Star Ocean: The Divine Force

 PlayStation 5
User Score
6.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 161 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 94 out of 161
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 161
  3. Negative: 47 out of 161
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  1. grisai
    Nov 14, 2022
    6
    The story was royal and good
    Only one planet can be explored
    In the second half, you can go to other planets, but only towns and dungeons
    There are too few places to go even if you can fly with VA
    I wanted to explore various stars
    Graphics are inferior to next-gen games
  2. cid33
    Nov 21, 2022
    7
    Amazing rpg that i could not put down till i finished it, and still hungry for another playthrough,
    tho not without issues i highly recommend for J-rpg fans, Star ocean is BACK.
    Story = 6 Average but entertaining. nothing special but fun non the less. characters are kinda meh, not unlikable per say, but i struggled to care about any of them. Combat = 8 very fun, i like the blind    Amazing rpg that i could not put down till i finished it, and still hungry for another playthrough,
    tho not without issues i highly recommend for J-rpg fans, Star ocean is BACK.

    Story = 6
    Average but entertaining. nothing special but fun non the less. characters are kinda meh, not unlikable per say, but i struggled to care about any of them.

    Combat = 8
    very fun, i like the blind side and D.u.ma stuff keeps combat fun for 60h+
    lots of challenges to find of the path, and in post game.

    Graphics = 7
    Above average for large games like these, but plagued by frame drops in towns and cities,
    thankfully this is not an issue in combat and dungeons.
    characters are detailed but have **** face animations, some have weird 3d models that don't match the character art, while others look fine, this is standard star ocean stuff tho.

    Wold and Navigation =8
    Plenty of areas lots of secrets, chests, side quests Private actions to find.
    some areas look stunning other meh but always fun to explore, the duma lets you fly across areas and gives dungeons verticality and a way to cover area fast when in need.

    Interface/ui = 4
    Worst in the series the menus look terrible, and sometimes lag when you start crafting allot, especially when entering the equip screen with many things in inventory.
    Crafting flashes Fullscreen White at end, gets panful when you craft hundred of items against the dark menu. Text is way to small in the ui, mini-map is to small and way too zoomed in, it show´s less then what you can see with your eyes often only showing blue ground making it useless.    … Expand
  3. WHYsox
    Oct 29, 2022
    6
    The game has a lot of potential but sadly is hindered by questional gameplay choices and technical issues.

    Pros: Fun battlesystem which is more action focused and in realtime A bit cliché but loveable characters Big areas to explore 2 Playable main characters similar to Star Ocean 2 Cool features like D.U.M.A which lets you fly in battle and during explorations Great Character    The game has a lot of potential but sadly is hindered by questional gameplay choices and technical issues.

    Pros:
    Fun battlesystem which is more action focused and in realtime
    A bit cliché but loveable characters
    Big areas to explore
    2 Playable main characters similar to Star Ocean 2
    Cool features like D.U.M.A which lets you fly in battle and during explorations
    Great Character designs (by Akiman) and Music (by Motoi Sakuraba)

    Cons:
    Technical and graphically outdated models look kinda outdated as well...
    Framerate issues (Stutter, slowdowns in some areas or towns)
    Partner Characters have to be re-equiped after entering and leaving the town
    Stiff animations in cutscenes (sometimes reminds me of cutscenes in an online game)
    Areas a big but quite empty sometimes (some towns as well)
    A lot of backtracking even with the given D.U.M.A. / Teleportation
    Partner AI is not very smart in battles they often just attack and die easily (Worst when playing on Universe)
    Camera issues in battles and in small towns where the camera stucks or isn't following the character fast enough
    Recycelt NPCs and elements from Star Ocean 5 and amnanesis

    Sadly due some weird design choices on the gameplay part, technical issues and the small budget of the game are hindering Star Ocean the devine force to be something awesome. It's not the worst Star Ocean game or game overall Tri Ace has made but it leaves much to be desired. Its a medicore JRPG but a good attempt from Tri Ace and hopefully if the budget is higher we can maybe expect a better next installment because even with these flaws its going in the right direction while tripping over some stones.    … Expand
  4. Jt0429
    Oct 29, 2022
    7
    Good-
    Great characters; Fun story.
    Bad- Middling combat. Thoughts- Star Ocean: The Divine Force may not look like the most impressive game out there, and while its combat may be passable at the best of times, something about the game keeps making me come back to it. It’s got an entertaining story, sure, but I think the best aspect of Star Ocean: The Divine Force is its cast of    Good-
    Great characters; Fun story.

    Bad-
    Middling combat.

    Thoughts-
    Star Ocean: The Divine Force may not look like the most impressive game out there, and while its combat may be passable at the best of times, something about the game keeps making me come back to it. It’s got an entertaining story, sure, but I think the best aspect of Star Ocean: The Divine Force is its cast of characters. Both Raymond and Laeticia make for compelling protagonists, and even if it were just one of them leading the show, they could’ve pulled it off quite well. The inter-character writing is also quite fun, giving the game some heart. The lengthy story, especially if you take into account the possibility of needing two playthroughs that, while largely the same, will give you a more complete picture of the story, might sound like a tough pill to swallow, but with characters like this, the pill starts sounding quite sweet.    … Expand
  5. heimdalgc
    Nov 11, 2022
    10
    Tzelanit gave a 0 withouth playing the game, so im giving it a 10!

    Best star oceans since 2!
  6. PMG-Writer
    Nov 6, 2022
    8
    Thus, Square Enix created a good spin-off of the series with "Star Ocean The Divine Force". The plot takes a bit of time, but then you get an interesting story. The story drives you through the game for a good 35 to 40 hours. The battles are good and you don't need a long training period, and the drone is also a lot of fun. The controls are also always okay, but the technology in "StarThus, Square Enix created a good spin-off of the series with "Star Ocean The Divine Force". The plot takes a bit of time, but then you get an interesting story. The story drives you through the game for a good 35 to 40 hours. The battles are good and you don't need a long training period, and the drone is also a lot of fun. The controls are also always okay, but the technology in "Star Ocean The Divine Force" isn't always great. If you're still a fan of the franchise or would like to experience a new role-playing game, you should take a closer look at "Star Ocean The Divine Force". There is also a free demo version to try out for the first time.… Expand
  7. Kefkatomate
    Nov 3, 2022
    10
    I love the characters and story.
    Every character plays Different and they are really fleshed out, unlike other square enix games.
    Graphics may be a bit dated and the UI, but for me story, gameplay and characters are the most important and I loved those parts a lot!
  8. PersonAHAHAH
    Nov 5, 2022
    10
    Great game I really loved it.
    the +
    - battle system
    - script
    - lifetime
    - we want to play the other opuses of the saga

    The lessers
    - a little aliasing (but it's not annoying)
    -drops in fps (but it's not annoying either)

    I highly recommend this game if you are curious, it is available on PS4/PS5, XBOX one/ serie XS & PC on steam
  9. Clarguolo
    Nov 3, 2022
    10
    I was suprise by how good the game is. It is very enjoyable, nice refresh for a really old school JRPG, it has been a while since I enjoyed this type of story simple but interesting enough, good characters cast and enviroments. It has its flaws but if it hits you the game will be an insta favorite
  10. newjks
    Nov 8, 2022
    8
    Best story since SO second story, good cast and character story, the private action are interesting also.

