Back in May Square Enix announced that Star Ocean First Departure R was in development and that it would be released for the Switch and PS4. This game is a remake of 2007’s Star Ocean First Departure which was released exclusively on the PSP, but that itself wasn’t an original title. Nope, the 2007 release was itself a remake of the original Star Ocean that was released in 1996 exclusively for the Super Famicom in Japan.
Today Square Enix released a new trailer for Star Ocean First Departure R ahead of Tokyo Game Show and alongside it confirmed that release date of this remake would be December 5th. As is expected the game has visual upgrades, new character illustrations though there is the option to use the original, and the choice of English or Japanese voiceovers. A Speed Mode has been added to so go around the world is sped up, and the game’s balance has been adjusted so battles are more challenging than before.
The plot of Star Ocean First Departure R follows Roddick as he searches for a cure to a disease which takes him and his companions all across the stars. Those who pre-order on PS4 will get an exclusive theme featuring the new character illustrations as well as pixel art of the characters. There’s also a mini soundtrack featuring music from the 2019 Star Ocean concert.
Source: Press Release
