Star Ocean: The Divine Force review: PS2-era JRPG nostalgia

A new Star Ocean title is something you must anticipate. The franchise’s quality sloped downward after the PlayStation 2 era, when it seemed as if developer tri-Ace and Square Enix had little idea what to do with the sci-fi RPG, and the quality of its next two entries suffered for it.

I was so excited to meet you! Star Ocean – The Divine ForceWith a great deal of uncertainty. I was able to find clarity a few hours later after my journey to save Aucerius’ kingdom came to an abrupt halt due to an unanticipated development. The princess of Aucerius was required by a robot that had a vast knowledge of viruses to take samples of birds from a port city where they had been spreading pestilence for the purpose of delivering a treatment. Star Ocean is Star Ocean as I remember. A strange and slightly unorthodox amalgamation of science-fi/fantasy with familiar elements from RPGs that has been modified and blended to feel fresh. While it is important to keep the past in mind, this one feels fresh. The Divine Force’s strengths, it’s also a crucial flaw — and it keeps it from reaching the heights it seems to be aiming for.

Star Ocean – The Divine ForceThe journey begins with a choice. You have two options: Ray the brazen interstellar merchant or Laeticia the reserved princess from a backwoods planetary. Ray was the most prominent character in marketing, so I decided to follow Laeticia because it offered a different perspective than Ray. It was hard not to sympathize with the duty-driven princess and her willingness to help a new friend in need, even in light of her desperate mission to find allies and aid her kingdom’s cause in the impending war — despite spending a dozen hours or more engaged in minor quests with seemingly no connection to that cause, from repairing robots to fetching items for merchants.

Photo: tri-Ace/Square Enix via Polygon

Ray, Laeticia and Albaird, with few questions and suspicions about each other, set out on an adventure that takes them away from the main goal, instead of towards it. Instead of advancing in a cohesive narrative that includes major milestones and key moments, The Divine Force is a series of seemingly random events that gradually intersect — the intergalactic merchants, mysterious warriors, and even the bird poo sickness coalesce in a conclusion that’s exciting, satisfying, and altogether clean.

The Divine Force’s localization and voice acting play a significant role in elevating what can otherwise be described as trite plotting. There’s an eloquence to the dialogue and depth in the portrayals that give The Divine Force a distinct sense of gravitas and quality — a feat even more impressive considering that the team sometimes has very little to work with in the script.

The Divine Force moves quickly and spends little time reflecting on its characters or expanding on its themes, except during Private Actions — optional conversations between party members — assuming you take the time to hunt them down: Despite providing essential context for your allies’ background and motivations, The Divine ForceThis does not give any indication as to which characters can you have a Private Action or where they are located.

The result is a narrative that, despite ending on a satisfying note and reaching some gripping heights, feels like it lacks the confidence to go deeper; it expects you to feel invested in events you can’t see, lore it never explains, and relationships it chooses to ignore. Like with Helgar’s Disease early in the game, The Divine Forceis disinterested to explore any of this beyond its brief role in advancing the main story.

Photo: tri-Ace/Square Enix via Polygon

JRPGs are known for their ability to innovate narratives with success over the last decade. However, they also keep some of the established tropes. Tales of Arise transformed the “two worlds collide” conceit from the series’ own past into a story of rebellion and liberation. Dragon Quest 11A mid-game twist gave unexpected emotional weight to the story, breaking up its safe origins. Ni no Kuni 2Even more side modes added elements for city-building and tactical combat. Star Ocean on the other side tells the exact same story, largely in the same fashion as on PlayStation 2 and has the same perfunctory plot.

This cursory approach is a problem in the world-building process. Nearly all towns are full of empty homes and NPCs that remain silent, with a few quest-givers waiting to be engaged. The overworld is vast but empty, save for a few treasure chests, not unlike Bandai Namco’s Tales of Zestiria. You hear a great deal about the effects of disease or the diplomatic strife between Aucerius and the Vey’l Empire, but see no signs of any relationship between villages in Aucerius, let alone between nations on the continent.

During a few quests when Laeticia and Ray split, it feels as if tri-Ace prioritized Ray’s story and treated Laeticia’s as an afterthought. Laeticia, Ray’s AI companion and aide, wants information about Laeticia from Aucerius. She is looking for data to help her gather the necessary information. The justification for Laeticia’s mission is flimsy enough, but she decides speaking to approximately two people is enough to satisfy her curiosity and form a plan of action. Yet nothing consequential happens in the end, and it all ends up feeling like a way to kill time — as if The Divine Force It was turning its wheels as it tried to figure out what direction it should go.

The moments connecting substantial plot points may not stand up to much scrutiny, but they’re a good excuse to pick fights with the local wildlife and indulge in The Divine Force’s superb action combat. tri-Ace borrowed The Divine Force’s primary battle feature from Bandai Namco’s Tales of XilliaThe action meter. Every character can choose from a variety of attacks, which cost between one and three bars on the action meter. To avoid being stuck against an army of monsters, you start each fight with 5 bars.

Photo: tri-Ace/Square Enix via Polygon

Where The Divine ForceThere are many variations. XilliaYou can increase your combo meter by doing this. Ray crashes onto Aucerius carrying DUMA, an advanced piece of alien tech which attaches itself directly to you, and enhances your combat ability. DUMA can be used as a shield and to rush your enemies. You can also enact a “blindside” attack if you change direction at the last moment. You can increase your combat meter by using such attacks. Previous Star Ocean games struggled to differentiate themselves from other action-RPGs, particularly Bandai’s Tales series. Combat is made easier by DUMA. The Divine Force a distinct sense of rhythm, even though you’re only ever working with three combo chains per character.

Ray and Laeticia play the standard knight-and fencer roles. But within just a few hours, Ray recruits a healer who can boost your action points. You also get a robotic with an electrical whip and a spell-slinger that is able to summon up storms and mountains to crush your foes. Every role is unique in its DUMA capabilities, which makes it more rewarding than many RPGs to make your party members better. The Divine ForceKeeps the battle fresh and alive until the very end.

Some boss fights are a little too dependent on DUMA attacks. But the combination customization and strategic balance act makes them great. The Divine Force’s battle system one of the most enjoyable in recent memory. The only problem is a large number of unlocked nodes that are not necessary. This means most players will only be able to unlock small stat enhancements through gear or by leveling up.

Rather than aiming for evolution similar to Bandai’s Tales of AriseSquare Enix, tri-Ace, and tri-Ace were back in time. Star Ocean – The Divine Force. Although the result is strong, it’s not surprising. The Divine ForceIt had the potential of reaching even higher heights and establishing an identity for Star Ocean as a thought-provoking reflection on technology, philosophy, and other topics. Star Ocean still has a lot of potential and merits another chance. One that is more forward-looking and will give it a chance at shining.

Star Ocean – The Divine Force The game was launched on October 27th on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Windows PC. Square Enix provided a prerelease code for the game to be played on PS5. Vox Media is an affiliate partner. Although these partnerships do not impact editorial content, Vox Media could earn commissions on products sold via affiliate links. Find out more. additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.