Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness

 PlayStation 4
User Score
6.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 287 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 139 out of 287
  2. Mixed: 62 out of 287
  3. Negative: 86 out of 287
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  1. sjc1279
    Jun 28, 2016
    10
    I just bought this game from GAmestop. It has great graphics, Battle System, Characters and Voice Acting. I"m not too far in so I can't say about the story.
  2. megamega
    Sep 27, 2016
    10
    SHUT UP. This game is amazing graphics, gameplay, characters and story wow 6.5 it doesnt deserve these crabby scores. i cant believe that people want to pick apart such a beautiful masterpiece. go play this game for your self amazing marvelous great and whats most important is fun i had fun playing this game. all rpg games are repetitive to some degree even final fantasy or skyrim.WHOSHUT UP. This game is amazing graphics, gameplay, characters and story wow 6.5 it doesnt deserve these crabby scores. i cant believe that people want to pick apart such a beautiful masterpiece. go play this game for your self amazing marvelous great and whats most important is fun i had fun playing this game. all rpg games are repetitive to some degree even final fantasy or skyrim.WHO IS OUT THERE MEASURING FRAME RATE. GET A LIFE... SHUT UP AND PLAY OR TURN IN YOUR GAME SYSTEM FOR A CANE AND FALSE TEETH ALL OF YOU GAME CRONIES GREAT GAME JUDGE FOR YOURSELVES DONT BE A LEMMING… Expand
  3. Darkbond007
    Jun 29, 2016
    10
    It's really a fun game with lots of fun aspects and really good graphics. It's a tad on the short side but that encouraged me to play through the story multiple times for different character endings. I liked the crafting in this game and the learning curve was just about right. I really wish they would just port SO3 and 4 to the ps4 also but this will keep me going for quite sometime.
  4. Tenoko1
    Jul 17, 2016
    10
    Was so glad when this game came out, and in playing it, immediately saw where they had fixed things that were such a problem in the last game, like Item Creation is so much easier and available to do anywhere, like in the first two games of the series. Battle is fun, and you can switch seamlessly between characters mid-fight. Lots of side quests and things to do aside from the mainWas so glad when this game came out, and in playing it, immediately saw where they had fixed things that were such a problem in the last game, like Item Creation is so much easier and available to do anywhere, like in the first two games of the series. Battle is fun, and you can switch seamlessly between characters mid-fight. Lots of side quests and things to do aside from the main storyline, but all of it is optional, yet adds to the experience. Really enjoyed this game.… Expand
  5. winterbox
    Dec 19, 2016
    10
    I am just a casual gamer who played an SO game for the PS2 years back. I do not follow the series.

    Overall I enjoy the game, I definitely understand that the game can be a grind sometimes coupled with dry narratives, and not the best voice acting (some encounters are quite... cringe worthy). All good. I love jrpg's for what they are and I do love grinding. The game does feel like an    I am just a casual gamer who played an SO game for the PS2 years back. I do not follow the series.

    Overall I enjoy the game, I definitely understand that the game can be a grind sometimes coupled with dry narratives, and not the best voice acting (some encounters are quite... cringe worthy). All good.

    I love jrpg's for what they are and I do love grinding. The game does feel like an MMO with side quests, leveling up characters and roles, unlocking specialties through other specialized side quests. There is a lot of back tracking too. What drew me in was the art work and graphical design of the game. Sure this is not Uncharted 4, but it is a different genre and I appreciate it as a different genre.

    Even though I find the story entirely forgettable, characters very uninteresting and (because they keep leaving time to time they don't feel like they are "yours" to level, so you lose that personal connection to your characters). The combat system is a rock - paper - scissor based rotation which is interesting but I usually ignore it and bash the enemies dead. Head strong ya know? So far I got an invincible Miki healing everyone and even my Fidel with 0 def and full attack (1k +) doesn't die in boss combats.

    Don't know, I just enjoy it as a grind fest game. I paid full price and I don't regret. It's a fun game if you can look past criticisms and don't compare it to other games that are AAA.

    I use SO5 as my advanced complicated candy crush for the ps4.    … Expand
  6. ReneW
    Apr 11, 2017
    10
    Are you serious? If you played "Till the End of Time" you HAVE to love Integrity and Faithlessness! Ok the story and sync isn't that good and a few bugs (walk through people) are annoying but the whole system is awesome! Big plus point is the Battle, Ability, Equipment and Crafting-System. Its all known from the PS2 Game and so freaky improved. This makes Star Ocean so unique. If youAre you serious? If you played "Till the End of Time" you HAVE to love Integrity and Faithlessness! Ok the story and sync isn't that good and a few bugs (walk through people) are annoying but the whole system is awesome! Big plus point is the Battle, Ability, Equipment and Crafting-System. Its all known from the PS2 Game and so freaky improved. This makes Star Ocean so unique. If you really hardcore played the other Star Ocean games you will love this game.… Expand
  7. Taryl
    Dec 28, 2020
    10
    Very underrated game! Fun combat, great graphic, characters are fantastic, hope in a new chapter!
  8. MrAftershock
    Aug 28, 2017
    10
    Absolutely worth your money. Great Characters and music. The story is really good and the action flows at a good pace not to much waiting around. I like jrpg's a lot. It certainly beats out SKYRIM (I did play Skyrim and got 99% of trophies a bronze one is glitches for me) but its a very dark and boring game.
  9. VendonJura
    Sep 27, 2018
    10
    I love Star Ocean from 1-5. I do not like some things about SO5.