    There are quite amount of cities and towns to explore, each of them has lot of exploreable interior, for NPC you'll need to unable NPC log to see what they're talking, unfortunately many of them are repeating the same script used by other NPC. Exploration on the map outside of    Best story since SO second story, good cast and character story, the private action are interesting also.

    There are quite amount of cities and towns to explore, each of them has lot of exploreable interior, for NPC you'll need to unable NPC log to see what they're talking, unfortunately many of them are repeating the same script used by other NPC.

    Exploration on the map outside of towns are linear, you can't go anywhere unless story advance to unlock.

    Battle system and characters upgrade still fun, but battle action are bit too messy. Difficulty are way to easy, and DUMA is OP.

    Even this game has some flawed, the story, characters and music are top notch. i think is the best SO since second story.    … Expand
  11. Retro_Player_77
    Nov 5, 2022
    5
    Game looks cheap and is filled with performance issues. Story is okay but generic at most. Characters looks more like mannequins, exploration is good and the gameplay is fun for a few hours but the game doesn't hold my interest for too long.
  12. yigeguangtou
    Nov 10, 2022
    3
    I have played one of the worst rpgs this year. 2 and 3 are my favorite rpgs in those years. However, except for the combat system, there is nothing I like about this work. The map design is very mediocre, and the exploration experience is poor.
  13. toy19640409
    Nov 11, 2022
    3
    battle is not fun
    Blindside is the only game that's fun
    There is no flashy technique in battle skills
    Especially the main character, Raymond, is terrible.
    Revenger = Thrust
    Fantasista = Kick
    You will only have to repeatedly hit the boulder crash that you learn in the early stages
  14. conges
    Nov 13, 2022
    4
    The story is not bad if it is only the outline, it is not bad, but there are few surprises and ups and downs.
    Despite that, I feel that the settings are good in places, but I can't make use of it in the main line
    The production is terrible because it is full of reused motions "The execution ground event is especially terrible." Combat is a good concept in itself, but in the end it    The story is not bad if it is only the outline, it is not bad, but there are few surprises and ups and downs.
    Despite that, I feel that the settings are good in places, but I can't make use of it in the main line
    The production is terrible because it is full of reused motions
    "The execution ground event is especially terrible."
    Combat is a good concept in itself, but in the end it pushes this and that, so doing it becomes monotonous.    … Expand
  15. Kingoftheplant
    Nov 13, 2022
    6
    This game is average. Nothing special. Bought it the day it came out. Only played a little bit. It's ok. Really clunky
  16. Kungfu1963
    Nov 17, 2022
    3
    The story lacks depth and emotion, Everything always conveniently works out. The characters are lifeless and dull to the point of it being annoying to listen to them at times.
    The side quests were pretty much pointless as most just gave you money you could easily farm by taking advantage of the surprise attack modifier and lacked any kind of tracking system which was insanely annoying.    The story lacks depth and emotion, Everything always conveniently works out. The characters are lifeless and dull to the point of it being annoying to listen to them at times.
    The side quests were pretty much pointless as most just gave you money you could easily farm by taking advantage of the surprise attack modifier and lacked any kind of tracking system which was insanely annoying.
    The graphics honestly failed to even live up to Till the end of time. The models were stiff and robotic and repeated the exact same poses over and over.    … Expand
  17. woaimiyabi
    Nov 10, 2022
    4
    The game plot generally explores that there is a problem with the sprint design. The combat system is good in the early stage, but has a serious sense of repetition in the middle and late stages. In the late stage, the boss piles up numbers, and the character modeling is very bad. The expression is numb. But the game has a hidden maze, which is very gratifying.
  18. theprotagonist
    Nov 7, 2022
    0
    The English language version has censored dialogue, yet there is no mention of the removed content on the sales page. Very dishonest!
  19. Notorioustk
    Nov 4, 2022
    8
    I haven’t played a Star Ocean game since SNES but I’m about 10 hours in and so far am enjoying myself. Of course I wish the battle style was closer to Tales series or FF7 remake as this ap system is a little bit annoying but it’s just something different. Flying around with DUMA is a lot of fun and gives it a different angle. The characters are not entirely memorable, but at least I canI haven’t played a Star Ocean game since SNES but I’m about 10 hours in and so far am enjoying myself. Of course I wish the battle style was closer to Tales series or FF7 remake as this ap system is a little bit annoying but it’s just something different. Flying around with DUMA is a lot of fun and gives it a different angle. The characters are not entirely memorable, but at least I can remember their names when I’m not playing lol so they made some impact. The story so far hasn’t done anything mind blowing and I’m curious how different the game will be on the second playthrough when I pick the male protagonist instead of the female. The game gives you the option when you begin, although they both join the party at the start, the scenes you see will change depending on who you choose. Overall the game has great graphics, decent characters and story, and a fun battle system that’s not perfect but a lot of fun nonetheless. I think in this day and age we are starved for good long classic action/JRPG and this definitely scratched that itch. If you’ve enjoyed Tales of Arise or Final Fantasy 7 remake you will likely enjoy Star Ocean as well!… Expand
  20. Furball2203
    Nov 1, 2022
    10
    Great game . There is a little short coming and budget limitation show but overrall It deliver most of it core mechanic .

    1. Story : it is ok and get interesting halfway through . Detail and plot really come together . Not ground breaking but interesting enough 2. Characters : The cast are fund and flesh out from Private action , writing is good 3. Gameplay : The combat is fun and    Great game . There is a little short coming and budget limitation show but overrall It deliver most of it core mechanic .

    1. Story : it is ok and get interesting halfway through . Detail and plot really come together . Not ground breaking but interesting enough
    2. Characters : The cast are fund and flesh out from Private action , writing is good
    3. Gameplay : The combat is fun and mechanic work well , best SO combat. However ,It has some problem with balance and doesn't have enough post game content like SO3 . Some QoL need . The mini game is fun and reward .
    4. Music : One of better Motoi Sakuraba score in recent years .
    5 . Enviroment : Duma travel is fun , the enviroment is decent and look great . Wish it has more boss and thing to explore . Need day life cycle .

