Star Ocean: The Second Story
Reviewed by Michael LoCascio
To do justice to an incredibly deep game like Star Ocean:
The Second Story, one would be required to write a
dissertation, not a mere review. To say that this game is
deep is an understatement; to label it an epic would do it
little justice. There is so much to explore, so many
different things to try, and such a tremendous variety of
tasks to accomplish. Any fan of role playing games in
general will likely be so captivated by this fantasy world
that real life will, at times, seem very far away.
But who would ever want to return from a world with so many
exciting adventures to undertake and so many fascinating
secrets to discover? I've taken many trips through the Star
Ocean universe in the few months that I've owned the game,
and to this day, I am not only still playing it, but I am
still being amazed by new revelations every single time I
turn the game on. It really is that deep.
For any role playing game to really be captivating and
affecting, there needs to be an intriguing cast of
characters that the gamer can become acquainted with and
even, at some point, care about. The cast of misfits and
vagabonds that will make up your party in The Second Story
will certainly endear themselves to you over the course of
the long adventure. You can choose to play as either a naive
but courageous young man named Claude, who simply can't seem
to escape from the shadow of his legendary father, or an
innocent (yet tough) blue-haired lass named Rena, whose
origin is a mystery to everyone - including herself. The
idea of choosing from two different main characters is a
fabulous one in itself, but another exciting concept that
Enix explores in this game is that of not having your
ultimate party preset for you. Claude and Rena will always
be among the eight characters that you can control during
your journey, but the make-up of the rest of your group will
depend entirely upon the various actions that you take and
decisions that you make along the way.
And what an eclectic band of folks you have to choose from!
There's Ashton, a superb fighter who not only possesses two
swords, but also two dragons that are attached to his back
(actually, the dragons are the ones who possess him, but
that's a long story. .). Then there's the jaded Dias, a
master swordsman and Claude's main rival - until they
eventually develop a mutual respect for one another. And who
could forget Opera, a crafty young lady who can wreak havoc
with her explosive weapons - just don't make fun of the fact
that she has three eyes and she'll be of great aid to you
during your quest. These are only a few of interesting
people you'll come across (and possibly recruit) during your
quest to save the universe.
During your quest, various members of your party will
gradually develop friendships.. or possibly even romances.
There are over 80 different possible endings to this game,
all of which allow you to see what happened to your party
members following their incredible adventure. If two of your
party members became friends (or lovers) during the game,
the endings will depict them together, enjoying a fulfilling
life. But if a particular party member failed to endear his
or her self to the rest of the gang, that character will end
up alone and depressed in one of the ending scenes.
There are numerous methods which one can use to end up with
the final pairings that one desires, but possibly the most
effective of these methods is also one of the game's
greatest and most innovative features. Virtually every time
that your party approaches a town, the game presents you
with the choice of either entering the town as a group or
conducting a 'Private Action'. During private actions, the
members of your group split up, and you take control of the
main character in the game (either Claude or Rena). You can
then stroll about the town by yourself; when you run into
your friends, there's a good chance that a very interesting
conversation can take place. What you choose to say during
these conversations can have a very profound effect on your
protagonist's relationships with the other characters in the game.
The main plot in The Second Story can seem somewhat
hackneyed at first. Your little group is basically on a
mission to save the universe from a group of evildoers
dubbed the 'Ten Wise Men'. A cliched premise to be sure -
but dig a little deeper and you'll discover a surprisingly
intricate and twisted story. By doing a little research and
a lot of snooping around, you can garner a ton of
information concerning the true origins and goals of the ten
villains. The complexity of the plot is a direct reflection
on the time and effort that you put into the game. The more
involved you get in this epic adventure, the more rewarding
that you will find the game to be.. and believe me, it's
very easy to become immersed in The Second Story.
Even if the story of the Ten Wise Men doesn't particularly
captivate you, the different personalities that make up your
party probably will. Character development in this game is
virtually unparalleled by any other role-playing game
currently on the market. Each member of your party has
specific goals in mind or secrets to reveal. While the cute
actions and appearances of these little guys are what will
make you initially adore them, it's the dilemmas and ordeals
that they all must endure that will truly fascinate you and
pull you into this fantasy world.
Even combat isn't your regular, turn-based RPG fighting.
Battles take place in real-time; you control one of the
characters in the group, while the rest of the party members
involved in the battle are run by the (only four
members of your party can take part in any one battle).
Thankfully, the CPU does a pretty decent job during battle
scenes. Each character has numerous methods of attack at his
or her disposal; mages generally prefer to use magic spells,
while fighters can perform some pretty impressive 'Killer
Moves' to thwart the enemies' attacks.
As your characters level up, they will gradually earn
'skill Points' which you can utilize to built up any of
the many different skills that they can learn. Improved
skills will eventually lead to your characters learning
'specialties', which is another incredibly unique element
of The Second Story. By collecting various materials, your
characters can use the knowledge they've attained through
skill points to customize their weapons or create powerful
new items. Experimenting with item creation can lead to some
very interesting - and sometimes essential - weapons, armor
and tools
The Second Story is often criticized for its visuals, which
essentially feature 2D character sprites on top of 3D
backgrounds. I didn't find this area to be much of a
concern, partly because the backdrops are exquisitely
detailed, and partly because I happen to like the cute
little sprites. Particularly humorous is when little bubbles
appear over their heads, denoting their feelings at the
moment. It's amusing to see drops of sweat appear over
Claude's head when he's embarrassed, or a cloud of smoke
rise above Rena when she's angry about something.
While all of this may seem a bit too cute, The Second Story
manages to drop the kid gloves right when it should, and
treats emotional events seriously and convincingly. Many
great games have been plagued by the inability to switch
gears when they really need to (Grandia is a prime example).
The Second Story pulls off emotional segments just as well
as cute interludes, which isn't at all easy to do.
Particularly effecting are the scenes that occur later in
the game between Claude and Rena, as they help each other
overcome various tragedies and shocks.
The music in The Second Story is generally very beautiful.
While some tunes may sound quite conventional, the music
really enjoys some spectacular moments, especially later in
the game. The battle music is solid, and the map track is
inspiring, but the music really shines during the more
somber moments between Claude and Rena. When the situations
call for emotion and feeling, the music really comes through
with some very memorable tracks.
There is so much more to experience in this title besides
the fabulous aspects which I have already described. A
secret dungeon, mini-games, colorful cut scenes, emotional
plot twists.. this game has it all. The Second Story can
become as involving as any role playing game that has ever
been produced, and I can almost guarantee that once you do
get in that deep, you won't ever want to leave.
Overall: 10 out of 10
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