    Per: 1: The graphics, the sound, the story just about all this is just awesome. You can really lean back and look at the beautiful world of Star Ocean. 2: There are many side missions. Fortunately, in SO5 you have no way to screw up these missions if you miss something on a quest then you'll just be able to do it    I love Star Ocean from 1-5. I do not like some things about SO5.

    Per:

    1: The graphics, the sound, the story just about all this is just awesome. You can really lean back and look at the beautiful world of Star Ocean.

    2: There are many side missions. Fortunately, in SO5 you have no way to screw up these missions if you miss something on a quest then you'll just be able to do it later but I could be wrong so I did them as soon as I could. I finished 100% of the quests and have to say, great all of them do work but I would like to have more information about the locations of the monsters you need to look for or the items. They are not listed on many quests.

    3: You have a relaxed 50 hours of gameplay, trophy system, abundant achievements and natural levels of difficulty that you can unlock.

    4: For all RPG fans, Star Ocean 5 is just a must have in their collection.

    Cons:

    1: The combat fields, the battle area is most of the time too small even for 3 people. But you have 7 characters in the group, which is often the problem when a fight starts and you are too close the lines, depending on which character you are playing with, you are automatically escaping from the battle because you are touching the outer line. To avoid this is often not possible.

    2: There was an arena in almost every part of Star Ocean. A coliseum. Unfortunately, this part does not exist

    3. At the end, if you have finished the game then you'll unlock the special dungeon, unfortunately, you have no mini-map at all so you will find yourself lost very often. Since my sense of orientation is so bad, this flaw is unfortunately very unpleasant. So I had to use the book to this game. Even with the book it was hard to figure out where to go.

    4: Unfortunately there are no mini-games in SO5 either

    5: What I also miss is that the look of the skills change the more you use them like in SO2.

    Conclusion: All in all, I give the game of course max points because the series of Star Ocean is one of my favorites.

    PS: Sry for my bad english knowledge.    … Expand
  10. Lufia
    Jul 7, 2023
    10
    As always, an awesome Star Ocean game. The only bad thing in this game is the smal battleground. If you play as a ranged character, you accidently start an escape from battle realy often.
  11. blakfayt
    Jun 29, 2016
    9
    The first question you have to ask yourself before buying SO: I&F is, "Do I like old school RPGs?" And when I say old school I mean unskippable cut scenes, areas that exist specifically for encounters and fights, standard progression, and limited save points. Because those are the biggest things people are complaining about.

    Star Ocean Integrity and Faithlessness is a classic wrapper    The first question you have to ask yourself before buying SO: I&F is, "Do I like old school RPGs?" And when I say old school I mean unskippable cut scenes, areas that exist specifically for encounters and fights, standard progression, and limited save points. Because those are the biggest things people are complaining about.

    Star Ocean Integrity and Faithlessness is a classic wrapper that has a new food inside it. Things look very similar to previous games, but there's been a lot of gameplay tweaks since the last good Star Ocean game. Combat and cut scenes are now integrated into the game. When you bump into enemies on the map your characters pull out their weapons and the fight begins with no transitions. The same for a lot of the story, people simply start speaking. It doesn't cut to dialogue boxes or a scene, in most cases. Naturally there are going to be some scenes that aren't in game at some points.

    On top of removing transitions, SO has changed up how the mechanics of the gameplay. The rock paper scissors of previous titles is very prominent and easy to understand and works probably the best I have ever seen. I did an entire boss fight with counter attacks, which would have been difficult to judge in previous entries. Atop that skills have an upgrade system and a mastery system, as well as the game having a new system for learning skills instead of simply leveling up. They have also introduced AI altering "roles" which can be purchased with SP (which is used for buying skills of various types). Roles not only affect how the AI acts but give bonuses relating to the role, like increased damage to certain enemy types or extra stats.

    The crafting system is back and it's more fine tuned than SO3. You see the materials you need, and when you gather them up you can make the item. However, what items you can make are limited by your specialties, sort of passive skills that let you craft items or gather materials for crafting (in the early parts).

    Of course in an RPG we can't neglect the story and characters. Which, I'll admit, are rather dry. Around an hour in I had already predicted the big twist of the game (It's Star Ocean, of course it had something to do with space invaders.) But naturally the characters had to go through the phase of "OH WOW! WE WOULD HAVE NEVER GUESSED!" which is pretty annoying. As for the characters themselves, I feel like I've become jaded by college courses on how to write because none of them are particularly interesting. None of them are horribly offensive and annoying (Like half the cast in a Tales of series game, or completely lacking any depth like most Western RPG characters) but the game does feel kind of sped up.

