Star Ocean: First Departure R

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 26 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
  1. Digitally Downloaded
    Dec 5, 2019
    90
    People who have played other Star Ocean titles will get a kick out of some of the names and locations being crossed over from those entries. Each Star Ocean title is distinct and self contained, and there's no particular order that you need to play them through, but there's a cohesiveness across key locations and names that establishes this series, infrequent as it is, as being one in which titles are tied to one another. Even if it is a simple case of name dropping time gates and the like at times.
  2. RPG Fan
    Dec 18, 2019
    85
    Star Ocean: First Departure R is the quintessential version of an enjoyable old-school sci-fi fantasy JRPG.
  3. COGconnected
    Dec 9, 2019
    81
    I love Star Ocean: First Departure R. It’s a must-play for JRPG fans, and gaming historians. By modern standards, it might seem fairly simple, but this is a port of a PSP port of a Super Famicom game. It holds up very well and is by far the most accessible way to play this first story. Even players who aren’t JRPG fans might really enjoy the combat. Especially if they’re into hack and slash and beat ‘em up games.
  5. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Jan 9, 2020
    80
    The attention to detail and the way the original atmosphere has been maintained is wonderful, and something Final Fantasy remasters should take note of. [Issue@#171, p.92]
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  6. BaziCenter
    Dec 31, 2019
    80
    Star Ocean First Departure R is a valuable title that defies time and shows that with deep enough gameplay, dated visuals can not prevent a game from being entertaining.
  7. DarkStation
    Dec 20, 2019
    80
    Overall, this particular port of Star Ocean is simultaneously the absolute best way to play the game today and a bit underwhelming at the same time. Only little has changed between First Departure and First Departure R, mainly portraits, audio choices and upscaling while the gameplay remains rather outdated. The port was literally made for more sales, but I’m still glad they brought this classic game to modern consoles and I had a bunch of fun playing it once again. Here’s hoping we see a Star Ocean: Second Story R in 2020!
  8. IGN Italia
    Dec 9, 2019
    80
    Star Ocean: First Departure R gives the players a chance to revive an old classic without ruining its original core.
  9. Hobby Consolas
    Dec 4, 2019
    80
    A classic JRPG in the good and the not so good: it has that charm that only this kind of games possess, but things like structure and narrative hasn't aged so well. In any case, if you haven't played the original (or the remake), Star Ocean: First Departure R is a great opportunity to do it.
  10. DualShockers
    Dec 4, 2019
    80
    Star Ocean First Departure R is an underwhelming port of an excellent but often forgotten Square Enix JRPG.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 24 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 24
  3. Negative: 6 out of 24
  1. EvilAbdy
    Apr 28, 2020
    3
    While Star Ocean is a very engaging series this one doesn’t live up to the others. There are a lot of QOL things square could have done forWhile Star Ocean is a very engaging series this one doesn’t live up to the others. There are a lot of QOL things square could have done for this game such as save anywhere, but chose not to. The combat gets very repetitive very quickly. Especially with random battles occurring every 10 steps it feels like. Aside from that the sprites of the characters are very nice and the combat mostly is ok. Though, after a while you just find yourself mashing buttons as you spend 30 minutes crossing a continent only because of the random battle frequency. If you’re considering buying this wait for a sale. It’s a short game and you definitely shouldn’t pay full price for this. There are much better things to spend your time and money on… Full Review »
  2. l3wis1337
    Dec 5, 2019
    9
    A lot of these 'professional' reviews can be so out of touch. The game is as great as it ever was. If you're a fan of classic JRPGs then giveA lot of these 'professional' reviews can be so out of touch. The game is as great as it ever was. If you're a fan of classic JRPGs then give this one a go. An honest, well told, classic RPG that lots of us still long for.… Full Review »
  3. DragonWriter
    May 9, 2020
    5
    Starting out the game is okay. Getting almost halfway through, everything becomes a bit boring and bland. Some things don't work; like theStarting out the game is okay. Getting almost halfway through, everything becomes a bit boring and bland. Some things don't work; like the item duplication thing. It's too much trouble when you get to that dungeon where they recommend you duplicate the weapons and armor there, but it's way too involving to bother with. I'm just going to try to beat the game and move on. I'll be honest, this has to be the 2nd worse Star Ocean game in the series. The worst one has got to be Integrity and Faithlessness and I'm not even going to go there to play that trash! It's a shame because being that the story is slightly average, the character design and animation scenes are nice. Get it while it's on sale. Having paid $30 or whatever wasn't worth it for me. PS4 has much better RPGs like the top notch Persona 5: Royal and Dragon Quest XI. I suggest checking those out instead to get your RPG fix.… Full Review »
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