Star Ocean: The Second Story R has landed on the Nintendo Switch 2 and players can finally get the upgrade they have been waiting damn near 25 years for. Developed this time by Gemdrops, Star Ocean: The Second Story R was previously released for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and the original Nintendo Switch back in 2023. Although, Star Ocean: The Second Story (sans the R) has been around for a long, long time. I have done a bunch of reviews for Switch 2 ports that honestly deserve the words due to the nature of the releases. Here though, I am struggling. Not only is this essentially a remake of a remake, but if you have ever played those previous versions, you sort of know what you are getting.
Star Ocean has a very convoluted past with a ton of entries. Some of which are repeats or remasters of each other or just ported to different handhelds. With Second Story R, it is more of that same feeling. With every iteration and installment of the franchise, the push for higher graphical fidelity was also challenged. Unfortunately, not many people felt that Star Ocean was as impactful as other franchises might be. Still, it has reached a somewhat cult audience who continue to dive into this interesting world that blends fantasy with science fiction.
I won’t go too far into what the game entails as there is a pretty decent chance that you played it back in 1999 when it hit the US, or 2009 on the PlayStation Portable. Maybe you played it on the PlayStation Vita in 2015? Or on any other platform in 2023. The only thing that the Switch 2 version brings to the table is the upgrade in visuals through resolution scaling and faster frame rate from 30 fps to 60 fps. This places it more in line with the console counterparts which provided a better experience with even higher resolution scaling.
This is sort of where compromising happens. Sure, you could have played it three years ago on other hardware, but the Switch 2 edition just gives you the bigger screen with the resolution adjustments to deliver crisper game visuals. When it comes to port reviews, I don’t think I can really add more to it. This is just a shiner version of a game that’s been out several times before. If you haven’t played it by now, I don’t know if this port is going to be something to sell you on.
If you are coming from the PC or PlayStation 5 version, there isn’t a whole lot here to make your jaw drop. The game’s 2.5D visual style is still as striking as ever, giving me the good ole nostalgia feel, but this is a kind of style that eventually hits a ceiling. The Switch 1 didn’t do a great job trying to capture the game’s full essence due to the lower resolution display. The Switch 2 version finally places it at the same level as these other versions that, once again, have been available for the last three years.
To cut to the chase, there is no upgrade path from the Switch 1 version to the Switch 2 version, which makes me a little upset. Those who may have purchased the game on Switch 1 on sale with the expectation that this would get some sort of upgrade path will be awfully disappointed as you have to buy the Switch 2 version as a stand alone. This, over everything else, is the true deciding factor of recommendation.
If you have never played Star Ocean before, this is a really good jumping in point for the series. It’s a solid story which is why it has been remade tons of times over. It has the combat that predates some of the world’s most beloved RPG franchises. And the visuals feel like a warm hug on a cold rainy day. But, if you fall outside of that camp, I don’t know if this is worth paying full price.
I can easily recommend Star Ocean Second Story R for the Nintendo Switch 2, but only under those specific qualifications.
