STAR OCEAN THE DIVINE FORCE is the latest title in the series Star Ocean, famous for its ability to blend fantasy scenarios with sci-fi settings. In this chapter we will be able to freely explore the vast open world in all three of its dimensions, thanks to the ability to soar through the skies through the new flight function. It will be officially available in full version next October 27 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S and PC. A few days ago a playable demo of the title was released and we are here to analyze the first hours of the game with you, waiting to be able to try its full version.
The trial version of STAR OCEAN THE DIVINE FORCE allows you to experience the first two hours of play, as well as a free exploration of the large open world created by the team of tri-Ace. The plot input is very simple: during a normal transport mission, the spaceship of Raymond Lawrence is attacked by the Pangalactic Federation and crashes on an underdeveloped planet. Here she meets the princess Laeticia, who fights to protect his homeland from an invading empire. Together, the two set out on an adventure that will shake the foundations of the entire universe. Although the game warns us that in this demo version it is not possible to choose your own initial protagonist (between Raymond And Laeticia) or the difficulty (we will in fact be forced to play at “normal” difficulty), already from the early stages we will have the opportunity to learn all the mechanics on which the title is based, especially on the gameplay side.
The fights turn out to be very simple and intuitive, with three main buttons that will alternate our combos, and an AP bar that will reflect nothing but our stamina and the number of moves available after reloading. From now on we will also be able to take control of the other two party members, finding great differences on the combat system and on the available classes. Everything may initially appear monotonous and in line with other JRPG titles, but these mechanics get their own identity only after the first hour of play, after the drone is found. DUMA.
The DUMA will soon prove to be the backbone of the game, in fact, through its use we will be able to perform fast approaches in the air, as well as iconic defensive moves during fights. Keeping it activated will create a protective barrier around our character, thus allowing us to perform sudden dodges or fatal counterattacks that will increase the damage inflicted. The DUMA will become crucial especially against larger enemies such as bosses, in fact, during our test, we found ourselves having to face a huge giant golem, shot down in a few seconds thanks to the targeting of our drone capable of performing attacks in the air that allow us to target the raised weak points of our enemies. The DUMA will be able to be a faithful companion even during the exploration phases, with the possibility of take flight at any time for maps and glide from one place to another with extreme ease. This mechanic also makes moving between the various areas much more pleasant and faster, allowing you to avoid long “walking” sessions to reach your goal (which, however, we recommend so as not to miss the many secrets hidden in the areas).
The strong point of the title are certainly, as was to be expected from the Star Ocean series, the settings. There was no lack of opportunity to stop for several seconds every time we entered a new area, remaining amazed to contemplate the beautiful settings made available to us. If initially the forest seen in the introduction may seem bare or “cold”, it will take a few seconds to change your mind. In fact we will pass by the beautiful ones ruins of Mhedume to the open and sunny fields of the neighboring countries, capable of enchanting the player with a truly evocative universe. The title also makes available two different modalities as regards the technical sector.
In fact, we will be able to favor graphics and obtain a higher resolution of the textures or give priority to the framerate to obtain greater fluidity in movements. We recommend this second mode as the textures do not seem to suffer from a huge difference, offering greater fluidity especially in fights. In both modes they have noticed a questionable graphic rendering, which often tends not to reflect a current generation game, but which on the whole manage to faithfully reconstruct the imaginary proposed without leaving the player too stunned. In these two hours we were also able to savor the fantastic soundtrack of STAR OCEAN THE DIVINE FORCEcapable of transmitting the right sensations in those magical places.
For our final judgment on STAR OCEAN THE DIVINE FORCE we will have to wait another month, and as already reiterated, the release date of the title is set for the next October 27. The latest effort of tri-Ace And SQUARE ENIX will be available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S and PC.
And you, what do you think of the title after trying the demo? Let us know in the comments below this article!
#STAR #OCEAN #DIVINE #FORCE #tested #review