New PS1 Remake Is Getting Great Reviews

A remake of a popular PS1 RPG is out and it’s getting better review scores than the original game. Not only that, it’s getting substantially better reviews. Where the original PS1 game earned a 79 on Metacritic at the time of its release in 1999, the remake is currently sitting at an 86 on Metacritic after 19 reviews. If you haven’t connected the dots yet, the remake in question is Star Ocean: The Second Story R, a remake of Star Ocean: The Second Story. 

The original game debuted in 1998 but only in Japan. A year later in 1999 it came west. Developed by Tri-Ace and published by Enix, the action RPG is notably the second game in the Star Ocean series. This is notably not the first re-release of the 1999 classic thought. An enhanced remaster was released on PSP back in 2008 under the name Star Ocean: Second Evolution. This version of the game was brought to the PS4 and PS Vita in 2015. 

As for why the remake is being received better than the original game it remakes, we don’t quite know, but most reviews gush about the new and unique 2.5D aesthetic and the other new elements added with the remake as well. Apparently this is the difference maker between a 79 and an 86 on Metacritic. 

“Brought to life with a unique 2.5D aesthetic, this remake includes everything that made the original release so great while adding new elements too,” reads an official elevator pitch of the game. “Two worlds, one fateful encounter. In an endless sea of stars, at the edge of the universe, two people who live in different worlds go on a journey to save planet Expel. Choose your path and witness an awakened destiny.”

If you’re interested in checking out the remake, you can do so via a purchase on PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, or PS5 of $49.99. The game will become available globally today. As for an Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X version of the RPG, there’s no word of the 1999 classic coming to these platforms and this may never change.

As always, feel free to leave a comment letting us know what you think. Will you be checking out this blast from the past? If so, on what platform will you be checking it on?