    What does help in both of those regards is the PA system, which has returned. Private Actions are chats with your party where you often get to make a choice that raises or lowers their affections, and in previous games altered the ending for your protagonist. PA's are usually short scenes that add more depth to a character or situation and they're welcome as the main plot focuses less on the characters you're adventuring with and more on the action (a faux pas of professional writing. The characters and their reactions should be what's interesting, not wondering what the next set piece of the game is. I should care about the characters)

    Overall, Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness gets a 9/10 from me. It's a classic shell with new content and I've been craving an RPG since Fallout 4 let me down. The writing could have been better, but the combat is sweet and rewarding, the exploration is simple but the areas are visually stimulating and lovely. I think if Square had made this a PS4 exclusive (the game came out on PS3 in Japan) then it could have been a 10/10 easily with better textures and more development time. Unfortunately it's held back by the previous generation of consoles in some regards, but it's still a blast to play. The people who say they cleared it in under 30 hours are either playing on easy mode or ignored the side quests and are lying about that. I spent over a half an hour in the first exploration zone after spending fifteen minutes in the tutorial town. These are people trying to make it look bad by speeding through so they can **** out day one reviews.    … Expand
  12. KimCheeWarrior
    Jul 3, 2016
    9
    first of all, get over the lack of capitilization and other nuisances. im not writing an essay so if you seriously cant read this review because of this then go elsewhere, fair warning. ive read many reviews here and have to agree that this game hails back to a simpler time of jrpg. no im not talking about western rpgs, im talking about rpgs that have the heart of the land of the risingfirst of all, get over the lack of capitilization and other nuisances. im not writing an essay so if you seriously cant read this review because of this then go elsewhere, fair warning. ive read many reviews here and have to agree that this game hails back to a simpler time of jrpg. no im not talking about western rpgs, im talking about rpgs that have the heart of the land of the rising sun. this is a different star ocean but at the same time the same. many presentation factors have been changed as well as pace and character development. as for predictability, most 80's movies i watched as a kid entertained me thoroughly despite the story being predictable. just because a story might be predictable doesnt mean its bad if its done right. theres just something about this game that just draws you in and never lets go. no, its not the best star ocean but id say its around the second best but one thing is for sure, its the best jrpg that ive played in years, final fantasy and other various tales games included. its easy on the eyes, a good enough story, well enough pacing and a proper wow factor for the star trekie geek out that is starships and space travel. dont understand all the hate there is for this game unless youre a youngin that never played old school. it doesnt try to cater to the mainstream and it does so with its unapologetically "love it or leave it" presentation. i scoured various reviews before buying this but then so did i with star ocean 4 (the 360 version) and still love d it as well as 5. even with the previous gen aspect of the game's production looming overhead, the game still feels like the first true next gen jrpg. dont get me wrong, jrpgs like neptunia vii and zestiria were good enough, just not great like this. maybe me being older and more patient than most younger gamers has something to do with my score but this game is "a-okay" in my book. well worth the $60 price tag. i stopped reading too much into game review scores for games in this genre long ago because at some point i realized that my tastes are a bit different than most modern day professional game reviewers.… Expand
  13. SexyTractorDsco
    Nov 20, 2018
    9
    Way better than people make it out to be. I'd argue it surpasses a lot of recent 'Tales Of' games in terms of quality too. very much worth checking out. Especially now considering you can pick it up for cheap almost anywhere.
  14. consolfreak1982
    Sep 29, 2016
    9
    I apologize for having ignored this game so long - it was one of my most wanteds this year and the negative/mediocre Reviews and user comments drove me away ...
    Im a huge Fan of the Series (well, not SO4 lol), and since it was on Sale I just thought what the hell lets just buy it - mediocre or not.
    And guys - I regret for having missed out on this amazing game just because some opinions    I apologize for having ignored this game so long - it was one of my most wanteds this year and the negative/mediocre Reviews and user comments drove me away ...
    Im a huge Fan of the Series (well, not SO4 lol), and since it was on Sale I just thought what the hell lets just buy it - mediocre or not.
    And guys - I regret for having missed out on this amazing game just because some opinions on the Internet changed my mind.
    Yes, its "old shool" and has its flaws - the graphics are good, especially the character art, design and models. The fighting may be "buton mashy", but its fast, flashy and fun! The seamless gameplay and very fast gameplay is a huge improvement over .. well .. most other JRPGs out there! No slow start, no interruptions between exploration and combat, less cutscenes ... the flow of the game is incredibly high for a JRPG.
    Yes,
    the graphics could be way more detailed - environments are samey, almost empty/same sized/same shaped/lackin Detail
    the Soundtrack is always "epic" - which can be exhausting sometimes
    the battle System is mostly button mashing and way too flashy and shallow (lol just try highest difficulty new game plus haha good luck on emphemeral queen lv 255)
    the overal lack of love for the Detail
    the short lenght of the main Story (about 20-30 hrs)

    BUT:
    None of them really matter when youre playin the game - trust me.
    If you like JRPGs and StarOcean you wont be disappointed - its way better than SO4 in any regard, its a great JRPG with likeable characters, very fast gameplay and very fast game flow in General.
    The only Thing I regret is that I have not bought it until it was on sale - at least I saved some Money too and got an awesome game as well - win win Situation :)    … Expand
  15. thaesino
    Nov 16, 2016
    9
    I'm not going to get involved in the petty arguments that come with social media these days, so I'll say this:

    If you really love the Star Ocean series but aren't a fan, disregard this game. If you are a huge fan of the Star Ocean series, play this game but wait until its price drops to $39.99 If you love the Tales series, you may actually find that this is the first Star Ocean to be    I'm not going to get involved in the petty arguments that come with social media these days, so I'll say this:

    If you really love the Star Ocean series but aren't a fan, disregard this game.
    If you are a huge fan of the Star Ocean series, play this game but wait until its price drops to $39.99
    If you love the Tales series, you may actually find that this is the first Star Ocean to be more like Tales than Star Ocean... the art style won't look it, but the battle system is similar (sort of), and the humor of the conversations is right up there with Tales of Vesperia's funnier moments.