    Overrall , It is great game with some short coming . Future update may iron out those .    … Expand
  21. yan713555
    Nov 3, 2022
    4
    The story is not bad, but there are few places to go and it feels cramped
    Even if you can fly and explore, there are few beautiful scenery and surprising discoveries
    As for the battle, the blind side itself is good, but the link combo is not utilized and it just crashes boulder.
  22. castlevania
    Oct 28, 2022
    10
    Very interesting dialogues and stories, and a straightforward combat system. Although character modeling looks strange at first, it's also good to get used to discovering
  23. eljoad
    Nov 4, 2022
    10
    Honestly, it's a game that I think is too underrated because of previous title. Both the story and the composition are comparable to arise. Battle is more than that. Since the bug can be fixed with dlc, it can be expected to be the second no man's sky.
  24. RowanBlack
    Nov 3, 2022
    6
    Mixed bag of success and meh. The game has several questionable design decisions that bring it down but I will just talk about the things I liked. Character design is fun...not going to say good because this one is a matter of taste, I like funky outfits and pretty girls so for me it's a win. English dub track, again this one isn't "good" but at least it's included and covers a greatMixed bag of success and meh. The game has several questionable design decisions that bring it down but I will just talk about the things I liked. Character design is fun...not going to say good because this one is a matter of taste, I like funky outfits and pretty girls so for me it's a win. English dub track, again this one isn't "good" but at least it's included and covers a great deal of dialogue and for me that is another win. mini game, if you have never played GO this game might take a moment to figure out but I enjoyed the mini game more than actual combat. Everything else was middle of the road and could have been improved.… Expand
  25. silentcid
    Oct 31, 2022
    9
    First time playing a Star Ocean game, I enjoy the story and the characters. The A.I. can be a little dumb, which made me frequently go into the stop mode to do a little managing of items to keep them alive, which I'm fine with.
  26. zeratul56
    Oct 29, 2022
    10
    A wonderful return to form of the great series, this one takes all the best from the series and manages to being it all together in one package.
  27. Tzelanit
    Nov 8, 2022
    0
    Yet another mediocre JRPG, and another bad entry for a series that had its legacy destroyed. It's amazing that The Second Story was the last good Star Ocean game, but people keep paying tri-Ace and Square Enix, who've been past their prime for over a decade now, to keep pumping out terrible entries.

    Looks like a PS3 game when things get busy on the screen, and barely reaches PS4 levels    Yet another mediocre JRPG, and another bad entry for a series that had its legacy destroyed. It's amazing that The Second Story was the last good Star Ocean game, but people keep paying tri-Ace and Square Enix, who've been past their prime for over a decade now, to keep pumping out terrible entries.

    Looks like a PS3 game when things get busy on the screen, and barely reaches PS4 levels of fidelity if standing perfectly still in an empty area. The optimization is garbage, so there are a lot of rough edges and performance dips.

    The story is more standard generic Star Ocean: someone on a space fleet gets stranded on a redneck planet and uncovers a plot that affects the universe, so everyone has to come together to stop this threat. So, typical Saturday morning weeb garbage that only 9-year-olds or emotionally-addled teenagers would give a score of a 10 to.

    The gameplay starts off strong and then devolves into a repetitive whack-a-mole against traditional Japanese design principles: AKA bosses being damage sponges who only really threaten you because they drag out a fight and expend your resources.

    The series should've stopped a long time ago, but the 14 people still playing this series who started with Til the End of Time who think THAT'S what Star Ocean should be keep signaling to these greedy developers that they're willing to pay literally any amount of money to have their nostalgia stroked.

