It’s been a while since I last played one Stars Ocean game. i tried to play Integrity and infidelity when it came out in 2016, but it couldn’t hold my interest long enough to get much further than the opening streak. For whatever reason, it lacked the charm and allure of previous titles. When The divine power was announced, I was cautiously optimistic. It looked good in previews, and I wanted to enjoy a Stars Ocean game again. Well, a demo is out, and I jumped at the chance to play it (I played on PS5). I’m really glad I did, because the sixth part of this lively series grabbed me from the start.
You play as Raymond Lawrence (the demo limits your character choice), captain of the merchant ship, Ydas. A day before unloading their cargo, the Ydas is attacked by the Federation ship Astoria for unknown reasons. Raymond is forced to abandon the badly damaged Ydas and is separated from his crew. He doesn’t know how many survived. He and fellow crew member, Chloe, land in different regions of the “underdeveloped” planet, Aster IV. There Ray meets Princess Laetitia Aurcerius and her servant, Albaird. The three travel to a nearby ruins after seeing a Ydas escape pod land there, only to discover that the cargo Ray was carrying had been pushed into the ship. This payload is called DUMA, an advanced AI robot that can assist in the field and in battle. With DUMA in tow, the group heads back out into the world to find a man Laeticia has been looking for. And that’s about where the demo ends.
First things first, me love the fact that the full game will have dual protagonists. Star Ocean: the second story is my favorite game in the franchise, and this will be the first time since that entry – way back on the PlayStation 1 – that you’ll have a choice. The demo won’t let you play as Laeticia, but I definitely will when the full game comes out. Speaking of Laeticia, she is a serious, kind yet capable princess who has clearly been through hard times as she and Albaird saunter through the land in secret. I like her. Albaird is prickly and overprotective, but certainly has his heart in the right place. The two have been through a lot, it seems, and he is determined to protect his princess. Both react as you would expect when Ray crashes into their planet and starts talking to a glorified cell phone. It’s a genuinely cute scene. As for Ray, he’s a little cocky, but has a good head on his shoulders, and he’s more than capable at both leading and fighting. From the brief time we see him interacting with his crew on the Ydas, he has been loved and runs a tight ship without being overbearing. The cast is likeable and charming throughout, and I’m interested in where their stories are going. Private actions also return, giving the player the chance to have face-to-face conversations with group members while in town. It’s a great way to get to know everyone and one of my favorite series staples.
As for Aster IV, the region Ray lands in is beautiful. tri-Ace and the team have gone to great lengths to create expansive fields that are satisfying to explore. The maps are large and spacious, but not so much that they are more welcome, and each area has two or three different environments. There are forests and rocky outcrops, lush fields and hilly passes. Enemies populate the area in decent numbers and battles are in real time. You can switch between all three main characters as you run around and fight, but they all use the same basic controls. You have your standard light and heavy attacks typical of action RPGs, and you can build combos from them until you run out of AP. Each attack requires a certain amount of AP, but it replenishes when you stop attacking, so you need to be a bit strategic in how you use it. I liked how each character felt different, despite the similar setup. Ray is a little slower with his attacks, but they feel powerful; Laeticia strikes quickly and is light on her feet; Albaird attacks from a distance. The music also changes depending on who you’re controlling, which is a nice touch. Once you find DUMA, she can help in the battle with VA. l love this one. Activating DUMA will make your character temporarily invincible as you position yourself for an attack. As soon as you release the button, DUMA shoots you across the field at your opponent. Changing course just before you hit can activate a Blindside, which stuns all nearby enemies and increases the damage you deal. It is extremely satisfying to succeed and can make quick work of tougher fights. Finding a rhythm between combos and VA attacks allows for a high ceiling in combat skills, but it’s also intuitive and easy to pick up, making for a fantastic combat system. Combine this with a skill tree that can unlock new skills, and I can see it’s one of the The divine power‘s strongest aspects.
You can also activate DUMA outside of combat to search for treasure chests or fly over short distances, and it opens up the world to many more possibilities for exploration. flying around feels good and makes short work of large areas, but your default movement speed is also fast to start with, and you have a permanent dash ability to make it even faster. I really appreciated this. The world never felt too big to get through, but I hate slow traversal, and the speed at which your character moves doesn’t detract from the exploration or beauty of each area. In addition to the large fields, there are also a few towns to explore and a short dungeon, so there’s a lot of variety in just the few hours that the demo lasts.
While I generally enjoyed my time with the demo, there were some nitpicks. The character models are nice and detailed, but they are also very nervous in the way that many anime style 3D games tend to be. It was a little distracting, especially with Laeticia, who moves every time she talks. I admit this is a “me” problem but it was super noticeable. The text is less of an “I” problem and more of a real problem as it can be incredibly difficult to read at times, especially in the tutorials that pop up as you play. Not only do the tutorials break the flow of the game, the small text made them extra frustrating. The text problem extends to the subtitles, which don’t have a good background and can blend into any scene. I really wish there was an option to customize them. I also encountered a few framerate dips while exploring. I was playing in Performance Mode, so I wasn’t expecting them. Strangely enough, I don’t remember any problems during combat. Thankfully the dips weren’t enough to cause problems, but they were noticeable.
The Star Ocean: The Divine Power demo was a lot of fun, and exactly what I wanted from a game in this franchise. It had strong sci-fi elements blended seamlessly with fantasy, engaging characters, great voice acting and top music from the always great Motoi Sakuraba. The environments are beautiful, with striking vistas and skyboxes, and exploring was spirited and fun. The combat felt simple and intuitive, while leaving plenty of room for skilled players. And of course there’s Elena, Raymond’s first officer, who I love and would die for. The demo definitely showed its best and I can only hope that the full game lives up to its potential.
The demo is now available for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and Series X|S.
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