    What can I say? I'm not a big fan of the majority of JRPGs heavy on fan service, so I'm quite surprised by this one and do not believe, as some say, that this is the "nail in the coffin" for the SO series.    … Expand
  16. hungryparrot
    Jul 8, 2016
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is, for all intents and purposes, a very old-school Japanese role playing game. Because of this, it gets lost in market that is so driven by opinion (which this review also is), it's hard for anything to stand on it's on two feet that doesn't follow the current AAA model. Conversely, because of this, it truly scratches that deep itch for someone looking to rekindle the spark with jrpg love. Based on time constraints that 'professional' reviewers are under, they tend to miss what's most important in gaming, pure enjoyability. And to my fellow cursory readers, Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness has that in spades.

    **POTENTIAL BEGINNING SPOILERS** Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness tells a very compelling story, albeit one that has been told before. If you're akin to the SO lore, you already know that this entry falls between Second Story and Till The End of Time (SO II and III respectively). Fidel Camuze lives a peaceful if uneventful life on the planet, dubbed by the Pangalactic Federation, Faykreed IV with his childhood friend Miki Sauvester. Living directly in the long-reaching shadow of his father Darill, Fidel struggles to be his own person while educating the town's hopeful at his family's training hall for swordsmanship in their seaside town of Stahl. When war breaks out over resources (sound familiar?) and the small town is caught in the crossfire, Fidel sets out to seek the crown's assistance in protecting the small hamlet. From there, Fidel and Miki find themselves caught up in a conflict that just may be out of their world.

    If the above sounds like boilerplate jrpg framework, it's because it is. What sets it apart however, and frankly what most reviewers are missing, is the way in which the narrative is weaved. From the eyes of Faykreedians, the world they know is just that. Nothing more and nothing less. But when a rival nation shows up to a sword fight with 'gleaming sticks,' the Medieval land of Resulia is left polarized. How could they possibly hope to defend themselves against such technology?

    Now, that's all well and good but what about gameplay? As I stated before, Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is brimming with fun.

    BATTLE SYSTEM:

    What's a good jrpg without a good battle system right? Tri-ace has nailed their battle system here. I've seen many complaints about the AI being less than standard, and the fighting being too 'button-mashy'. I can't speak for anyone other than myself but I have to assume that other reviewers didn't give the 'Role System' any real thought. Yes, it's true that in the beginning it feels a bit one sided, especially if the player plays solely as Fidel (of course you would), but as you progress the roles start to unlock at a brisk and satisfying pace (assuming, of course, that you're tackling side quests along the way. More on that later). As soon as Fidel's party started to round out, I was amazed to see the AI reacting appropriately and smartly. Nothing is more satisfying than going up against a high level Cathedral of Oblivion (random dungeon spawn to test your mettle) boss and watching your team wreck. The short advice here is to play and use the systems that you are given! They aren't there for show, they're incredibly useful and necessary for full-party usage and potential! Trust me, when all seven (actively six fighting) are in the mix, you're going to want everyone locked in. And when it clicks, it feels fantastic.

    The rock, paper, scissors paradigm also works like a dream. Please do me (and yourself) a favor and avoid holding circle for that strong attack spam. 'X' attacks are mapped as weak, while 'O' attacks are mapped as strong. Each of these buttons can also be assigned 2 battle skills, two for LONG range and two for SHORT. The cancel system works as such: Weak attacks interrupt strong, Strong attacks break guard, and Guard counters Weak (press '[]' twice after a successful block, it took me way to long to figure that out). You also get what's called a 'Cancel Bonus' if you continuously vary your weak and strong attacks, to a max of 5 times for a 200% damage output bonus. It really works when you work it.

    SIDE QUESTS, PA's, CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT and CRAFTING:

    Yes, there is backtracking. Yes, those side quests involve a lot of it. But it is highly recommend to pursue them if nothing more than to unlock specialties that are attached to them! The PA's. These are perhaps the biggest missed elements from everyone that seems to be playing. For everyone saying that they feel no attachment to the characters it's because they are not pursuing these beautiful moments. The amount of character development that is attached to these is paramount to understand the stakes for everyone involved. If you want immersion, chase these. Crafting is back and it's sublime.

    In short, SO:IaF is a highly enjoyable reminder of yesteryear. Compelling, highly competent, and incredibly fun.    … Expand
  17. Teddycrunsh3d
    Jul 4, 2016
    9
    I am going to make it short, i will only list the good and bad parts of the game (spoiler free), so here we go:

    + very good and enjoyable combat(that`s totally addicting, at leats for me) + The PA`s are very funny at times, I enjoyed them very much + The Char. designe is superb (At least for my standards) + The Grafics are good, dispite it being realesed one year ago on the PS3 in    I am going to make it short, i will only list the good and bad parts of the game (spoiler free), so here we go:

    + very good and enjoyable combat(that`s totally addicting, at leats for me)
    + The PA`s are very funny at times, I enjoyed them very much
    + The Char. designe is superb (At least for my standards)
    + The Grafics are good, dispite it being realesed one year ago on the PS3 in Japan
    + The role system gives you the oppertunity to costumise the behavior of your PM, ecsactly like you want it
    + The music is well written, and underlines the atmosphere of the current sinario and fits perfectly with the world, like in all the previous installlments
    + The oldschool leveling system where you gain exp, sp, and have to find/buy and use skill tomes to unlock skills is very rewarding and fun
    + Emotes!
    + Welch`s Laboratory/The creation system, easy to access and develop items
    and last but not least
    +the VO (Japanese/English) is allways on point, fits the Char. and gives the Char. live and makes them spritefull
    and now the negative ons:
    - The story could use some work, it`s not totally bad but very predictable/ boring at some points(It`s a SO game afterall)
    - Some things that you have to do, like guarding a fellow Partymember while your attacked and some other annoyibg stuff
    - Some repetativ Sideguests
    - Some unfair area attack spaming, allmost to powerfull Bosses
    Now onto the coclusion:
    If you like oldschool JRPG`s like Final Fantasy, Tales of... and SO 1,2 and 3 this game is for you, because it takes old RPG Elements and mixes them with newschool stuff like real time combat, without transition between traversing and fighting. The game is not innovativ by any means, but not all games have to do that. It`s a fun and awesome experience. So give the game a chance besides what all the critics say.    … Expand
  18. Elnidfse
    Jul 5, 2016
    9
    I'm going to make this as short as possible. If there is any review you read in reference to buying this game, let it be this one.
    To start let me put this out there, this game has been criminally underrated as editors harp on each other based on the first review. It's criminal that this game isn't as acclaimed as it should be. Now let's get to it.
    + Graphics If people can praise    I'm going to make this as short as possible. If there is any review you read in reference to buying this game, let it be this one.
    To start let me put this out there, this game has been criminally underrated as editors harp on each other based on the first review. It's criminal that this game isn't as acclaimed as it should be. Now let's get to it.

    + Graphics
    If people can praise Zesteria, they can praise this game for appearance. The spell animations are convincingly impactful, the super attacks each character can use are suitably flashy, and they don't break the visual representation of the rest of the games in the series. From a visual point of view, this is down. It looks well and it feels well

    + Sound
    Overall it sounds great. It uses the same sound effects that have become the tri-ace standard. It sounds nice and fits well with the series. Attacks are noticeably impactful and no expense was spared from the things like a sword being unsheathed to the sounds of footsteps across the various types of lands you traverse all of these sounds are using the established standard.

    + Voice acting.
    While there may be a miss with casting, the english Dub of the game is exceptional, to the point that I find myself preferring this. Reviewers who call this a miss clearly are taken aback that everybody doesn't speak with an english accent.

    + Gameplay
    Combat is decided in a rock, paper, scissors sort of deal with you deciding which attacks out of light and strong (or guarding) you need to do which can be adjusted on reaction. On the standard difficulty you can play as you will knowing that you won't be at the mercy of certain doom if you don't adhere too strongly to it. Switching between members can happen on the fly so it's never hard to swap up tactics in the middle of the fray to suit your playstyle or needs

    +AI
    The AI system is far less cryptic than it was in 3 and less nonexistent as it was in 4 (as in the AI played itself). 5 uses a system sort of like gambits in Final Fantasy 12 which can achieve specific functionality as you could adjust in the AI of Star Ocean 2. That said, configuring uses roles, of which there is both too many and not enough, so it will take some playtime to tune your party just how you like it, whether it's having a more strategic set of partners that reserve their skills for when you need them most, or berserkers, who forgo defense and won't stop attacking until the enemy dies or they do.

    + Characters
    They respond well together. Most of the characters never stray from their defining traits and the typical angst seen in playing as young adult protagonists is never exemplified. That is to say, characters aren't nonsensically ditzy while fighting (and even have melancholic revelations about the atrocities of war) and instead have strong grounded personalities. They behave rather natural to who they are, and that's something I can appreciate in a game today when the market is oversaturated with protagonists playing catch with the idiot ball, you know the sort who's own stubbornness and belief in the "power of friendship" go against their own self preservation.

    = Story
    This is where we get to the crux of the issue. The story isn't standard to the point that it's always completely predictable, and indeed outside of a certain event, you will generally never quite figure out how things are going, it doesn't take nonsensical twists. If you play the "x is going to betray or die" game you will be sorely mistaken. This is a strength however it could be seen as a negative. As the story is rather straightforward the closer you get to the end players used to a more "choose your own adventure" style of gaming that's popular these days may feel constrained when they play a traditional RPG experience.

    - Quests
    There is a lot of backtracking. If you played Star Ocean 1 (and maybe a little bit of 2) you have an idea of the backtracking you have ahead of you. However you have no clue the sheer magnitude the amount of backtracking you'll be suffering through. While this is a vehicle for the combat, as enemies periodically as you progress get stronger in previous areas, it does at some points feel a chore as you do side quests to unlock specialties for crafting and item drop rate and the like. That said, as many of these quests overlap in zones you visit anyways, hanging on to them and doing them as they come by is as strategy to mitigate the tedium and the players frustration. Still a solid minus

    Ah and lastly:
    + Fan service
    To avoid giving spoilers I'll make this brief. Familiarity with the series will pay off, mostly with 3 than the rest of the series. If you remember how the games sounded and what moves bosses used, you'll be able to appreciate all this game offers as you play it