    Hard pass. Waste of money unless you're either physically or emotionally a child and are easily impressed by pretty colors and simple stories with predictable outcomes.    … Expand
  28. hellpell
    Nov 7, 2022
    3
    First of all, it's true that the graphics are terrible, but the movement speed is so fast that it doesn't bother me that much when it's moving.
    However, events are held frequently with that graph, and it is honestly tough because you can only skip events without sending messages.
    If you move forward a little, actions that allow you to move in a straight line, including in the air, will    First of all, it's true that the graphics are terrible, but the movement speed is so fast that it doesn't bother me that much when it's moving.
    However, events are held frequently with that graph, and it is honestly tough because you can only skip events without sending messages.
    If you move forward a little, actions that allow you to move in a straight line, including in the air, will be unlocked.
    You will have to move the camera around to explore, but in a city with many buildings, this restriction is strongly affected and makes you sick.
    In addition, there are invisible walls here and there, and you may feel stress instead of exhilaration.    … Expand
  29. eXoFrey
    Nov 8, 2022
    7
    This game has been for me a rollercoaster of ups and down. The graphics of the world are gorgeous, but still some parts where they could have worked better details were terrible, especially inside houses. It almost felt lazy to have such an amazing new gen graphic view while traveling, but still looking at plates and gobelets that seemed to come out of a ps2 game. The music is quite good.This game has been for me a rollercoaster of ups and down. The graphics of the world are gorgeous, but still some parts where they could have worked better details were terrible, especially inside houses. It almost felt lazy to have such an amazing new gen graphic view while traveling, but still looking at plates and gobelets that seemed to come out of a ps2 game. The music is quite good. Some of the characters are very cliche and look like a copy paste of any other character you would find in another japanese game. The story is good by moment and really long and boring by some other moments. By the end of the game, you are mostly just watching an anime for there is not much exploration anymore and there's not much more you can do than watch long animated scenes and fight bosses. The combat system was alright. Still giving it a 7 cause, like I said, the graphics, music and story can be really good by moments. I also really do love that they give you the option to chose the hero of the story at the beginning which will make you get specific scenes for the hero you chose.… Expand
  30. CaliburX417
    Nov 12, 2022
    9
    Don't listen to the review bombers. The combat was very enjoyable and the characters and story was good. Villains a bit weak, but overall a great game. I've played Star Ocean 1,3,4 and could never get into any of them. This one, I was hooked from the very start and am currently starting the 2nd playthrough.
  31. SanTza
    Nov 15, 2022
    2
    I wanted to like this game but it is actually awful. The writing is decent at its best parts and awful most of the time.
    The combat system is probably one of the worst systems ever in a video game. The balance is actually not existant. For example normal encounters take literally seconds to end while bosses take forever. There is no in between. The companion AI is awful. They get hit by    I wanted to like this game but it is actually awful. The writing is decent at its best parts and awful most of the time.
    The combat system is probably one of the worst systems ever in a video game. The balance is actually not existant. For example normal encounters take literally seconds to end while bosses take forever. There is no in between. The companion AI is awful. They get hit by literally everything and when you fight flying enemies, your companions just stand around and do nothing.
    The final dungeon is so badly designed, one can only hope the people behind this will never again work in this industry.    … Expand
  32. Unkosan
    Nov 2, 2022
    3
    accessory comes off
    Can't scan when character starts talking
    There are few battle skills and the battle is monotonous
    There is no lock-on button setting, so stress builds up on enemy lock-on
  33. Arylon
    Nov 5, 2022
    9
    It's the best Star Ocean. Good combat, good art direction, good characters, good ost and ok story. My only complaint is the optimizaiton; it often stutters at the start of many maps.
  34. moonman1994
    Oct 29, 2022
    10
    A welcome return to form from Star Ocean 5. Only a couple hours in at the moment but this review will be updated as a I play more.
  35. toryalo
    Nov 8, 2022
    1
    Ironically, this game isn’t bad per say, and it’s definitely nowhere near as bad as the previous game, but it IS depressingly mediocre. Like, there’s no reason to play this if you have other JRPGs on your backlog, as there’s nothing amazing here. The characters are all terribly bland, the art style has no idea what it’s doing, the open areas are an afterthought that are thoroughly tediousIronically, this game isn’t bad per say, and it’s definitely nowhere near as bad as the previous game, but it IS depressingly mediocre. Like, there’s no reason to play this if you have other JRPGs on your backlog, as there’s nothing amazing here. The characters are all terribly bland, the art style has no idea what it’s doing, the open areas are an afterthought that are thoroughly tedious to explore, the crafting system is complete garbage and once again useless until and only if you care about the mindnumbingly boring post game, and combat is… frustratingly almost good.… Expand
  36. DSouls_guy
    Oct 29, 2022
    9
    I haven't played much of alot of the previous star ocean games, however after playing this new entry Into the series I'll need to start trying the older games. The combat Is very fun in this star ocean the voice acting is good also the graphics are nice but nothing to write home about. I recommend you try this jrpg and see just how much fun there is in the genre.
  37. Wallyd00d
    Oct 30, 2022
    9
    New to the series and more of an action game fan, so the combat is what caught my eye at first. Just finished it on my PS5 and it was excellent! Ran fast and smooth especially with all the flying. Combat is complex with all the different characters, weapons, combos, and flying. Once you get the hang of it, it's a lot of fun. I like that each move within combos gets leveled up and you canNew to the series and more of an action game fan, so the combat is what caught my eye at first. Just finished it on my PS5 and it was excellent! Ran fast and smooth especially with all the flying. Combat is complex with all the different characters, weapons, combos, and flying. Once you get the hang of it, it's a lot of fun. I like that each move within combos gets leveled up and you can build all of these different uses for each character. Felt kind of like DMC5 with it's combat and flying around. Also reminded me of Spidey, where you can enjoy just exploring around. Good balance of Sci-Fi and Fantasy by the end, at least with Raymonds playthrough. Don't want to spoil anything. It was much longer than I expected after some twists and turns in the story. Glad it was longer. Hopefully the second play-through with the other characters is as enjoyable. ***Only bad points were some parts of the graphics in the cutscenes and parts of the open worlds (the lighting in a couple of stages was flat). I actually enjoyed the in game graphics though, they felt fresh after so many games focusing on more realistic graphics and these more colorful graphics went with the lighter story. Overall an awesome, complex action rpg. I have a lot to go back to with the crafting and all the side quests but great so far!… Expand
  38. haruma71
    Nov 6, 2022
    2
    Making as a "game" is poor. The quality is unbelievable for a new product of this time.
    If you are playing a game, you want this kind of function at the very least.
    This was my first Star Ocean series, so I bought it with high expectations, but I felt it wasn't worth the full price.
  39. AHalfNickel
    Oct 30, 2022
    10
    Great game that is hard to put down, Raymond is a refreshing male lead, he’s not a pretty boy teenager that feels the genre but instead a he’s a captain that acts like a captain putting his crew’s well being first, and in many moments in the game he takes the lead showing his experience as a captain, Laeticia is a hard read at first but it quickly shows she is a loving person who wasGreat game that is hard to put down, Raymond is a refreshing male lead, he’s not a pretty boy teenager that feels the genre but instead a he’s a captain that acts like a captain putting his crew’s well being first, and in many moments in the game he takes the lead showing his experience as a captain, Laeticia is a hard read at first but it quickly shows she is a loving person who was raised by royalty. Combat is fun, and fast, no fight ever feels like it overstays it’s welcome. Story and characters are all fun and enjoyable, it’s become one of my favorite stories this year.

    It has its hiccups here and there but they would feel nitpicking to me because at the end of the day I struggled to put the game down. Elena best girl    … Expand
  40. jhlee
    Oct 30, 2022
    10
    good and intereating battle system.
    star ocean devine force is so interesting
  41. Xanos12
    Nov 6, 2022
    4
    The game is OK 5/10, it was a very average JRPG, not bad not good. But I have to remove 1 point because they removed Battle Trophies(!!!) and the Arena. Also the postgame is very casual and shallow.
    The open areas are too empty, I rather have them go back to how SO3 was.
  42. JudahXII
    Oct 29, 2022
    9
    Roughly half-way through the game and it touches on most of, if not all, the things that made older Star Oceans most enjoyable. The landscapes feel unique and are enjoyable to traverse. The decision to add verticality with DUMA makes the regions rewarding to explore. Combat is probably best in the series, at least in terms of action. Overall looking forward to finishing up the firstRoughly half-way through the game and it touches on most of, if not all, the things that made older Star Oceans most enjoyable. The landscapes feel unique and are enjoyable to traverse. The decision to add verticality with DUMA makes the regions rewarding to explore. Combat is probably best in the series, at least in terms of action. Overall looking forward to finishing up the first olaythrough so I can start on the other Protagonist.

    Much like Tales of Arise felt like a great step in the right direction for the franchise, so too does The Divine Force.    … Expand
  43. Nyrhockey
    Oct 30, 2022
    9
    Incredible game. I was extremely nervous after the train wreck that was Star Ocean 5... but they delivered. The game has a great story and most importantly is FUN. I play so many of these blockbuster games these days and don't enjoy them. SO6 on the other hand? It was a great experience. The mini-board game that exists is extremely fun. As much as I wanted to give the game a 10, I can'tIncredible game. I was extremely nervous after the train wreck that was Star Ocean 5... but they delivered. The game has a great story and most importantly is FUN. I play so many of these blockbuster games these days and don't enjoy them. SO6 on the other hand? It was a great experience. The mini-board game that exists is extremely fun. As much as I wanted to give the game a 10, I can't for a few reasons.... The fact that there are minimal NPC interactions takes away from the depth of the game. NPCs usually really help drive a story and what the people of that area are experiencing at a given time. Skill points. I love the concept because basing everything off skills points makes player choice really important. However, not being able to respec? It's tough. Not sure what the level cap is, if it's 99 it's going to be problematic since I've likely messed up a few characters skill trees. If it's 255 then it's not a problem. But basing everything, skill tree, skill leveling, and Item creation off skill points is a tough sell.… Expand
  44. William192
    Oct 30, 2022
    9
    A surprisingly great game. The story unfolds like the classic Squaresoft games of the PS1 era but with polished graphics and great gameplay. The graphics are really quite stunning for a B tier game. This represents a new standard for what smaller budget rpgs can be. I hope the future brings more niche rpgs of this quality.
  45. sam137dog
    Oct 31, 2022
    9
    Star Ocean I expected has finally come back. I enjoyed excellent battle system, good story, attractive characters although there were some UI system to be improved.
  46. Dkaiser66
    Oct 29, 2022
    10
    Reviveu a franquia de maneira muito positiva em comparação ao antecessor. A batalha é um deleite que levanta muitas possibilidades. A história segue um padrão Star Ocean e ainda sim é melhor que o anterior. A interação dos personagens é um dos pontos chaves.
  47. Steyraus
    Nov 27, 2022
    10
    This game is awsome, I loved the characters and story, combat is great, it's a Jrpg that has the heart and imagination of the old days of gaming, with modern graphics, combat and progression...It was refreshing to genuinely like and care about the characters, in many modern western games the characters and do cringe, preachy or just unlikable. Japan is really keeping gaming great for me.
  48. dcboy
    Nov 15, 2022
    8
    Star ocean the Divine Force marks the return of the series with spectacular action rpg gameplay amazing intergalactic story and characters what not to like here even on a budget TRI ace manage this wonderfull game I can't wait to see their next work whatever it maybe
  49. sensei_slayer
    Nov 18, 2022
    6
    Pros
    - The main characters are interesting, you get curious of their inputs when the story progresses
    - Combat is fun and easy - No loading on enemy encounter, combat feels fast - Better than Integrity and Faithlessness Cons - I miss the cooking system - No New Game+ - Difficulty spikes even in Galaxy mode - Final boss is underwhelming - Progress in the mini game is hard to    Pros
    - The main characters are interesting, you get curious of their inputs when the story progresses
    - Combat is fun and easy
    - No loading on enemy encounter, combat feels fast
    - Better than Integrity and Faithlessness

