Star Ocean: First Departure R

 Switch
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. NintendoWorldReport
    Dec 4, 2019
    80
    Star Ocean: First Departure R is an overall port of a good game. It stands out in a few ways from its contemporaries, mostly in its Tales-esque battle system and character recruitment and affection minutiae. My best recommendation for First Departure R might be that it’s a story-heavy RPG that spins a yarn compelling enough to keep you engaged while also delivering a battle system that is breezy and not as technical. Star Ocean has a lot of complexities underneath the hood, but taking it at face value can leave you with an approachable and enjoyable adventure.
  2. Hardcore Gamer
    Dec 4, 2019
    80
    Even though the franchise’s future looks concerning, whether you’re a newcomer or a hardcore fan, you owe it to yourself to revisit where the series began and took form.
  3. Nintendo Insider
    Dec 19, 2019
    70
    At this game’s core, it’s a very average game that set the framework for a very great sequel. I think if Square Enix gets an opportunity to do this again with Star Ocean: Second Evolution, I can easily see them knocking it out of the park.
  5. Nintendo Life
    Dec 4, 2019
    60
    There's certainly still some fun to be had for sure, the mixing of fantasy and sci-fi on offer here is an endearing one, and it's noteworthy for the handful of novel features it introduced to the genre back in the day but - with a story and gameplay that were pretty average at the time of its release and haven't aged particularly well in the interim - it's definitely an experience recommended specifically for fans and those of us who wish to see the superlative second game in the series get the chance of a Switch re-release.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 19 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 19
  3. Negative: 3 out of 19
  1. Jman1115
    Dec 8, 2019
    9
    Game is engaging both from a combat and story perspective. Amazing how well a game can hold up over 20 years later. Well worth the 20 bucks ifGame is engaging both from a combat and story perspective. Amazing how well a game can hold up over 20 years later. Well worth the 20 bucks if you like rpgs.… Full Review »
  2. Adriella01
    Feb 22, 2020
    7
    The story was nice. It sticks to the star ocean lore and most of its genre, except the typical 3D openworld style in the previous games.The story was nice. It sticks to the star ocean lore and most of its genre, except the typical 3D openworld style in the previous games. Instead you are running around oldschool on the worldmap just like in Final Fantasy I - VI. Just like in the previous games they included a big list of items and skills.. Unfortunally it did not hold my interest for longer than about 12h, but it has content for at least 20+h and you have the usual past story grind content. The cheap price was reasonable to its content.… Full Review »
  3. Flow4all
    Apr 2, 2022
    2
    The history can be interesting for anyone... But the combat system is just to smash a button.

    Not recomended when the 70% of time you're    The history can be interesting for anyone... But the combat system is just to smash a button.

    Not recomended when the 70% of time you're battling smashing a button. Boring as fk    … Full Review »
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