Format: Xbox360 | Genre: RPG | Publisher: Square Enix | Developer: Tri-Ace | Release Date: 05/06/09 | RRP: £44.99

JRPGs are a rarity in our current console generation in the UK. The reason for this remains unclear, but there certainly seems to only be a few big players in the market at present. Perhaps this lack of competition is why the few we have witnessed have been so mediocre – and unfortunately, though Star Ocean: The Last Hope is certainly one of the better JRPGs for some time, it still falls some way short of the true genre classics.

//A thing of the past
A prequel (and therefore accessible addition) to the series, The Last Hope follows the fall of Earth after World War 3, which made the surface inhospitable due to the launch of nuclear weapons. The remaining governments of the world united to save the human race by researching and developing advanced technology. Only decades later, humanity became a space-faring race with faster-than-light travel, and so began the search for a new home world through the endless ocean of stars.

Our hero character is Edge Maverick, supported by his female counterpart Reimi Saionji. After setting off towards a possible new home, their fleet suffers a problem during warp due to an unknown anomaly. Several of the ships are badly damaged, and two have gone missing. A rescue effort is mounted, and before long Edge and Reimi learn of a threat far more pressing than the search for a new home world.

While the story is interesting, the pace is troublesome. Often you’ll find yourself exploring a dungeon for a good hour or so, and then having to sit back and watch a half-hour scripted sequence. None of these sequences are overtly bad, but they do drag on and have a horrible tendency to reiterate the same plot development over and over again. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it’s a flaw that distracts from an otherwise engaging story, and if everything were broken up a little more the overall experience would certainly benefit. And the introduction of a new character around four hours in will split opinion. Without spoiling the surprise, let’s just say you will either accept or reject this character, and if the latter, you won’t take the rest of the game seriously and may lose interest entirely.

These issues aside, Star Ocean: The Last Hope is an intriguing adventure in a sci-fi setting. It’s not a perfect pairing of traditional JRPG with science-fiction, but it’s delivered fairly well without compromising either side too badly. You will find the occasional items that ruin the sci-fi immersion, and the reasoning behind the use of swords and bows is a little weak, but generally it works and maintains its integrity. The story is driven along mainly by voiced dialogue rather than text, although there is a fair amount of reading to be done when speaking with NPCs. Initially the dialogue seems unnatural, but after a few more hours it occurred to me that the “problems” were in fact down to cultural differences and not due to poor acting or writing. Star Ocean: The Last Hope has themes of camaraderie, cultural growth, and a strong moral standing. The dialogue really brings that across, and although Western audiences may struggle to accept the narrative style, anime fans and Eastern audiences will not.

[Continues...]