Some skill sets become more interchangeable as the game progresses, and many later dungeons provide multiple paths or solutions, so the player shouldn't feel too constrained in their choices even as those choices impact how the game is played. As an example, the second dungeon is filled with roots and vines, so Ashton and his fire breath skill are indispensable. Each character has a different set of field actions, and while these can be expanded as the game goes on, the physical needs of exploring the world often shape the current party as much as anything else. The player is free to organize a party any way he or she might like, which - while an obvious sop to fans who may have disliked the party options in Second Story - actually allows for a lot of strategy in and out of battle. Here and there, character-specific "private action" scenes may happen, but these are more for entertaining the fans than anything else, and in no way interfere with the action. Blue Sphere doesn't bog down on the introductions, instead letting the story of this new planet play out naturally without any character arcs. Why does that one guy have two dragons growing out of his back? Why is the little girl riding around in a robot? Why is the intrepid reporter running around with her camera taking snapshots of dangerous flora and fauna? These are all unnecessary questions, as far as this game is concerned, and strangely enough that works. They each have little profiles that cycle through if one waits at the start menu for a moment, but for the most part it's just assumed that they're all friends who have decided to go adventuring together. It's interesting to note that Blue Sphere does very little to explain these characters or how they've come together, despite the fact that many of them are mutually exclusive choices in their original game. Ernest and Opera join up once they're found, while Claude and Rena are the subject of a late-game side quest when they arrive as part of a second rescue attempt. This means that right from the beginning, the player has access to Precis, Ashton, Celine, Noel, Bowman, Dias, Leon, and Chisato. Following the distress call, almost everyone else from Second Story flies to the rescue. Ernest and Opera, intrepid explorers that they are, ran into a bit of trouble in a system on the edge of known space. Blue Sphere doesn't bother continuing the tale in any way, instead skipping two years ahead, with the heroes on a quick trip to help some friends. A direct sequel to a game that didn't really need one, and on a secondary platform at that, it's a title which prompts the question of "Why?" The answer from the developers was apparently, "Why not?" What came from that glib response is one of the most technically impressive RPGs ever to grace the Game Boy Color.įirst, how does one continue a tale that ended in the way of Star Ocean: Second Story? The obvious answer is: don't. For the Star Ocean series, the oddest duck is Star Ocean: Blue Sphere. + Surprisingly complicated advancement systemĮvery series has its odd duck, if not a black sheep or two. Star Ocean: Blue Sphere - Import Retroview
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