    And that's all there is to say about the game. A really solid entry to the series and an example of what JRPGs could be in reference to presentation. A really good game, made for it's fans.    … Expand
  19. Avorax
    Aug 27, 2016
    9
    Gran juego que se ve lastrado por falta de presupuesto, gran sistema de combate y desarrollo de personajes, así como un gran diseño de personajes.Pese a todo hay cosas que lastran la experiencia de juego, una cámara de combate incomoda y molesta, ritmo de la historia irregular, se echan de menos más escenas cinemáticas o conversaciones más profundas entre personajes que hagan que losGran juego que se ve lastrado por falta de presupuesto, gran sistema de combate y desarrollo de personajes, así como un gran diseño de personajes.Pese a todo hay cosas que lastran la experiencia de juego, una cámara de combate incomoda y molesta, ritmo de la historia irregular, se echan de menos más escenas cinemáticas o conversaciones más profundas entre personajes que hagan que los protagonistas ganen un hueco en nuestro corazón.Si te gusta la saga o los JRPG, es tu juego, si por lo contrario no te gusta ni la estética anime ni los JRPG, pasa de largo.… Expand
  20. FaytesEnd
    Jul 7, 2016
    8
    If you enjoyed past star ocean games or like older school RPGs this game is pretty good. I'm more than 40 hours in and looking forward to finishing the story, playing the post game content and even trying again at a higher difficulty.

    Graphics are good. Some slowdowns in towns, battles are pretty solid. Camera can be a bit wonky. It hasn't given me motion sickness like Bloodbourne (dang    If you enjoyed past star ocean games or like older school RPGs this game is pretty good. I'm more than 40 hours in and looking forward to finishing the story, playing the post game content and even trying again at a higher difficulty.

    Graphics are good. Some slowdowns in towns, battles are pretty solid. Camera can be a bit wonky. It hasn't given me motion sickness like Bloodbourne (dang stutters in BB... such a good game though).

    Sound is good. I enjoy a lot of the music and the effects are done well.

    Combat is fun and fast. It is a bit simple, but rewards planning and button mashing.

    Story - not terrible, but not great either. The characters are fun though and I enjoy them. They're the normal Japanese tropes, but the voice acting is done well.

    Crafting - is where its at. Very fun, lots to do.

    I go with an 8/10 because there are some pretty big flaws. No space battles, no even in cut scenes. Camera. Some people like to walk as other party members, that doesn't bother me though. Some cheesy story parts that make you shake your head. Small world and lots of back tracking, but at least the enemies change as the story progresses (they get stronger versions of the same enemies, but with more attacks).

    Worth a buy if your an RPG junky, worth a rent if your not.    … Expand
  21. super_dude_m
    Jun 28, 2016
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. So far has been pretty great, though I have been playing the game like a Star Ocean game. That means back tracking, seeking battles and resources, grinding, and those PA's that make the game (Victor doesn't like spinach). Really at this point I have really only mover the story forward to get characters so I can go back to each town and environment to find the PA's. I can't tell if the "Star Ocean fans" here forgot how to play the game or what but this game is meant to be taken slow. Npcs change how they talk after events, PA's appear in places they weren't before after events as well. If that doesn't interest you, maybe skip? Either way I am loving this game so far.… Expand
  22. Rpgwalker
    Jul 1, 2016
    8
    It is a good rpg but it could be better. It reminds me so much of SO Last Hope so im pleased with its familiar type of gameplay but suffer technical issues during cut scenes, i hope it get fixed.
  23. PauloRaz3n
    Jul 2, 2016
    8
    No New Game+ ruined the game... I Like the system Battle, the difficultyt, but i dont want start a new game without my progress in a new dificulty...no DLCs, i think games like this, need DLc to extend the game, Dlcs Like, New area, new boss, new super boss.
  24. nubsauce
    Jul 3, 2016
    8
    Played 37 hours in 4 days...this game is my life right now. If you want to get addicted, this is your game...

    Btw, the game is peppered with nice slice of life humour, and Fiore's ass is so beautiful I could stare at it for days. :P
  25. Jedman
    Dec 30, 2019
    8
    This is nice light hearted JRPG, nothing particularly epic but enjoyable nonetheless. Graphics and music are nice and combat is fun, party management is great especially when you get more in depth into the customisation of roles and equipment later on.
    The story isn't anything groundbreaking but is interesting enough to make you want to progress with the game. Where the game is good is    This is nice light hearted JRPG, nothing particularly epic but enjoyable nonetheless. Graphics and music are nice and combat is fun, party management is great especially when you get more in depth into the customisation of roles and equipment later on.
    The story isn't anything groundbreaking but is interesting enough to make you want to progress with the game. Where the game is good is more in the characters and the characters relationships. The voice acting is generally very good and there is fun banter between the characters in cut scenes and in the private action scenes. The game features a cute loli, and the sexiest video game character I have ever come across so it gets strong marks for fan service. Fiore makes the game alone and was enough to make me want to continue with the game.

