Star Ocean (video game)
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| Star Ocean | |
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| Developer(s) | tri-Ace |
| Publisher(s) | Enix |
| Release date(s) | JPN July 19, 1996 |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Platform(s) | Super Famicom |
| Media | 48 megabit cartridge |
Star Ocean is the first of the Star Ocean video game series, made for the Super Famicom. It is also the first game that was developed by Tri-Ace. It was never released outside of Japan due to the closing of Enix America Corporation, but it was unofficially translated into English through emulation by DeJap Translations. Its name is an English translation of a Japanese phrase that appears in anime more often translated (e.g., in Leiji Matsumoto's Captain Harlock series) as "Sea of Stars." To play the game through emulation, one previously needed a graphics pack, but S-DD1 decompression "on-the-fly" has been implemented in both ZSNES and Snes9x.
Star Ocean features many revolutionary ideas, including emotional levels between characters, a real-time battle system, a Star Trekkish story, and many high-quality in-battle voices. It was also one of two games that stretched the power of the Super Famicom to its limits, netting a total of 48 Megabits of compressed data in the cartridge -- the most one could store in the cartridge. The only other game that used this much space was Tales of Phantasia (which happens to have been made by almost the same team).
Star Ocean was developed by tri-Ace. It was scored by Motoi Sakuraba.
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[edit] The story
Star Ocean tells the story of Ratix Farrence, a young Fellpool living in the town of Clatos on the underdeveloped planet of Roak. He is part of a group called the Clatos Brigade, a small organization of fighters who defend the town from thieves and robbers. Ratix himself is a swordsman, as is his friend Dorn Marto—who is also a member of the Brigade. One day, a strange disease that spreads by touch begins turning people in the northern city of Cool to stone. The town healer and father of Milly Kiliet—one of Ratix's best friends who also secretly loves him—goes to Cool to try and use his Crest Magic (Heraldry/Symbology) to defeat the disease, but ends up becoming infected himself. When this news comes to Milly, Ratix, and Dorn, they set off for Mt. Metox north of Cool to recover the Metox herb, a legendary herb said to cure any ailment. With this, they hope to cure the disease and save Milly's father. When they reach the summit where the herb grows, a mysterious light bursts from the ground and two people wearing odd clothes appear before them; a man with blue hair and a woman with blonde hair. The man introduces himself as Ronixis J. Kenni, captain of the Earth Federation starship Calnus. From there they learn that the disease was sent to the planet by the Resonians, a civilization that the Earth Federation has been at war with. However, it is a mystery as to why Resonia would even launch such a biological attack on an underdeveloped world. What could possibly be gained by it?
It was soon revealed though that Roakian blood could block out the visible light spectrum of the human eye and that Resonia had used their blood to process a special, invisible material. The sort of material that would give them a massive advantage in the war. However, instead of fighting with it they send emissaries to the Federation HQ and reveal that they were being forced into war by a shadowy, powerful third party with a disgust for the Federation called "Fargett".
The group then discovers that the virus originates from a monster on Roak itself -- Asmodeus, the King of the Demon World [Daemonium]. Asmodeus however died 300 years prior to the spreading of the disease. Despite the possible court martial that could be dealt to them, Ronixis decides to go to the Planet Stream (Planet Styx) to use the mysterious Time Gate to travel back in time and recover a sample of blood from Asmodeus. Upon getting there, the Gate accepts them and they enter into the opened time warp. However, Iria Silvestoli -- the blonde woman from the Calnus -- trips prior to getting into the Gate and Ratix helps her back up.
After the trip through time, Ratix and Iria find themselves on an entirely different continent to the one Ronixis and Milly wound up on...
[edit] Characters
Also refer to Category:Star Ocean characters for character stubs to merge in.
- Ratix Farrence is the game's protagonist. Ratix is a young Fellpool living on the planet Roak. He was a guardian of his home town, Clatos, alongside Milly Kiliet and Dorn Matro. After a petrification virus plagued the nearby town of Cool and infected Dorn, he and Milly quested to find the cure for the virus. Eventually, with Ronixis J. Kenni and Iria Silvestoli and various other acquaintances he saved the future of Roak. He is proficient with long swords and the Edarl sword style. He can equip heavy armor and shields.
- Milly Kiliet is a Fellpool who lived in Clatos on the Moore continent on the planet Roak alongside Ratix Farrence and Dorn Matro. She is proficient in healing Heraldry (magic) and used a staff as a weapon. She often showed affection for Ratix and it is speculated that she later married him after the events of the game.
- Ronixis J. Kenni was the captain of the Earth Federation Starship Calnus, and was a Captain in the Federation until the Roak incident, which propelled him to the status of Admiral. He has Heraldic/Symbological tatoos somewhere on his body that he got during said incident to make him more effective in battle, and generally preferred a crossbow or phase gun in battle. Ronixis may have married Iria Silvestoli, his head Science Officer (though this is uncertain), and later had a son named Claude. In Star Ocean: The Second Story, he spends much of the game looking for Claude after being separated, until the Calnus detects Claude's distress signal and approaches Planet Expel. Later, Indalecio shows off his power by destroying the Calnus with an antimatter cannon, and Ronixis -- along with his entire crew -- is killed.