    Cons
    - I miss the cooking system
    - No New Game+
    - Difficulty spikes even in Galaxy mode
    - Final boss is underwhelming
    - Progress in the mini game is hard to track, and the actual gameplay is boring and repetitive
    - You can't track of the some of the quest unless you follow and walkthrough

    Verdict:
    - Buy this if you are a Star Ocean fan, it's a good buy, else wait for a sale    … Expand
  50. Rogerrip25
    Nov 13, 2022
    9
    Love this game! Great battle system. Love the story! Good voice acting. The Duma system in and out of combat was a blast. In combat had fun with the blindsides and out of combat it was like a jet pack that lets you glide around. Helps you get alot of collectible’s. Private actions were good side stories that were fun to find. The only negative thing was the clunky animated characters butLove this game! Great battle system. Love the story! Good voice acting. The Duma system in and out of combat was a blast. In combat had fun with the blindsides and out of combat it was like a jet pack that lets you glide around. Helps you get alot of collectible’s. Private actions were good side stories that were fun to find. The only negative thing was the clunky animated characters but the characters were pleasant to look at. Loved Nina perky attitude. Any JRPG’S fan should try this game. FUN!!!… Expand
  51. Edge8
    Nov 17, 2022
    9
    Un excellent JRPG classique. C'est mon premier Star Ocean et j'ai beaucoup apprécié ce mélange de science fiction et de fantasy. C'est un JRPG centré sur l'intrigue principale, assez dirigiste, ce que j'apprécie pour ma part. Il a une durée de vie équilibrée (35H pour l'histoire principale). Les personnages sont attachants et le récit est bien rythmé. Pour un JRPG, les graphismes sont deUn excellent JRPG classique. C'est mon premier Star Ocean et j'ai beaucoup apprécié ce mélange de science fiction et de fantasy. C'est un JRPG centré sur l'intrigue principale, assez dirigiste, ce que j'apprécie pour ma part. Il a une durée de vie équilibrée (35H pour l'histoire principale). Les personnages sont attachants et le récit est bien rythmé. Pour un JRPG, les graphismes sont de très bonne qualité, notamment les décors (natures, villes et leur architecture). Le systèmes de combat action est d'excellent facture. Ce jeu m'a donné envie de me lancer dans la saga Star Ocean.… Expand
  52. siemic
    Nov 16, 2022
    10
    The old-school JRPG that will itch your cravings for an old-school JRPG.

    Reading through some of the negative reviews here, it seems like people are review bombing this game for playing it on old platforms. The PS5 runs and handles this game perfectly, with no FPS drops in my 60 hour playthrough so far. Everything about this game was great to me, combat, exploration and especially    The old-school JRPG that will itch your cravings for an old-school JRPG.

    Reading through some of the negative reviews here, it seems like people are review bombing this game for playing it on old platforms. The PS5 runs and handles this game perfectly, with no FPS drops in my 60 hour playthrough so far.

    Everything about this game was great to me, combat, exploration and especially the vast environments. Even my somewhat barely gamer wife kept admiring the world and the architecture with me. The graphics look really nice on PS5 and the style is exactly what I like for a JRPG (no need for this to look like God of War).

    The main mini-game is really enjoyable too, it got me excited to get to new towns and progress further to continue playing it.

    I highly recommend this game as well, for all JRPG fans, or even RPG fans. Even if you just like a great story.    … Expand
  53. YoCHIDAHHH
    Nov 12, 2022
    10
    This game has an amazing plot, likeable characters with developed personalities, and a memorable art style. The ending will stick with you for a very long time. I cannot give a 9.9 so a 10 shall suffice.
    Thank you for reading my review.
  54. Akira311
    Nov 18, 2022
    10
    If you like action rpgs or action adventure games check this out. Never played a Star Ocean before this but it's awesome! Way better than I expected and the game gets better and better into postgame levels. The mechanics and physics feel great and remind me of flying in Anthem. Great mix of worlds and levels from old school fantasy to crazy sci fi levels. Give it a shot! I'm not a superIf you like action rpgs or action adventure games check this out. Never played a Star Ocean before this but it's awesome! Way better than I expected and the game gets better and better into postgame levels. The mechanics and physics feel great and remind me of flying in Anthem. Great mix of worlds and levels from old school fantasy to crazy sci fi levels. Give it a shot! I'm not a super rpg fanatic, but it's one of the few games I've finished on my PS5 and want to keep playing and building the characters through postgame. Lot of fun.… Expand
  55. Renzokuken
    Apr 15, 2023
    1
    The Star Ocean series is dead to me, and this game killed it.

    The plot is bland, and feels like half of the exposition is missing. The characters lack any nuance, have threadbare backstories and terrible voice acting, Laeticia sounds more like a robot than the god damn android in the party. The player has zero reason to care about any of the cast. The world is for the first half of the    The Star Ocean series is dead to me, and this game killed it.

    The plot is bland, and feels like half of the exposition is missing. The characters lack any nuance, have threadbare backstories and terrible voice acting, Laeticia sounds more like a robot than the god damn android in the party. The player has zero reason to care about any of the cast. The world is for the first half of the game, boring, empty and lifeless with very little to do outside of travelling from point A to point B, then back to point A then to point C, then to point A again for the main story that has you constantly backtracking, thankfully with a fast travel system.