    I enjoyed my time with this game and while it is evidently old school and flawed in some areas, too much backtracking, difficulty spikes, I feel that the games charms are enough to make up for its shortcomings. Thank you Fiore.    … Expand
  26. Tiziown
    May 22, 2021
    8
    It wasn't even close to SO IV budget but in the end it is way better imho, so good work
  27. Friendzie
    Jul 6, 2018
    7
    I'm going to try and keep this short and focus on what I liked rather than dwell on the negatives. Star Ocean was a dead IP, and the devs did what they could with almost no budget. The graphics suffer, but they did some cool things with the game seeing as it's not very taxing on the PS4 hardware. In particular, you can bring all 7 main characters into battle at once. You don't worry aboutI'm going to try and keep this short and focus on what I liked rather than dwell on the negatives. Star Ocean was a dead IP, and the devs did what they could with almost no budget. The graphics suffer, but they did some cool things with the game seeing as it's not very taxing on the PS4 hardware. In particular, you can bring all 7 main characters into battle at once. You don't worry about whether you should buy equipment or power up characters you don't want to use. You just use all of them. The game has a highly customizable tactics system to help each AI understand what you want them to do. There are hundreds of character development skits. The battles take place right on the map and there's no loading screen before you fight. All your companions actually walk with you on the field! Optional quests are not that exciting, but give you reason to go back out into the world, where you'll discover that encounters are constantly changing. When you backtrack later on you will find a new set of monsters along the way. Character development skits happen as you travel to break up the tedium. Skits and quests give meaningful rewards sometimes. The combat system is pretty much like any other Star Ocean or Tales game. Later on you may be able to exploit some mechanics to become very difficult to kill, but so what? Same thing in previous entries in the series that garnered praise.

    The game has very few bugs, never crashed on me, has no loot boxes or microtransactions, and is plenty long enough. Give it a chance and you might like it. I'd rate it a 7.5, but I'm rounding up to 8 for purposes of this site.    … Expand
  28. AvantGuardian
    Jul 10, 2016
    7
    Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithfulness, "Faithfully" gives fans of the Star Ocean series the things they loved about the previous games while drastically improving upon the combat and leveling system. Star Ocean boasts an extremely original and phenomenally crafted leveling system, by which, in addition to gaining experience after battle, you gain "SP" which you use to spend on roles thatStar Ocean: Integrity and Faithfulness, "Faithfully" gives fans of the Star Ocean series the things they loved about the previous games while drastically improving upon the combat and leveling system. Star Ocean boasts an extremely original and phenomenally crafted leveling system, by which, in addition to gaining experience after battle, you gain "SP" which you use to spend on roles that you can upgrade and assign to each character. The roles, of which each character can have 4, determine what they do in battle as AI when not controlling them, and gives them stat boosts as you upgrade the roles. So technically, with this system, there is no limit to the customization and how strong you can get. You can also Min-Max, and become and incredibly powerful glass cannon, which is rare, and cool for an JRPG.

    Pros:
    •Fun and colorful cast of characters including a perfect girly, a gorgeous girly, and a super cutie who has a huge crush on the protagonist.
    •Amazingly fluid and innovative combat and leveling system
    •Classic Star Ocean Planet/Space story with a combination of fantastical magic and super advanced space technology
    •A unique style of cutscene more retro than new, but allows for some really well-written dialogue. It feels sort of Star-Trek-esque the way the space ship cutscenes are handled. It's rather neat.

    Cons:
    Very short - about 18-24 hours playthrough, depending on how much side questing you do, which you really needn't bother as all they offer is items to make you stronger and you can get plenty strong without them.
    Unoriginal Story, and rather lame one at that - Plot revolves around a very young girl with incredible lab-created powers and a long game of cat and mouse protecting and rescuing her over and over again.
    I feel this game would have much better reviews if they had a better storyline. That being said, almost every other aspect of the game was certainly up to par with both Star Ocean, and other JRPG series.
    •Minor annoyances such as inability to skip cutscenes, a worthless crafting system compared to The end of Time, 3 protect-based battles which were absurdly difficult to the point of calling Square Enix and complaining, and instant game over screens that leave you wondering WTF happened.

    Overall:
    Worth playing for sure. Why not?    … Expand
  29. Okamisen
    Jul 1, 2016
    7
    Получил код немного заранее и уже достаточно сильно игру попробовал.

    Для начала - это явно не шедевр т.к. игру делал весьма молодой директор хоть и при поддержке весьма и весьма уважаемого разработчика. Многое у них явно не получилось многое пришлось выкинуть, однако для опытного геймера это не является проблемой - все же главной вещью в любой игре является атмосфера. Арт и персонажи    Получил код немного заранее и уже достаточно сильно игру попробовал.

    Для начала - это явно не шедевр т.к. игру делал весьма молодой директор хоть и при поддержке весьма и весьма уважаемого разработчика. Многое у них явно не получилось многое пришлось выкинуть, однако для опытного геймера это не является проблемой - все же главной вещью в любой игре является атмосфера.

    Арт и персонажи на отлично - все выполнено прекрасно и персонажи выглядят с одной стороны не так уж далеко от своих старых вариаций но при этом количество деталей костюма сильно по прибавилось. Средне можно сказать о окружении - много всяких зон но мало заполнения. Монстры разнообразны но вот третий раз один и тот же босс в соборе - расстроил.

    Боевая система заслуживает высокую оценку - все тото же баланс на уровне "держать все в руках и управлять оркестром в одно лицо", только теперь ещё и вфигачили систему взаимного разрушения блока, сильной атаки и слабой атаки + вернули систему отмена анимаций. Камера разве что не много шалит но это так же не особенно беда.

