Star Ocean: The Divine Forceis now available for purchase on PC and consoles. The latest entry in the 25-year-old action RPG franchise is also the firstnewStar Oceangame with an international release date, a practice that Square Enix only started with theStar Ocean: First Departureremake which debuted in 2019.
Star Ocean: The Divine Forcewas announceda year ago to date as one of the biggest surprises of the October 2021 State of Play conference. Developed by Tokyo-based studio tri-Ace, the sixth entry in the franchise comes six years afterIntegrity and Faithlessnessand marks the series' long-awaited return to Xbox consoles, which last received aStar Oceangame back in 2009.
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Much like its predecessors,The Divine Forcepromises an epic space opera with fast-paced combat and a diverse cast of characters, as well as a largely standalone story with limited callbacks to thepreviousStar Oceangames. The narrative structure is similar to 1998 classicStar Ocean: The Second Story, in the sense that it focuses on intertwining adventures of two protagonists, princess-knight Laeticia and trading ship captain Raymond.The Divine Forcealso features a massive open world that players can fully explore on foot or by flying.
The overall package is somewhat reminiscent ofLightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13, another ambitious sci-fi RPG co-developed by tri-Ace. All character artwork forStar Ocean: The Divine Forcewas created by Akira “Akiman” Yasuda, an industry veteran best known for his work onStreet Fighterand olderStar Oceangames. Another series veteran, composer Motoi Sakuraba, authored the game’s soundtrack, which can be obtained by purchasing the Digital Deluxe Edition ofStar Ocean: The Divine Forcefor an extra $15. This version also comes with an armor and accessory pack to help with early-game questing.
SinceStar Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessnessreceived a lukewarm reception from both fans and critics alike, it remains to be seen whetherThe Divine Forcecan reinstate the franchise’s reputation. Anyone on the fence about buying this sequel can turn to its playable demo and experience its opening hours free of charge. As of right now, the PC trial is only available via the Microsoft Store, thoughThe Divine Forcecan also be purchased through Steam. That said, the story progress from the demo doesn’t carry over to the full game either way.
Star Ocean: The Divine Forceis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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