Metacritic (PS4) (73)
Metacritic (Switch) (74)
OpenCritic (74)
Thumb Culture (gold award):
Gamerview (9/10, review in Portuguese):
SwitchUp (84%, video review)
Nintendo World Report (8/10):
Hardcore Gamer (4/5):
Gameliner (4/5, review in Dutch):
Just Push Start (8/10):
DualShockers (8/10):
Hobby Consolas (80/100, review in Spanish):
Noisy Pixel (8/10):
Video Chums (7.2/10):
GamingTrend (70/100):
Wccftech (7/10):
RPG Site (6/10):
PlayStation Universe (6/10):
Nintendo Life (6/10):
Metacritic (Switch) (74)
OpenCritic (74)
Thumb Culture (gold award):
Star Ocean First Departure R is an absolutely fantastic JRPG and should be included in any fans collection. For the price tag, it's tough to argue with buying it. Even though I received a code by Square Enix to review this game, I plan to get it on the Nintendo Switch. This is only because I prefer to have my JRPGs mobile these days. I'm giving Star Ocean First Departure R the Thumb Culture Gold Award! It's a very excellent game, but if you're not into JRPGs it's probably not going to be a good game for you.
Gamerview (9/10, review in Portuguese):
Star Ocean: First Departure R brings with it all the elements that make a good RPG, plus some of the franchise's unique innovations. With just a few enemy balancing issues, which is offset by a deep and interesting story, and lively battles, Star Ocean: First Departure R is a must for all fans of the genre.
SwitchUp (84%, video review)
Nintendo World Report (8/10):
Regardless, Star Ocean: First Departure R is an overall port of a good game. It stands out in a few ways from its contemporaries, mostly in its Tales-esque battle system and character recruitment and affection minutiae. My best recommendation for First Departure R might be that it's a story-heavy RPG that spins a yarn compelling enough to keep you engaged while also delivering a battle system that is breezy and not as technical. Star Ocean has a lot of complexities underneath the hood, but taking it at face value can leave you with an approachable and enjoyable adventure.
Hardcore Gamer (4/5):
Star Ocean First Departure R is the best Star Ocean game in a long time. It features a diverse cast of characters that will make you want to play this twenty-to-thirty hour romp a couple times over, and gameplay that, while at times can feel dated, is still highly engaging. The addition of being able to run faster is one of the best new features, although it feels like a half measure to avoid some unnecessarily lengthy treks and battles. Square Enix also was able to retain First Departure's beautiful sprite-based artwork, and even though it won't blow anyone away from a technical level, the art style more than makes up for it. Even though the franchise's future looks concerning, whether you're a newcomer or a hardcore fan, you owe it to yourself to revisit where the series began and took form.
Gameliner (4/5, review in Dutch):
Star Ocean: The First Departure R certainly brings me back to a time when the JRPGs were a lot more challenging. You are not kept close to hand and game over is final. Back to your last save, which is hopefully not too long ago. Yet it is not disturbing if you calmly explore the planet Roak, save enough and enjoy all the possibilities that the game offers you to make yourself stronger. It's nice to experiment a bit with your Specialty's to create or upgrade the best weapons and equipment. Who can best cook, draw, make music or write and what can you use for your adventure. Also the adventure itself with many side branches and interesting, sometimes humorous characters makes us curious about the other remakes that were released on the PS4. Star Ocean: The First Departure R is not for everyone, but for newcomers who like a challenge and are not discouraged by the old gameplay and the high level of difficulty, this game is definitely recommended. For fans of old school JRPGs this is also a fun, nostalgic trip to the past and for fans of the Star Ocean series it is nice to be able to play the adapted first part of the series. Mission accomplished.
