From left to right: Miki, Fedel and Lillia

STAR OCEAN 5: INTEGRITY & FAITHLESSNESS

• Publisher: Square Enix
• Developer: tri-Ace
• Platforms: PlayStation 3 & PlayStation 4
• Producer: Shuichi Kobayashi
• Director: Hiroshi Ogawa
• Lead Programmer: Yoshiharu Gotanda
• Character Designer: Akira  Yasuda

Star Ocean series continues as the fifth installments heads to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3. Developed by tri-Ace & published by Square Enix.

Since last week, Square Enix has been teasing about a new project with a teaser site called “Secret”.  Followed by the usual Weekly Famitsu leaks, it turns out the game will be Star Ocean 5, titled as “Integrity and Faithlessness”. Star Ocean 5 is being developed by tri-Ace and published by Square Enix, and is currently 30% completed. You can expect high quality screenshots and more details on April 15, 2015.

Story & Setting

Star Ocean 5 follows a story of Fedel Camus, a talented swordsman who’s working as the guardian for his hometown’s government. Other protagonist, Miki Sorvesta, is Fedel’s great childhood friend and they feel like siblings to each other. When it comes to fighting, Miki is very gifted with healing abilities. There’s also a mysterious girl Lilia who has lost all her emotions and memories from the past. What’s her story?

The setting asks the player: “Do the depths of space forbid peace for mankind?” Centuries ago, humanity had left Earth and they almost succeed at creating “Galactic Federation” where the whole mankind would have united and lived in peace. However, this naive dream of peace is soon shattered as opposite sides drift into another conflict. The future which once seemed certain is now in danger once again. It’s time for a new beginning.

The events of Star Ocean 5 are set between the second and the third entry in the series.

Gameplay

Star Ocean series is well-known as an action role-playing franchise and real-time battles – it was actually one of the first of games to use it on the consoles. In the past, battles took place on a separate screen, but all characters were free to move in the battlefield as the player likes. Dodging and special skills have always been part of the traditional gameplay elements in the series.

In the fifth installment, battles will be seamless and happen in real-time as well. The developers promise that there will be a large variation of different attacks and skills to keep the gameplay feeling fresh. The way the character executes his or her attacks is related to distance between the player and the target. By combining distance, abilities and skills, the player will be able to create a multitude of combos.

The game’s main platform is PlayStation 3 and it will be ported to PlayStation 4 with graphical upgrades. The developers are also planning to utilize PlayStation 4’s share features in unique ways.

Interview excerpts (via Gematsu)

Subtitle

Gotanda: “There are multiple meanings behind the subtitle for this game. It’ll make sense by the end once you play the game, I think.”

Kobayashi: “Star Ocean 5 is about bringing a sense of reassurance back to longtime fans, which is why the game’s logo is reminiscent of Star Ocean 3‘s.”

Battles

Ogawa: “Basic battles are the same as previous entries, where the player controlled character takes on the enemy in one-on-one battles. On the other hand, boss battles see the whole party squaring off against bosses, which lends those fights a different feel that players can enjoy.”

The Future of the Series

Kobayashi: “I’d like to be able to keep putting these games out. By the end, when it’s all finished, we hope we have a game that draws in series fans and new players alike.”

Pictures: Kotaku, Interview Translations: Gematsu, Details: Blog Esuteru & Hokanko