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.
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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.
    Read full review
  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.
    Read full review
  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.
    Read full review
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