Star Ocean: The Divine Force is now available for purchase on PC and consoles. The latest entry in the 25-year-old action RPG franchise is also the first new Star Ocean game with an international release date, a practice that Square Enix only started with the Star Ocean: First Departure remake which debuted in 2019.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force was announced a year ago to date as one of the biggest surprises of the October 2021 State of Play conference. Developed by Tokyo-based studio tri-Ace, the sixth entry in the franchise comes six years after Integrity and Faithlessness and marks the series' long-awaited return to Xbox consoles, which last received a Star Ocean game back in 2009.
Much like its predecessors, The Divine Force promises an epic space opera with fast-paced combat and a diverse cast of characters, as well as a largely standalone story with limited callbacks to the previous Star Ocean games. The narrative structure is similar to 1998 classic Star Ocean: The Second Story, in the sense that it focuses on intertwining adventures of two protagonists, princess-knight Laeticia and trading ship captain Raymond. The Divine Force also features a massive open world that players can fully explore on foot or by flying.
The overall package is somewhat reminiscent of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13, another ambitious sci-fi RPG co-developed by tri-Ace. All character artwork for Star Ocean: The Divine Force was created by Akira "Akiman" Yasuda, an industry veteran best known for his work on Street Fighter and older Star Ocean games. Another series veteran, composer Motoi Sakuraba, authored the game's soundtrack, which can be obtained by purchasing the Digital Deluxe Edition of Star Ocean: The Divine Force for an extra $15. This version also comes with an armor and accessory pack to help with early-game questing.
Since Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness received a lukewarm reception from both fans and critics alike, it remains to be seen whether The Divine Force can reinstate the franchise's reputation. Anyone on the fence about buying this sequel can turn to its playable demo and experience its opening hours free of charge. As of right now, the PC trial is only available via the Microsoft Store, though The Divine Force can also be purchased through Steam. That said, the story progress from the demo doesn't carry over to the full game either way.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Square Enix
