Earlier this year, Square Enix re-released Star Ocean 3: Till the End of Time on the PlayStation 4 as a PS2 Classic title. Having dedicated many hours to the game as a teenager, I was very excited to see the game made available once again, although wished Square Enix had taken an extra step with the game and remastered it. While I do feel that the developers and publishers missed out on a promising opportunity, they have moved forward with a remaster of another installment in the series.
Earlier today, Square Enix confirmed that the prequel game Star Ocean – The Last Hope (Sometimes unofficially referred to as Star Ocean 4) would be receiving a full HD remaster on the PlayStation 4 and PC (via Steam). This seems to already be a fair way through development, with a release date planned for 28 November 2017 – next month.
Star Ocean – The Last Hope was developed by long-time series developer tri-Ace, together with Square Enix. Initially released on the Xbox 360, it was later brought over to the PlayStation 3.
Taking players to the start of the Star Ocean timeline, Star Ocean – The Last Hope follows Edge Maverick, Reimi Saionji and their growing number of companions as they search the stars for a new home for humanity following World War III.
The game offers a real-time and fast-paced battle system, and also offers a number of other gameplay systems including an Item Creation system (with hundreds of beneficial and, at times, wonky items to create), a private action system which builds character relationships and more.
Star Ocean – The Last Hope – 4K & Full HD Remaster will be available digitally through the PlayStation Store (PS4) and Steam (PC) from November 28 2017. Until December 12, those who are PlayStation Plus or Steam users will receive a 10% discount for their respective platform. Those who order by then on Steam will receive a free mini-soundtrack, while until January 8, those who purchase from the PlayStation Store will receive a system theme and 12 PlayStation Network avatars.