    Combat is poorly explained, and has a difficulty curve so bizarre it's almost offensive. Random encounters are laughably easy, random enemies die in one to two combos even with the brain-dead AI. The moment you walk into a boss fight though, the AI walks into all their attacks and dies within seconds, you spend half the fight picking them up off the ground. The combat is messy, and in boss fights where actually being able to react to attacks is important, the screen being full of noise frequently gets you hit.

    Performance is god awful, I had to turn off HDR due to numerous lighting bugs, and even on performance mode, the game had a constant stutter, and in some areas even dropped well below 30 fps despite a supposed target of 60. Some areas were giving me headaches due to how stuttery the experience was. I also experienced multiple crashes, and even a disk read error despite playing on a perfect working PS5 with a disk that went straight from box to console and has never left the machine. What's more, the save functionality is useless, the game crashed after a boss, and despite a manual save outside the boss room, loaded me back outside the dungeon as if I'd never started it, and even the manual save I made, just puts me right back outside.

    I bought this on sale and still feel cheated, this is low budget, unfinished garbage that sullies the name of a series I used to love. Between this and Valkyrie Elysium, everything I loved about Tri-Ace is dead and buried now.    … Expand
  56. Terry309
    Dec 20, 2022
    10
    This is The Best Star Ocean Game In The Series,

    They got everything right, item creation from 2, best battle system, best cast of characters, fantastic story and soundtrack, what more do you want?

    Play it right now!!!
  57. TsukasaHiiragi
    Dec 3, 2022
    4
    Pro's

    Great graphics Great music score and voice acting Descent looking characters DUMA adds an extra way to travel Con's Bad AI Poor Battle system Terrible level designs especially late game EXCESSIVE backtracking Too much useless crafting fluff Lagging in certain areas even when set to performance Esowa requires no skill at all just brute force Heavily cliche story    Pro's

    Great graphics
    Great music score and voice acting
    Descent looking characters
    DUMA adds an extra way to travel

    Con's

    Bad AI
    Poor Battle system
    Terrible level designs especially late game
    EXCESSIVE backtracking
    Too much useless crafting fluff
    Lagging in certain areas even when set to performance
    Esowa requires no skill at all just brute force
    Heavily cliche story that barely qualifies as a Star Ocean game
    90% of the game is set on one planet only
    Significant grinding for the best weapons/gear
    Barely 40hr game at most to beat
    Side quests are bland and lack information
    D.U.M.A exploration gets character stuck in scenery
    Many areas are barren and empty
    Forced to keep re-equipping your characters accessories bug
    Enemy lock-on system is garbage
    Lacks many QOL improvements

    As a long time fan of the star ocean series, I was originally excited for this and after playing for hours and hours the short comings and issues that plague this game become very apparent and quickly ruin the run, the amount of backtracking in the first 10 hours of the game is pretty insane if I'm being honest, its go forward one zone....go back...go forward...go to the nearest village...go back to the first zone...go back to the shrine...go back to the village...go to the next village...go back to the first village and so forth, this level of backtracking is near CONSTANT and without fast travel it would get old fast, this level of backtracking puts older JRPGS to shame.

    The story is the typical Star Ocean trope to a tee, advanced civilization crash lands on an under developed planet that has two warring factions and end up in a war because, reasons. This plays out over a good 25 hours or more of your gameplay until you start to learn more of the truth behind the story, and at this point you'll start to get increasingly frustrated with the various bugs, questionable design decisions and levels, once you start to hit end game levels like the Hybrid Research Vessel Terranus you'll quickly develop a rage as this particular level was designed by a pseudo masochist, the level is so badly designed in a typical maze/puzzle that requires you to run around blindly to find key cards to unlock a doors to unlock an elevator all the time monsters will keep respawning endlessly, without the player being given any indication where to go, what to do and what to find that a guide is all but necessary for completion of the level, and this type of puzzle level continues into the final stages of the game just to slow down the players progress to hide the general lack of content the game offers.

    Graphics are above par but because of that, tax even the PS5 hardware even when set at performance over quality, quite often stuttering or even getting visible lag which shouldn't really happen. The sound and music are good too, as well as the excellent voice acting which helps to make the cliche story bearable.

    In closing, this really to me is just a Star Ocean game in name only. The vast majority of the main storyline is on Aster IV only and eventually it expands to the Vyr homeworld and that's it, the story feels extremely weak in places and highly predictable, the backtracking and grind is excessive and forces you to really beat the game with both playable characters as the story branches off at several points until the team reunites, honestly - this game started out pretty good but for me, just got worse over time and had to force myself to finish the game, in many areas the landscape is just barren with invisible walls all over the place too, this at the end of the day is a big disappointment that lacks polish, lacks a significant amount of meat to the game that is filled with a lot of time sink bloat, even the story itself often has so many plotholes it feels rushed.    … Expand
  58. biggpaul87
    Apr 21, 2023
    5
    Mediocre at best. Like many other people the story isn’t bad, what ruins it for me mainly is the combat system they chose. Apparently tri-ace has never heard the phrase if it anti broke don’t fix i, it strayed way too far from the previous games. The ap system is more of a headache and makes simple things far too tedious. And they stole from the tales series with the skill mapping butMediocre at best. Like many other people the story isn’t bad, what ruins it for me mainly is the combat system they chose. Apparently tri-ace has never heard the phrase if it anti broke don’t fix i, it strayed way too far from the previous games. The ap system is more of a headache and makes simple things far too tedious. And they stole from the tales series with the skill mapping but dosent play well with the ap system. Overall I’m struggling to finish the game and I probably never just because of how unenjoyable it is to play. I hope this was a lesson for them and if they make another game they scrap this system and go back to their roots.… Expand
  59. nobilki
    Feb 18, 2023
    8
    Not the best star ocean, but at least this game is way better than star ocean 5.
    Story is enjoyable but not the best
    battle is fun (fast pace) and can be addictive
    Map is massive beautiful, but empty
  60. SkyVersa
    Dec 13, 2022
    9
    It's a really great JRPG where players shouldn't sleep on.
    If you love the Tales series gameplay, you will love this one as well. Fast and flashy combat, open zones that look beautiful and great character designs make this game a must play for any action RPG fan.
    While the story is nothing too special, the characters themselves are enjoyable and thankfully don't fall under the anime    It's a really great JRPG where players shouldn't sleep on.
    If you love the Tales series gameplay, you will love this one as well. Fast and flashy combat, open zones that look beautiful and great character designs make this game a must play for any action RPG fan.

    While the story is nothing too special, the characters themselves are enjoyable and thankfully don't fall under the anime tropes. Maybe here and there, but it's not common. So if you crave for a new RPG to play, give this one a try!    … Expand
  61. Dreamcast2040
    Jun 12, 2023
    7
    Solid action jrpg, decent story, good combat system, but also some bad character design.
  62. warcraftrefund2
    Jan 26, 2023
    9
    It wasn't a perfect game, but I liked it a lot. It has a lot more content than the unfinished Star Ocean 5, and the new combat gameplay is nice. Nina is a super cutie and maybe my new favorite Star Ocean character.
  63. Aokana
    Sep 5, 2023
    7
    It's good, not AAA good but still solid.

