Why? Rena's tiny village of Arlia has been peaceful for decades, but ever since the Sorcery Globe fell from the sky, once-peaceful monsters have taken to attacking townspeople all across the land. With no end in sight, the only hope left for the world looks to be the Hero whispered of in ancient tales - a mysterious man in foreign garb equipped with a sword of light to fell foes and bring peace back to the world. As the duo eventually add ranks to their roster in search of the Sorcery Globe. Before you even know it, three hours have already passed and you've hardly fought any battles or bumped into a serious boss. Second Evolution is a much more story-driven game, and those put off by the mildly simple predecessor will find much more substance here.

For those who played the prequel from earlier this year, Second Evolution's skill system seems to remain largely untouched aside from a few initial changes. In many of the larger towns, your party can purchase skill sets that give access to special abilities that can be leveled up via Skill Points. Skill points (SP) are awarded whenever your characters level up, which can then be used towards leveling up the each characters proficiencies in certain areas. These learned skills can be combined in to larger “Specialties”, such as alchemy, art, and compounding.

From my limited time with the game, the only real changes I noticed were each character's starting specialties (previously, all started as a blank slate), and rearranged skill sets. Given the character's propensities for a certain skill (Rena started with Cooking, for example), crafting seems to be a bit more emphasized this time around, rather than a side-game you can play with if desired.

Random battles remained largely the same, and take place on a real-time battlefield that sees you controlling one main character while your partners battle on autopilot. “X” attacks while "L" & "R" trigger special attacks, and "Triangle" summons the battle menu with options for items, symbology (Star Ocean’s version of magic), field tactics, and the option to flee. While I was only able to get involved with a handful of battles in my time with the game, battle difficulty seemed to be a bit ramped up from First Departure. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the challenge will remain adequate, as the biggest qualm from everyone who played First Departure was the complete lack of difficulty halfway through the game.

In the end, Star Ocean: Second Evolution looks to be a very promising adventure. It’s worth noting that this game plays almost note-for-note like First Departure, meaning that those who didn’t take a liking to the game’s skill system, presentation, or quasi-futuristic setting might want to check back for the final review. I’ve already grown attached to Rena’s tale in just a few hours with the game, so RPG gamers looking for their quarterly fix will surely want to keep Star Ocean: Second Evolution’s January 20th release date in mind.

Questions or comments? We'd love to hear from you .