    Наибольшая инновация - отсутствие большого количества кат сцен - вместо этого имеем разговоры на ходу + быстрые ивенты.

    История пока для меня не раскрылась но судя по тому что видно - стандарт с небольшим плюсом в сторону взросления. Все же даже главному герою тут 23, а не обычные 18.

    В общем игра стоит своей небольшой суммы но придется закрыть глаза на ряд недостатков. Если хотите олдскульную JRPG под новым соусом - обязательно зацените.    … Expand
  30. JossCard
    Oct 4, 2016
    7
    TL;DR: The game is okay; lacks polish.

    I'm not a long-time fan of the Star Ocean series. I've only played the first one all the way through. I mention this as a warning that this review comes from someone without a lot of stake in the series so far. Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is a pseudo-action RPG. This means that battles aren't turn based, but they're not free-roaming    TL;DR: The game is okay; lacks polish.

    I'm not a long-time fan of the Star Ocean series. I've only played the first one all the way through. I mention this as a warning that this review comes from someone without a lot of stake in the series so far.

    Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is a pseudo-action RPG. This means that battles aren't turn based, but they're not free-roaming affairs like other action-RPGs either. Instead, encountering a group of enemies on the overworld will initiate combat in a small area on that overworld. The battle system seems simple enough, with a basic ROCK-PAPER-SCISSORS kind of attack set-up, with strong attacks breaking defense, defending breaking weak attacks, and weak attacks breaking strong attack wind-ups.
    The issues with the battle system are that they lack polish and conveyance to the player of what to do. Beyond a few tutorial slides (ugh, the WORST way of teaching a player), there isn't much to teach the player advanced strategies, what different roles can do, or even how to prioritize the special attacks. Whats more, for a game that relies heavily on their rock-paper-scissors fighting mechanic, they do very little to demonstrate what's happening in battle. With 6 active fighters in battle at a time, it's hard to see enemies winding up strong attacks, defending, or simply telegraphing weak attacks. As such, I've played about 30 hours, gotten 50% of the side-quests done, and I've yet to utilize the defense button at all. Instead I've simply alternated between weak attack and heavy attack (and the special attacks linked to both) and have had no problems. The battle can get chaotic and frantic, which would be great, if not for how easy it is to lose focus on what's actually happening in battle. I had issues with a boss fight where the enemy would disappear only to reappear with a devastating AoE attack, and more often than not, I wouldn't even notice that the enemy had disappeared until it was too late.

    The boss fights are also unrelentingly hard (played on normal difficulty) when compared to your average encounters. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, depending on how you feel about it, but it can kick your ass unexpectedly when you've been level grinding for so long.

    As far as the plot goes, it's fairly generic RPG affair, with a sword-wielding hero going on a quest to save and protect a little girl. The characters are fairly bland, and even though the writing is pretty fun in character interactions, those are so disassociated with gameplay and the story both, that they can be easy to miss. The main selling point of the Star Ocean series, as I've understood it, is the strange "worlds collide" set up of fantasy meeting harshly with science fiction. As such, one would expect more emphasis to be placed on the interaction between the future space-technology and the characters from the technologically unsophisticated planet. On this point, Integrity and Faithlessness disappoints, treating a futuristic space station like just another town. Even the interactions between the space-faring characters and the planet-side characters is bland on that point, with very few questions about life among the stars, their technology, or even the more basic "why are you here?" being passed over almost completely. On this point, I&F drops the ball completely, leaving the one, most interesting point of the story, alone in the dark.

    The character animations are beautiful in combat, but outside of combat run the gamut of Japanesey over-acting more akin to a cheap anime than a game that tries to take itself seriously more often than not. Many of the cutscenes aren't skippable, and in some cases, break the flow of the gameplay worse than cutting away to a cinematic, by suddenly slowing the player down mid-exploration and enclosing them in a small circle while the rest of the party stops walking to discuss plot. Conversely, character building interactions aren't considered cutscenes, so it's very likely to run into combat or exit an area in the middle of an entertaining conversation, cutting it short. The writing and it's implementation are all over the place, leading to an inconsistent experience throughout the game.

    I can't say much about the sound. The voice acting is pretty good, and the background music does its job of being entertaining, while not standing out too much. Everything seems appropriate here, if not something to write home about.

    If you're a fan of a grindy action RPG, this might just work for you. If you're looking for something with more depth, keep on looking. As for me, I've found that a majority of my time, I played the game while watching something on Netflix.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

46
#46 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2016
47
#47 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
58

Mixed or average reviews - based on 67 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 67
  2. Mixed: 50 out of 67
  3. Negative: 8 out of 67
  1. Easy Allies
    Dec 1, 2016
    50
    Despite having nearly seven years to figure out a way to improve upon The Last Hope, Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is lacking in just about every department. Not even a solid soundtrack is enough to salvage this wreck. There’s nothing special about this below average RPG, and it completely misses the mark.
    Read full review
  2. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 12, 2016
    20
    A washout. Somebody let the vampire in at Tri-Ace and it sucked all the life and personality from the once weird and funny JRPG series. Bring EDGE MAVERICK back. [Sept 2016]
  3. Games Master UK
    Sep 6, 2016
    48
    A lacklustre offering in a long-running series of great games. A huge shame. [Sept 2016, p.80]
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