DUMA is the best .
The postponement is over . Another Star Ocean game has been released to the earth . Yet , will it soar into the stars with a return to glorification or be rig ablaze by the expectations of old ? If you ’ve never played a Star Ocean title , they are all quite similar storywise . Advanced technology meets those who are unaware such engineering science exists . The fear of entire planets learning before their sentence could lead to absolute topsy-turvydom and destruction .
The Divine Force has a surprising twist from the get - go . you’re able to choose one of two fiber from the commencement : Raymond , from an innovative culture , or Laeticia , a princess from this underdeveloped creation of Aster IV . The two stories are intertwined , but both divvy up info not seen by the other , which merits another playthrough to learn the other side of the same coin .
Combat
Combat is the crux of the matter of an RPG , and Star Ocean ’s armed combat system has been overhauled from its predecessors . The newly revamped substantial - meter gameplay make combat feel crisp and fluid as you tie in combos together using the new Chain Combo system . Each role has three Chain Combos , and three moves can be attached to one , with an superfluous fire attached to three boldness button .
motion have an AP cost that is spent in armed combat to apply . The nonremittal AP you have at your disposal is five AP , so you add three skills into each Chain Combo that add up to five and let attack flow . AP is convalesce by involve a fleeting gaolbreak in fighting , which does n’t deter the tight - pace nature . This sound simple enough , but that is not one-half of it . The real heart is DUMA shop mechanic .
DUMA adds a few additional mechanics to the battle system , which increases the flow of armed combat , but it can also be used defensively if in horrendous straights . DUMA essentially leave maneuverability , to charge at enemies at lightning speed but then change focusing to confuse the enemy . If done correctly , you ’ll actuate a Blindside result , which do foeman amazed for a prison term and take increase damage in this state . Plus , you get increased maximal AP when you have have a Blindside , so you’re able to use Chain Combos to your inwardness ’s content until hit or knock down .
Score:4.5/5 ace
Related : When do you unlock flying change of location in Star Ocean Divine Force
Traversal
The Divine Force put through that feeling of the fluid , flying fight that into the overall geographic expedition of the domain ( except in chronicle beats ) . Not only can you sprint at neck opening - breaking speed — through open area , in villages , and more — but you’re able to also utilize DUMA as a jetpack to vanish up to high position and find hidden goodies such as chests . Is the small town up on a Alfred Hawthorne with tortuous paths ? No trouble , use DUMA to vanish over them in seconds .
Combine sprint and DUMA , and you may soar everywhere in a elbow room that feels instinctive . A lot of RPGs have a clear-cut want of velocity . contract from A to B could take hours , but with The Divine Force , it only takes minutes . The sense of exemption when explore small town is a breath of fresh air .
You unlock fast travel chop-chop , but the beauty of the areas mixed with the speed at which you could traverse sometimes makes it feel unnecessary to fast traveling . You might want to take that longer route to know the rush of getting around , so diversify traversal by charge into enemy , obliterating them within moments , and then sprinting off again . It does n’t help that Tri - Ace has added empurpled collectable crystal all over the lush landscape that raise DUMA ’s ability . Instead of being an annoyance , they become a joy to collect . Nothing sense better than dandy trend in television games .
grudge : 5/5 Stars
Quality of Life
While the combat and traverse surpass in Star Ocean : The Divine Force , not everything can be sunshine and rainbows . The UI and interface of The Divine Force fall short — along with plenty of Quality of Life payoff . Menus are legion and clunky , so sail these can be a chore . get detail defaults to introductory instead of new , so any Modern gear you have created or purchased gets thrown into a flock for you to find . When a party phallus leaves , their accessary get polish off , and if they had specific single , good luck remembering to equip them again .
Not being able to do anything when party members are conversing about direction is infuriating . you’re able to not start the map , open any computer menu , or scan using DUMA , but you’re able to enter combat , and the conversation carries on . This is the downside of having a fast - pace plot ; everything that halts the gameplay is incredibly noticeable . Another example : in some Ithiel Town , for a write up beat , you must follow someone at a snail ’s rate for five second . It ’s not needed .
Score:3.5/5
Verdict - A excellent revamp of a stellar RPG series
Despite its onus , Star Ocean : The Divine Force offers a marvellous revamp of an old RPG serial . It practice the same healthy effects that ingrain plenty of nostalgia . The chronicle is nothing to write abode about , but explore the world is . The one downside to the humans is that region are massive for the sake of being massive — there is no indigence for it . If they were smaller , firm travel would not be postulate due to how gorgeous the regions are . But DUMA is a fantastic mechanic in all aspects that makes exploration sport and reignites combat . The Divine Force was an RPG worth hold off for , and Tri - Ace and Square brought novel life-time into this serial publication .
We received this code from Square Enix for survey purposes .
