If various bosses and enemies one-shotting the party wasn’t enough, Chaos mode is indeed super-hard. The good news is that defeating the Ten Wise Men in raid battles unlocks them as powerful new Assault Actions to hopefully turn the tides.

Several new weapons are also available across the board, and various NPCs like Mayor Regis, Allen and Mariana now have illustrations. Those who enjoy seeing the different expressions of characters can view them in the Character Graphics Collection.

Finally, there’s an Endings Collection feature to replay any unlocked ending scenes. Star Ocean: The Second Story R is out for Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5 and PC. A free demo is also available, with progress transferring to the game.

The story sees Federation officer Claude stuck on a backwater planet and meeting Rena. As they journey together, they’ll recruit different allies and fulfill a mysterious prophecy. You can choose either character to start, each with a unique perspective and party members joining. There are multiple endings to unlock, depending on who you bond with.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R features Japanese and English text and voices and new Assault Actions, which allow for summoning heroes from other Star Ocean titles (though you need to find and defeat them). There’s also New Game Plus with friendship levels, items, character stats and more carrying over into a new playthrough. Check out the opening cinematic and learn more about the free demo here.

Square Enix also revealed details on new features, like Assault Actions. These are granted by obtaining Jewels and allow for summoning protagonists from other titles, like Roddick from the first Star Ocean, Fayt from Star Ocean: Till the End of Time and Raymond and Laeticia from Star Ocean: The Divine Force. However, you’ll have to defeat them first.

There’s also New Game Plus, which allows for carrying over items, character stats, level, SP/BP, skills, upgrades, weapons, armor, friendship levels, encyclopedia completion rate and more into a new playthrough. Whether you chose Claude or Rena in the first go-round, either can be played in New Game Plus.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R launches on November 2nd for PS4, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch. A free demo is currently available.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmqoJZFNOG0

That’s right, a free demo of Star Ocean: The Second Story R has seen a surprise release on all platforms that the game itself will be available on upon release. The demo will allow players to experience the game’s opening section, and as tends to be the case with most Square Enix demos, you will be able to carry over your demo progress into the full game and pick up right where you left off.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R is set to launch in full for PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC on November 2.

A free demo of #StarOcean The Second Story R is available now for you to download and play on Nintendo Switch, PS5/4 and Steam!

Experience the opening section of this adventure and carry your save over to the full game when it launches November 2nd. #SO2R https://t.co/dcY2V51iNK pic.twitter.com/g9CfHiQQoB

— STAR OCEAN (@StarOcean) September 14, 2023

For instance, the remake’s animated opening movie has now been revealed. Offering multiple glimpses of its sci-fi fantasy world, its cast of characters, and some of the key story moments that fans of the original will be familiar with, the cinematic is set to the theme song stella, performed by Japanese duo SUIREN.

Star Ocean: The Second R is promising to be a significant overhaul of the original game, boasting completely redone 2.5D visuals, new combat mechanics, a rearranged soundtrack (with the original also included), full voice acting, and more.

It’s set to launch on November 2 for PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.