Star Ocean: The Last Hope - 4K & Full HD Remaster

Star Ocean: The Last Hope – 4K & Full HD Remaster is a PC and PS4 remastered edition of the Japanese jRPG Star Ocean: The Last Hope released in 2009. Both games were developed by tri-Ace, also known for creating Resonance of Fate, Radiata Stories, and the Valkyrie Profile series.

Plot

The Last Hope is the fourth installment in the Star Ocean series. In terms of the story, the game is a prequel to the first installment and is set on Earth in the year 2096 – 31 years after the World War III. The global conflict destroyed most of the planet and led humanity to the edge of annihilation, forcing those left alive to live in underground cities.

The story of the game is set after the creation of the propulsion allowing humans to travel through space faster than the speed of light. Players get to follow the adventures of the crew of such a ship, which is dispatched with the mission to find a new habitable planet.

Mechanics

The PC and PS4 release of Star Ocean: The Last Hope – 4K & Full HD Remaster is an action RPG, which revolves around completing missions and (most importantly) engaging in numerous battles. Similarly to the previous installments, the game features a strongly arcade combat system. During a fight, the player gets to control a party of four, and the key to success lies in a proper coordination of the characters' attacks.

Also important is the management of crewmembers between the missions. Through interactions with the crew, the protagonist gets to establish new relationships, which significantly affect the story later on. Moreover, players can decide which characters have to share cabins, affecting the way the plot is going to develop.

The PC and PS4 release of Star Ocean: The Last Hope – 4K & Full HD Remaster features the crafting system allowing players to create weapons, armors, and useful gadgets. Another new element introduced by the remastered edition of the game is the ability to organize meetings, on which characters discuss the items' designs. The result depends on the abilities of the meeting participants.

Technical aspects

As befits a true remaster, this version of Star Ocean: The Last Hope introduces multiple changes and improvements to the visuals, allowing the players to enjoy much higher resolutions while playing the game.

Last updated on 24 October 2017