    The Good: • Combat Can be fun, if you mix the right skills into your combo chains. It's simplified over previous titles in terms of things to track in battle, its more reactionary action orientated. • Exploration and moving around the zone is good, you don't need to rely on fast travel, your sprint is fast enough combined with some    It's good, not AAA good but still solid.

    The Good:

    • Combat Can be fun, if you mix the right skills into your combo chains. It's simplified over previous titles in terms of things to track in battle, its more reactionary action orientated.

    • Exploration and moving around the zone is good, you don't need to rely on fast travel, your sprint is fast enough combined with some shortcuts via the DUMA bot you get makes moving around and exploring the zones fun.

    • Plenty of character interaction on-field to keep you on track from point A to B while giving you some additional insights without stopping your progress, they even continue into combat. After coming from Scarlet Nexus and Tales this is such a welcome change, it gets tiring when your continually stopping every 5mins through a zone for a "Skit" to play out or having combat stop the skit in its track.

    • Story is good overall, Graphics are good, not like AAA FF16 or Tales of Arise but still solid considering PS4 Limitations (which will carry through PS5) Had it been a strict PS5/Xbox Series title than I'd expect a bit more. Star Ocean has always been a budget game so my expectations are tempered to that.

    The Bad:
    • Combat can be frustrating if you don't find the right combo chains and it pigeon holes you into ideal chains instead of free-flow do as you will combat which kinda defeats the purpose of having the ability to set the skills in the chain in the first place, this is more exaggerated with some characters over others. It's still fun and overall good just... could be better.

    • Crafting can be a chore and VERY VERY Repetitive.

    • Drop Rates are abysmal for monster based items. For Instance your asked to get 4 "Axe beak feathers" for a side quest because apparently despite disease spreading through the town like a wildfire through California NPC needs to have fluffy pillows... I digress ... target mob is in the field outside town... theirs like 6 of them on the map, you will go from one end of the map to the other 4-5 times, maybe more before you get a single feather.... this means 20+ trips through a massive field just for one side quest.

    • Speaking of sidequests... Their abysmal. Their often obscure like fail a specific craft 10 times to get desired item to Eat a specific food at the inn then go to a specific spot to get an enemy to spawn... and theirs no menu or tracking. You get a quest update notification in with your battle drops if applicable and that's it so it's inefficient at one point I spent 45+Mins trying to get some old lady's purse to drop in some ruins... only to find out I already had it in my inventory... when did I get it? who TF knows because the notification was buried in the drops from the battle.

    • Glaring Plot holes. Yes I said I liked the story overall but hot-damn there are some major plot holes and reaches in the game. For instance your android companion falls to the planet, she calls you before hand to say her pod can no longer maintain altitude... then you run out to her pod to find out she's missing an arm and leg and is gonna run outta juice in 56 hours....now run to your hidden pod and get the materials so you and the middle aged bro from the backwaters planet your stuck on that has no idea what an android is but hey he's gonna fix her right up....And apparently you have a spare pair of her futuristic low cut leather pants laying around...shhh.... don't ask questions just go with it.

    • New Game +... this one loses big points. Holy Balls... why make a dual pov storyline and NOT give players a bonus through the second play-through?

    I know it sounds like more bad than good but overall its a fun game to play. Star Ocean has always been a budget game so it's never been as good as say Final Fantasy so you have to temper your expectations going in.

    TLDR: Got it on sale, worth what I paid, probably wont play again and wouldn't be worth full price unless your a huge Star Ocean fan. Overall though not a disappointment.    … Expand
  64. ismailBaytar
    Apr 30, 2023
    8
    Oyunun demosunu oynadım ne çok kötü ne çok iyi karakter tasarımı ve animasyonları eleştire bilirim hele ana karakter tasarlanırken sanırım insan vücur ölçüleri umutulmuş.fakat garip birşekilde oyun kendini oynatıyor.
  65. Juliosouza1988
    Aug 31, 2023
    8
    O jogo é bom , infinitamente melhor que o anterior, porém pecou em pequenos detalhes . Faltou muitos itens clássico da franquia. Alguns status negativo foram cortados , itens de apoio totalmente ridículo como buf de apoio que aumenta determinado status por 4 segundos? Isso é Ridículo kkkk . A história é totalmente fraca e não empolga nem um pouco. 2 campanha? Pra que a campanha da LaeticiaO jogo é bom , infinitamente melhor que o anterior, porém pecou em pequenos detalhes . Faltou muitos itens clássico da franquia. Alguns status negativo foram cortados , itens de apoio totalmente ridículo como buf de apoio que aumenta determinado status por 4 segundos? Isso é Ridículo kkkk . A história é totalmente fraca e não empolga nem um pouco. 2 campanha? Pra que a campanha da Laeticia é totalmente dispensável além de ser bem mais curta. Os personagens sem carisma a Nina é simplesmente a pior personagem da história da franquia não ataca só cura e ainda tem uns buff ridículo. É isso o jogo é melhor que o anterior disparado, porém a série precisa urgentemente de um roteirista com urgência pra melhorar a franquia.… Expand
  66. gabriel282
    Nov 14, 2022
    10
    Kudos to Tri-Ace for reviving the series and giving hope for the future. They actually listened to their fans this time and deliver arguably, the best entry since Star Ocean 3: Till The End of Time
  67. Hallifex
    Jul 17, 2023
    8
    Pros:
    - Fun, fast paced combat. Flashy attacks.
    - Varying fighting styles between characters, which all seem to be viable. - Story is good. - Solid character development. - Great voice acting. - Nice art style and character designs. - Good level of customization with skills, traits, accessories. - Large impact from effects and "factors" on your gear/ accessories. - Good enemy variation.    Pros:
    - Fun, fast paced combat. Flashy attacks.
    - Varying fighting styles between characters, which all seem to be viable.
    - Story is good.
    - Solid character development.
    - Great voice acting.
    - Nice art style and character designs.
    - Good level of customization with skills, traits, accessories. - Large impact from effects and "factors" on your gear/ accessories.
    - Good enemy variation.

