In a shocking twist of fate that absolutely nobody saw coming, a remake of Star Ocean: The Second Story developed by actual fans of the franchise as a labour of love has been met with critical praise and financial success.
Famitsu, one of the most popular Japanese media outlets, conducted a comprehensive interview with the team involved in the recent release of Star Ocean: The Second Story R, known as Gemdrops.
Interestingly enough, Gemdrops was actually founded by the former tri-Ace programmer Yuichiro Kitao who worked on Star Ocean 3.
The interview conducted by Famitsu delves into various aspects, such as the new artwork, potential spoilers, the introduction of a new fishing mechanic, and other notable topics.
Director Yuichiro Kitao made a notable comment that caught attention, mentioning that the reception to this remake has exceeded the team’s expectations. In addition to producer Kei Komaki acknowledging the overwhelmingly positive feedback the title has garnered, Kitao expressed a desire to explore what factors have contributed to the beloved status of Star Ocean: The Second Story R.
Interviewer: It’s been about a month since the release. How has the response been?
Kei Komaki: We have received a lot of positive feedback from everyone, and we are filled with gratitude. We also appreciate reading impressions of the game on social media, as well as fans’ stories from when they played “SO” and the numerous fan artworks. While we may not be able to respond individually, we want to convey our gratitude to those who played the game.
Yuichiro Kitao: Regarding the success, while we didn’t lack confidence in creating the game, we are genuinely happy to receive more favorable feedback than anticipated. As developers, we want to thoroughly investigate “why it was praised to this extent” and “what resonated with players,” and use that knowledge for our next experiences.
It seems that many positive opinions come from those who vividly remember playing the PS version or the PSP version. This aspect is not solely reliant on promotions or marketing; we believe the passion of the developers is also essential. So, while we conduct research and keep the passion alive, we want to cherish both aspects.
In a surprising turn of events, Square Enix opted not to incur substantial losses on a video game project for once. Instead, they enlisted Gemdrops, founded by a former series programmer, to develop the remake. The goal is to preserve the elements of the original to fans while enhancing the game with additional polish and improvements, creating a superior version.
Notably, this version is free from bullshit censorship practices which are often associated with Square Enix, given that they align themselves with the ESG woke mafia.
Star Ocean: The Second Story R is a game that was cherishingly made and improved upon by former employees and fans of the original, marketing the game towards fans of the original rather than retarded and ignorant “modern audiences” and it has proven to be immensely successful beating all expectations, it’s that simple.
Interviewer: “Star Ocean 2” had a PSP version released in 2008, and “Star Ocean 2 R” is the second remake. When playing it, I felt it became very user-friendly. Were there specific points you were conscious of during production?
Kei Komaki: “SO2” is an exceptionally well-crafted original work, and it remains a title with many fans to this day. From the early stages of planning, the development team was very mindful of how to respond to both the original work and the fans.
In addition, we aimed to include all the elements that are now considered “standard” in RPG works. We discussed with Mr. Kitao and the development staff about the fundamental charm of “SO2” and what is necessary to bring it to the modern era. Those were the two major axes, and the game was created through ongoing discussions.
Of course, the PSP version must have addressed what needed to be done at that time. Therefore, we, as the current developers, thought about how to deliver it to our current users. In the early stages of development, there were many discussions with Mr. Kitao about how to translate the targeted direction into specific implementations.
Interviewer: It was made to be playable without discomfort not only for those who played “SO2” at the time but also for those who play games today.
Kei Komaki: Yes. This game is not a port but a remake. Therefore, if we don’t provide at least some “new fun,” it would be exactly the same experience as before. While ensuring that we don’t shift the fundamental charm axis of “SO2,” we, Mr. Kitao and I, set the direction to introduce new elements in battles and systems, and the development team worked on it with great dedication.
Yuichiro Kitao: Indeed, the PSP version was made 10 years after the PS version, as Mr. Komaki mentioned, with the idea of “how it would be if made 10 years later.” “SO2R” is about 15 years after the PSP version, 25 years after the PS version, a quarter of a century has passed, and those who were in their teens to twenties at the time are now in their thirties to forties. Some have children, and unlike their childhood, there are those who don’t have much time to spend on games.
Thinking about how such people can experience the enjoyable parts as they were in their memories at that time was a process of reexamining the charm of the original “SO2.” This also includes a reconsideration for those who touch the “SO” series or “SO2” for the first time.
This is a metaphor, but the original work is like a cup made with the surface tension just at the brim, and figuring out which elements to add and cut from there was a challenge for the entire development staff, and I think it worked out well. Although we didn’t have detailed discussions with Mr. Kajimoto about the illustration and the standing picture direction for event scenes, it worked out well.
The interview also recognized the fan desire for a remake of Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, the third mainline entry in the franchise, but overall Star Ocean: The Second Story R has been hailed by actual fans as being one of the most articulate and well put together remakes as it not only captures the authentic soul and nature of the original but it perfectly expands upon it without tarnishing a single area.
Star Ocean: The Second Story R includes fully voiced event scenes featuring the original voice cast, a newly arranged soundtrack by the original composer Motoi Sakuraba, featuring new songs, including some performed with a live band. The game also introduces the new Break and Assault Action combat mechanics.
In my opinion, the only minor downside is the transformation of the original pre-rendered backgrounds into full 3D environments. The Gemdrops team has executed the conversion of the original PS1 title perfectly. However, certain areas have experienced challenges in this transition, particularly towns that may feel a bit more constrained after the shift from pre-rendered backgrounds to being entirely 3D, however majority of the transformation look and feel absolutely phenomenal.
As for English localization there are some minor infractions, given how western troglodytes attempt to gaslight fans of Japanese media into believing that localization isn’t about translating media from one language to another but rather it’s a means of conveying context in a similar fashion alongside being more inclusive to better suit their own fanfiction.
The main changes from the Japanese version to English inside of Star Ocean: The Second Story R are changes made towards alcoholic beverages that are used as healing items are now being displayed as either Soda or Juice, alongside a singular line referencing homosexuality was apparently rewritten.
So, there’s some form of censorship going on here, however it’s important to note that these changes were also made from the first remake on the PlayStation Portable, they’ve simply been carried over, by no means is the censorship in Star Ocean: The Second Story R anywhere near as tedious as found in other Square Enix remakes such as Chrono Cross or even Live A Live.
Obviously, a censor free release would be most ideal, but considering the sort of company that Square Enix are in this modern climate with Final Fantasy falling victim to inclusive nonsense and homosexual relationships, this is certainly far beyond expectations in terms of authenticity by Square Enix standards, with no additional edits or adjustments being made of any kind from the original remake on the PSP.
Star Ocean: The Second Story R is a step in the right direction for Square Enix and a testament to game publishers all over that fans of a franchise simply want the original game coated in wax polish, rather than an obscene re-creation that deviates from the original with imposed censorship and other malicious bullshit.
If you pander a game to actual fans of the franchise that can obviously be seen as having been made with love, consideration and passion by a team that clearly cherishes the franchise, you are going to find success, unlike reviving long forgotten IPs and simply censoring problematic pixelated panties because retards on Twitter would have a problem with that.
If Square Enix wishes to ensure that they won’t go bankrupt in record time, it would be a wise decision to contract Gemdrops for future Star Ocean projects / remakes moving forward, with as little interference and or censorship as possible, but considering the nature of Square Enix this is likely a one-off as they’ll likely go back to spreading the words and wisdom of ESG.