Just Push Start (8/10):
Star Ocean: First Departure R is a classic game that reminds us of where the series started. While it is certainly fun and enjoyable, it retains a number of traits associated with the best JRPGs. These include a simple storyline, a fascinating combat system, and a relatively straightforward adventure. If you're from a newer generation of JRPG fans, you might find the excessive random encounters, backtracking and minimal depth annoying and might want to stick to more modern releases. Still, veteran fans will likely remember why this series became so popular in the first place.
DualShockers (8/10):
As the JRPG has become more mainstream in the west over the past couple of years, now is the best time for Star Ocean to try and capture a bigger audience. Re-releases like Star Ocean: The Last Hope – 4K & Full HD Remaster and Star Ocean First Departure R are the series' best chance at doing so sans an entirely new entry. One can only hope that Square Enix will continue on this path and re-release Star Ocean: Second Evolution as well so the entire series will be playable on PS4.
Hobby Consolas (80/100, review in Spanish):
A classic JRPG in the good and the not so good: it has that charm that only this kind of games possess, but things like structure and narrative hasn't aged so well. In any case, if you haven't played the original (or the remake), Star Ocean: First Departure R is a great opportunity to do it.
Noisy Pixel (8/10):
Star Ocean First Departure R turns out to be the best way for newcomers to discover the Star Ocean series. Those returning to the game won't find too much new here, but hey, if you've never added Pericci to the party, then now is a perfect time.
Video Chums (7.2/10):
Star Ocean First Departure R is a satisfying old-school ARPG that's sure to scratch your nostalgia itch. Some aspects may hold a bit too much retro baggage but there's no denying just how charming and imaginative this classic RPG is.
GamingTrend (70/100):
While there were a lot of annoyances, I still enjoyed the game and some of the additions to this new version are pretty cool. You can choose from one of two sets of portraits for characters as well as three different dubs for the plethora of voice acting. I ended up using the PSP portraits because I feel like they fit the in game sprites (which are beautifully animated), and the English dub, because I haven't learned Japanese yet. You can also hold the R2 (or equivalent) button to move faster around the world, which is incredibly convenient and I can't imagine playing this game without it. Finally, the game's balance has been tweaked: while I didn't have any trouble with the first two thirds of the game, and every boss was a joke, encounters in the final five or so dungeons can leave you drained of both HP and MP if you're not prepared.
Wccftech (7/10):
Calling First Departure R a full remaster is a bit of a disservice. Though the new character artwork and Japanese voice track are nice additions, this is still very much the same Star Ocean game that fans played a decade ago.
RPG Site (6/10):
Star Ocean: First Departure R is a fine port of a mediocre RPG. It's great that the game is playable now on modern platforms outside of a PSP UMD, but the all same flaws are still present, and a couple of small opportunities to potentially smooth out the experience weren't made. Check out the game if you are curious to experience the original Star Ocean story in some form, but it doesn't stand tall against its peers.
PlayStation Universe (6/10):
Repetition rears its head early and often in Star Ocean: First Departure R, showing its roots as well as its true colors. Nothing really gets in its way in terms of succeeding, but the game doesn't necessarily offer up much more than the bare minimum either. Simplistic combat, limited presentation, and nominal updates reduce the potential of this game to the fans of the franchise who missed out on the first remake, or those who want to relive the old game again. RPG aficionados looking for something simple could find something in First Departure, but don't expect much more than a slightly polished remake of a remake.
Nintendo Life (6/10):
Fans of Star Ocean will know what to expect here. This is a game that's pretty fun to blast through for nostalgia's sake or from the point of view of simply experiencing the game that kickstarted the long-running series. For anyone else this is simply a pretty old RPG that's showing its age in many ways. There's certainly still some fun to be had for sure, the mixing of fantasy and sci-fi on offer here is an endearing one, and it's noteworthy for the handful of novel features it introduced to the genre back in the day but - with a story and gameplay that were pretty average at the time of its release and haven't aged particularly well in the interim - it's definitely an experience recommended specifically for fans and those of us who wish to see the superlative second game in the series get the chance of a Switch re-release.
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