entry can be.
It’s great to see Square Enix recognize that they have JRPG fans outside of Japan. We look forward to Star Ocean 5 and will bring you any news released regarding the title. Let us know if you’re excited for this space action rpg or if you’re too frightened to go near it after Star Ocean 4‘s voice acting in the comments below.
Fidel: “Look, I don’t know where they found those voice actors either.”
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Written by ChronoSloth
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Video game reviewer who particularly loves the fourth and fifth generation of consoles. In an exclusive polygamist relationship with Nintendo and PlayStation. Fluent in Al Bhed and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 combo notation. Follow him on Instagram to see lots of pictures of video games.
