Battles in Star Ocean: The Last Hope

By Jeriaska . October 11, 2008 . 3:06pm

Like The Last Remnant—the other XBox 360 title Square Enix was showcasing at this year’s Tokyo Game Show—the debut of Star Ocean 4 in North America is not far off. The localized version will be arriving in March, less than a month after the Japan release. Taking place just years after weapons of mass destruction have rendered the earth uninhabitable, an event that far precedes Star Ocean: First Departure, human civilization has taken to colonizing space, encountering extraterrestrial allies and hostile life forms both. The ability to navigate between planets via your spaceship promises a greater degree of free exploration this time than was featured in previous titles.

 

The playable demo on display at TGS provided a first glimpse of the game’s environs and the next incarnation of the series’ real-time battle system. Protagonists Edge and Reimi, seen in the trailer, were joined by two humanoid aliens—a young girl and a teenage male character named Faize and Lymle. However, only Edge is visible on the overhead map as you explore a cavernous fort crawling with enemy creatures—sword-wielding lizards, skeletons and anthropomorphic piles of moss-strewn boulders. Outside the cavern is a snowcapped mountain, though the demolished stone staircase bars you from scaling higher. You can however make your way to the floor of the cavern by descending.

 

 

Upon initiating battles, you are taken to a three-dimensional arena similar to previous Tri-Ace games, such as Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria. Pressing Y in battle brings up the menu system where you can assign skills to particular buttons. As has been the case previously in the series, powerful attacks are accompanied by impassioned shouts from the playable characters. You are able to switch characters by pressing the right and left triggers, while the shoulder buttons can be used to perform special attacks. Edge will string together a series of sword attacks that will deal damage to any enemies in his way. By timing your attacks you can send a sentry up into the air and deliver another blow on its way down.

 

Enemy behavior on the overhead map varies depending on the location. For instance, the lizard sentries will make a beeline for Edge if he is spotted on the floor of the fort. If, on the other hand, you sneak up on an enemy who is keeping watch, you can ambush the foe. Initiating attacks from the rear will score your party an “advantaged attack,” allowing you the chance to strike first. At the same time, you can similarly be caught off guard as one of the swift-footed creatures approaches from behind an obstacle. A red compass in the corner of the screen is there to keep you from losing your bearings, along with a transparent map of your immediate surroundings. The option of assigning behaviors to individual characters, while also having the choice of controlling them directly in turn, offers a promising, though by now familiar balance of action and strategy.

 

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