- Iria Silvestoli was the head Science officer on the Earth Federation Starship Calnus. Her captain was Ronixis J. Kenni. She was involved in the Roak incident which the game is based on. She was proficient in the usage of claws and martial arts fist fighting. After the Roak incident, she may have married Ronixis, although never officially stated, and had a child named Claude C. Kenni.
- Fear Mell is Head of the Astral Cavalry. She is a Highlander fighter who uses throwing daggers in combat with the Raven Sword style. Never directly attacking the enemy, Fear throws two or more daggers at a time from medium range. Fear's advanced special techniques tend to inflict multiple hits on the enemy from afar; as many as 8-10 hits are possible with a single attack, Galaxy God Breath. Although not as physically tough as the other fighters, Fear has the advantage when engaging the enemy at range and out of harm's way. She is primarily a long-range damage dealer with a relatively thin list of special attacks and no healing spells. Her fighting sytle is quite similar to that of Nel Zelpher from Star Ocean: Till the End of Time; they both use dual daggers in combat at close and medium range, and they both share some techniques that are almost identical in function.
- Ashlay Barnbelt An old Highland soldier wandering the world to find a successor in which to teach his sword skills. If chosen over Cius Ashley forms such a relationship with Ratix. Ashley is one of the characters whose recruitment leads to a permeanent dismissal of another character (If you get Ashley you cannot get Cius). He has many of the same techniques as Ratix, such as Rift Wave and the 7-Star techniques.
- Cius Warren The second of the Highland warriors you can recruit. Cius wields a broadsword, and is a bit archetypical when it comes to heavy-sword characters: he's powerful but slow. His techniques mirror Ratix's own (such as Rift Wave, Twin Slash and the 7-Star Ougi). If you choose Cius you cannot choose Ashley Barnbelt, and vice-versa.
- Marvel Frozen A wizard-like character who accompanies Ronixis and Milly to Ionis. Her weapon is a magic orb that she throws at the enemy. Unfortunately she cannot attack a second time until the orb comes back to her. She has little attack power and short attack range; however, her speed in casting Techniques are unparalleled. One of the more complex characters to recruit. If you've chosen Ashley or Joshua, Marvel will join. If you don't have Ashley or Joshua, but instead Cius or Fear, she will join at Ionis. If you have none of said characters, and choose not to have a drink at the reunion in Ionis, she will join.
- Joshua Jerand The second character to use healing spells (think the predecessor of Noel from Star Ocean II). Has less variety in his spells and low attack power. In comparsion he is a lot like Ernest from Star Ocean II, in which they share a long and complicated recruitment process for a character that is mediocrate. If you want him, then visit Parj Temple BEFORE you see the starship crash. Sounds simple enough, but there's a catch. If you have Fear (without either Cius or Ashley) you have to choose who to keep: Fear or Joshua. Likewise, if you have either Ashley or Cius, he joins automatically.
- Perisie Remember Precis from Star Ocean II? Perisie is her predecessor. Both are decent fighters, have decent techniques, and serve as comedic relief. She starts with low stats but gains several powerful techniques, so she is a good character for those willing to spend the time training her. She is also the only character to use the Bunny Whistle (think of it as a low-grade Chocobo). In addition, she has the weirdest recruitment process of all the characters. You need Milly and the Ocarina. Activate a Personal Action in Clatos, talk to a cat, name it, use the Ocarina--and voila! Instant Perisie!
- Tinek Arukena The so-called "secret character" of the game. Changes into a werewolf in battle. Has the greatest attack range and is one of the fastest characters attack-wise. His attack power leaves something to be desired, being a weaker Fighter character. If you want him, get the Van Emblem, enter Ratix into the Tartoy Arena and achieve a C-Rank. Tinek will be the boss character. Defeat him and he'll join.
[edit] Gameplay
Star Ocean has a random battle engine like most standard RPGs. However, battles themselves occur in real-time, not turn-based as in other RPGs of the time such as the Final Fantasy series. The player controls one character while the rest (three maximum) are controlled by the computer's AI. To assist the player in battle, it is possible to use special techniques and spells that deal more damage than standard attacks, for the price of a certain amount of MP (Magic Points). There are two type of special techniques: long range techniques that can only be executed if the character is at a distance from the target and short range techniques, which must be used at mêlée range. Some special techniques can be used at both long and short ranges, including spells. Although physical combat always takes place in real time, including special techniques, magic spells temporarily stop time while the spell animation plays and damage is assigned. Star Ocean is very similar to Tales of Phantasia in this way.
Outside of battle stoyline progression takes place like normal. However, the player can influence how the storyline proceeds by selecting different characters and interacting with them differently in Private Actions.
[edit] External links
- Star Ocean at RPG Classics
- Star Ocean at GameSpot
- Star Ocean at GameFAQs
- Star Ocean: Fantastic Space Odyssey at MobyGames
