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STAR OCEAN Company: Enix Released: July 1996 Genre: RPG Graphics: 9.5 Control: 9.0 Sound/Music: 9.5 Storyline: 9.5 Review by: Corbie Dillard ©2008 SUPER-NES.COM

The Super NES is well known for sporting a rather large and outstanding library of rpgs, but there were several of these outstanding titles that never made the trip to the US. Star Ocean would have to be at the top of that list and thanks to the kind folks at Dejap, a translation patch has been created for this fantastic rpg and now US rpg fans can finally enjoy this amazing game in full English. Star Ocean's biggest distinction comes from the fact that it's the culmination of several developers that originally worked on the Namco hit Tales of Phantasia. This explains why the game sports so many similar features. Having said that, it's worth noting that Star Ocean is a very original rpg that features a very unique battle system and some of the most cutting edge technology available for the Super NES at the time of its release. It's also why the translated game took so long to become fully playable on an emulator. But for those who've played it, the wait was well worth it Visually Star Ocean is one of the best-looking Super NES games ever created. The original game used a special graphics compression chip inside the cartridge that allowed the developers to use complicated sets of graphics throughout the game while still fitting it all inside the cart's size limit. This is one reason the game was so difficult to emulate and for a long time required the use of a separate graphics pack in order to play. It won't take playing the game long to realize just why these graphics needed to be compressed. Every area in the game features lush surroundings and the type of detail you don't normally see in a mere 16-bit title. Every area is very distinctive and has its own unique look and feel. Trust me, you'll rarely see the same area twice and it makes the universe of Star Ocean feel incredibly immense. It's clear that the developers put a lot of time and energy into bringing the game's visuals to life and spared no expense in doing so. Star Ocean is easily one of the best looking titles available on the Super Nintendo system. As if the impressive visuals weren't enough, the soundtrack in Star Ocean never ceases to amaze. There's not a bad musical track in the entire game. Now how many games can you honestly say that about? The music is a bit reminiscent of the Final Fantasy titles, but it also seems to have a melodic touch that sets it apart from other Enix releases of this same time period. Much like the visuals, there's a lot of variety in the various music tracks so you'll hardly hear the same track twice. The battle music is one you'll get used to hearing quite often, but it's so good and fits the action so well you'll hardly mind. One unique feature of Star Ocean is the use of audio samples. During battle you can hear the fighters yelling out spoken dialog and making battle sounds just like you would hear in a real battle. By today's rpg standards it's not much, but at the time this game was released there was nothing else quite like it. I can't rave about the sound and music in Star Ocean enough. This has got to be one of my all-time favorite rpg soundtracks. I'd even rank it up near the top with Chrono Trigger as it's honestly that good. Here's where Star Ocean gets interesting. The game features a very unique real-time combat system that's a cross between an action-style system and a turn-based system. You can still carry out attacks in real-time, but instead of swinging a sword you select an attack command. You can also target specific enemies as well as use items and special magical attacks that can be set to the "L" and "R" shoulder buttons on the SNES controller. You only control one character at a time, but you can toggle through the available characters and change which one you're controlling at any time during a battle. The other characters are controlled by the AI of the game and are helpful, but can be a little troublesome at times when they just sit back and watch you do all the work. As with most rpgs, you'll spend a lot of time exploring the many areas of the game and occasionally squaring off against a boss at the end of most dungeons and caves you'll explore. Star Ocean even features a "Private Actions" command that allows you to play out certain side-quests at various times throughout the game. They're not required but they do add a little additional detail and depth to the plotline if you choose to play them out. They also make the game feel a little less linear. The combat system takes a little getting used to and might seem like nothing more than a button-masher at first, but once you get the hang of it you'll come to appreciate the unique aspects of game play the battle system offers. It's easy to understand why so many diehard rpg fans have held this game is such high regard for so many years. It's also easy to see why it was one of the first games to be translated into English by the talented group at Dejap. Now that the game's graphics have been decompressed, there's no reason gamers shouldn't patch the game rom and give this one a try. Star Ocean is one of the best rpgs I've played to date on the Super NES and that's really making a strong statement considering the many fantastic rpgs the system is known for. This one is an absolute must-have in my book.