Star Ocean: First Departure R launches in Japan on December 5 [Update: Worldwide release]
Update
Square Enix has revealed that Star Ocean: First Departure R will also launch in North America and Europe on December 5, the same date as the Japanese release. It will be priced at $20.99 for PlayStation Network and Nintendo Switch eShop.
The game will offer three voice tracks, the PSP English and Japanese tracks, along with a new Japanese voice track featuring the voices from the original JP-only Super Famicom game.
Those who pre-order on PSN will receive a static PlayStation 4 theme and a digital mini soundtrack from Star Ocean Live 2019.
Check out a new trailer and fact sheet from Square Enix.
Originally released in the west on the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, STAR OCEAN First Departure R tells the story of a young swordsman, Roddick, and his companions who first set off on a journey to find the cure to a deadly disease, before becoming involved in an adventure that spans across a sea of stars. This HD remaster version includes the following features and boosts to enhance the experience:
- Full Voiceover – Players can choose between the original full voice cast from the PSP® system version of the game in either Japanese or English, or the newly recorded version, featuring the voice cast from the original Super Famicom version in Japanese, which was previously released in Japan only.
- New Character Illustrations – Players can opt for the original character illustrations utilised in STAR OCEAN First Departure, or brand-new versions drawn by the famous illustrator Katsumi Enami (STAR OCEAN: THE LAST HOPE).
- Speed Mode – Players can speed up movement to traverse the world more quickly.
- Adjusted Game Balance – Adjusted battle difficulty enabling players to enjoy more challenge in combat, a signature quality of the STAR OCEAN series.
Original
Square Enix has announced that Star Ocean: First Departure R will launch in Japan on December 5 for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch as a digital title.
According to the game's Japanese website, not only will the game include the previously revealed toggle to switch between the PSP character art and the new artwork, but also a double-speed toggle for movement out on the field, as well as some gameplay balances among the various difficulty options. You can also find a comparison between the PSP version and HD upscale, as shown below.
One slightly bizarre detail to note is that, for the Japanese version of Star Ocean: First Departure R, there will be two Japanese voice tracks: one being the Japanese PSP version recording, and a full new re-recording of the lines performed by the actors of the original JP-only Super Famicom title, back when only the battle lines were voiced. Also note: the English website states the game will support both English and Japanese text and voices, but it's unclear if the English voices will be redone or if only the PSP version voices will be included.
The release date for the English version of Star Ocean: First Departure R has yet to be announced, but many recent digital Square Enix titles have been released on the same day, as has been the case for some mainline Final Fantasy ports, Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon, and The Last Remnant Remastered. So hopefully it's not too far behind, at least.
A new trailer for the game can be found below, which shows both combat as well as the updated character designs for Ronyx J. Kenny and Ilia Silvestri.
You can find some screenshots here and the original announcement information here.