    Cons:
    - Needed to play on framerate mode
    - Need to experiment with chain combos to get better use from the AI teammates.
    - Not alot of npc interactions in towns.
    - User interface isn't bad but text is very small, can be difficult to read.    … Expand
  68. Jarklor
    Dec 11, 2022
    10
    I am really impressed with this game. It is a MASSIVE improvement from Star Ocean 5. I would say it's even better than 4 too. The dialogue is really nice and the voice acting is top notch. The characters act realistically, including how the ones from underdeveloped planets would react to futuristic technology. The combat is really fun and the massive world is stunning. I hope to see thisI am really impressed with this game. It is a MASSIVE improvement from Star Ocean 5. I would say it's even better than 4 too. The dialogue is really nice and the voice acting is top notch. The characters act realistically, including how the ones from underdeveloped planets would react to futuristic technology. The combat is really fun and the massive world is stunning. I hope to see this series grow.… Expand
  69. Anthlon
    Dec 14, 2022
    7
    Star Ocean to me felt like Tri-ace wanted to create a large budget space epic, but weren't given the budget they needed to convincingly pull it off. While that first sentence may seem overall negative I thoroughly enjoyed my time playing through Star Ocean: The Divine Force, however there were parts that I struggled with. I am by no means a Star Ocean veteran, I have played through FirstStar Ocean to me felt like Tri-ace wanted to create a large budget space epic, but weren't given the budget they needed to convincingly pull it off. While that first sentence may seem overall negative I thoroughly enjoyed my time playing through Star Ocean: The Divine Force, however there were parts that I struggled with. I am by no means a Star Ocean veteran, I have played through First Departure R and had a great time with it, but there are design choices within The Divine Force that made it difficult at times to engaged and to fully appreciate what the developers were looking to do.

    At the beginning of the game you're given the choice of playing as one of two characters, Raymond or Laeticia, I opted for Raymond. You're travelling through space when suddenly you're shot down by another ship, forcing you to crash land on a close by planet. In doing this your split from your crewmate and eventually meet up with the Laeticia, who is actually a princess for the kingdom you've just crashed in who are decades behind you technology wise. From this point on you will continue going from area to area looking for new party members that will help you protect Laeticia's kingdom and her people. I generally was okay with the plot, it didn't do anything completely different, but the clashing of more traditional methods, against the newer, better technology was interesting to see. Around the half way point the game started to get really cutscene heavy, choosing to, what it felt like giving an exposition dump and bored me heavily.

    Gameplay wise, I enjoyed a greatly. Star Ocean The Divine Force presents you with an ATB system with you starting on 5 tabs, and you can increase these by performing specific actions, but getting hit will make you lose a tab, this can make for some interesting choices as you want as many as possible so you can consistently applying damage, and in doing so will force you to switch characters as building up these ATB tabs will be easier with certain characters in different situations, however the AI partners while generally great in my opinion, can also be quite dumb, such as standing in AOE fire taking damage and not moving because the enemy hasn't moved either. One of the combat's shining points is the system called D.U.M.A, this is what allows you to perform backstab moves and swift movements while in battle. I really liked this, it made the fights frantic, and gave them large amounts of flair, it's also not restricted to combat mode only, you can use D.U.M.A to fly around the open areas looking for secrets, enjoyed that a lot.

    I played with the game on 'Performance Mode' and it felt like it'd hit 60FPS around 95% of the time, with some frame drops in one area of the game which became quite noticeable to me. The game also doesn't shy away from side quests, although I never really delved into them too much, I tried to do them but I couldn't find a way to view what my actual objective was. Commonly you'd speak to an NPC and they'd describe their problem, and ask for your help, after accepting the quest description would feel vague and wouldn't really give me much indication of where I was supposed to be going, which to some could be viewed as a good though as you're forced to engage your brain, unfortunately I'm not so lucky to see it that way.

    Graphically I think the game looks good, the environments feel detailed and the characters look nice, there are some parts that I feel didn't really live up to the standards surrounding. The lipsyncing of characters feels cheaply done, it felt very noticable that it was just enough to convey that they were speaking, but that was the extent of it. I also weirdly felt that Raymond looked very strange in the face, there was something that just seemed off about his face to me.

    Musically the game delivers, I enjoyed a lot of the music and I feel that it's one of Star Ocean's strong points and it's consistant in the delivery here.

    Star Ocean: The Divine Force is a flawed, but fun game to play. I feel if you're a Star Ocean or JRPG fan you will most likely enjoy your time with this game, but there are just some story and design issues that are holding this game back from being great, although settling for good isn't a bad thing either.    … Expand
  70. JimiMack541
    Apr 17, 2023
    8
    I kept hearing how "mediocre" this game is, so I put off buying it, until I watched several YouTube videos where people actually enjoyed the game. Bought it on sale and to be honest, I thought it was pretty good. No, it's not a Persona or Xenoblade Chronicles level game, but I found all of the complaints from the red-reviews here were minor or non existent to me. It's not perfect, but I'veI kept hearing how "mediocre" this game is, so I put off buying it, until I watched several YouTube videos where people actually enjoyed the game. Bought it on sale and to be honest, I thought it was pretty good. No, it's not a Persona or Xenoblade Chronicles level game, but I found all of the complaints from the red-reviews here were minor or non existent to me. It's not perfect, but I've had more issues with games that people rave about and call "Masterpieces", than I did with Star Ocean: TDF. Maybe it just played better on the PS5 then on those with other systems. I enjoy more modern JRPGs and RPGs, but still love older ones too. This felt a bit older and newer at the same time. It's not too flashy like some of the new games, but it's still a pretty solid game, and even better if you wait for a sale on it.… Expand
  71. Ayametatsu
    May 3, 2023
    10
    Honestly this game is fun story is good so far I think it is a great game on PS5 I haven't had frame dips or anything bug wise. I know I am a bit late but I think this game deserves a chance and not just review bombed by people who just expect things to change. To me Star Ocean is the perfect blend of Anime with amazing character models. It's how ALL the games have been and being a fanHonestly this game is fun story is good so far I think it is a great game on PS5 I haven't had frame dips or anything bug wise. I know I am a bit late but I think this game deserves a chance and not just review bombed by people who just expect things to change. To me Star Ocean is the perfect blend of Anime with amazing character models. It's how ALL the games have been and being a fan since til the end of time which was amazing this game is just as good!… Expand

Awards & Rankings

33
#33 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 48 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 48
  2. Mixed: 28 out of 48
  3. Negative: 1 out of 48
  1. Oyungezer
    Jan 5, 2023
    65
    This long-running series returns to classic roots with this new entry, but I doubt whether this is a correct choice or not.
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  2. Gaming Age
    Dec 7, 2022
    50
    Star Ocean: The Divine Force is an improvement from the previous game; Integrity and Faithlessness, but this is not a return to form to games like Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, or The Second Story. tri-Ace, to me, could do no wrong during the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 era. I would love to see tri-Ace return to greatness with a higher quality new Star Ocean title, but with this one I’ll have to settle for average.
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  3. Dexerto
    Nov 29, 2022
    40
    Star Ocean: The Divine Force presents us with a game that may have once been a stellar JRPG title 20 years ago, but those standards just don't hold up in 2022. When compared to its contemporaries, it's just not on the same level, in any way. It's always been a B-Tier Square Enix franchise, but once upon a time, Star Ocean was an essential title. It's a shame that more effort has not gone into modernizing and revitalizing a beloved franchise.
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