An Ocean of Stars

The third game in the Square Enix x Xbox 360 project (games 1 and 2 being Infinite Undiscovery and The Last Remnant), Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope is actually the prequel to the long-running sci-fi RPG series, with its story taking place hundreds of years before the events of the original Star Ocean (re-released on the PSP as Star Ocean: First Departure).

As you are all well aware, Star Ocean 4 will be at TGS next week with a new trailer and a hands-on demo. Famitsu has taken it upon themselves to bring us word on two new characters and a look at the battle system of the upcoming Xbox 360 RPG.

First up, the new characters (for profiles on Edge and Reimi, check here):

Faize Sheifa Beleth (18)
“There is still much I would like to learn from you, Edge-san.”

A young man working for the Interstellar Investigation Commission, Faize is a young genius capable of wielding powerful Heraldry only acquirable through advanced scholarship, and even builds his own small spacecrafts. His personality is one of logic and manners, and is always careful to respect those he sees who possess skills that he does not. He uses rapiers in battle.

Lymle Remli Phi (15)
“Teach Lym some Heraldry. She will do her best to remember it!”

A young girl from the village of Toriom on the planet Remlik, Lymle lost both of her parents at a young age. Gifted with advanced Heraldry, she considers a Kerberos she summoned as her friend. She has an energetic and strong-willed personality, but tends to act a bit spoiled. She has closed herself off from others due to a certain incident, and thus still speaks in a childish manner not befitting her actual age. She uses wands in battle.

Next up, some details on the battle system:

The Star Ocean series has been known for its real-time action battle system (quite similar to the Tales of series, for those unfamiliar with Star Ocean). SO4 utilizes a similar system to its predecessor, SO3, but improves on it. Additionally, SO4 will have up to 4 playable characters in battle, reminiscent of SO1 and SO2. The article says that this is thanks to the additional power of the Xbox 360.

Regular Attacks
Pushing the attack button will cause your character to attack their targeted enemy using their equipped weapon, and depending on the equipped skill, will allow the player to string 2 or 3 attacks together.
As with previous Star Ocean titles, your distance from your enemies will alter your attacks. Below each character, the word “Short” or “Long” will appear, and will potentially affect your attacks. If you character’s attack won’t reach your target, they will automatically reposition themselves.
When your character is directly beside your target enemy, pushing the left stick towards the enemy while attacking will allow your character to perform a Mitchaku Kougeki (lit. Stick Close Attack), which is a special attack that can hit repeatedly.

Killer Moves and Magic
As your characters gain experience, they will be able to acquire new Killer Moves and/or Magic Spells. Once learned and set to the controller, these skills can be activated during battle with the press of a button. Many of these skills can be performed in succession with regular attacks, allowing you to string combos together and prevent your enemy from attacking back.
Each character learns unique skills, and the article says that they are all performed in amazing animations.

Jump
During battle, continued use of the jump button will allow your characters to perform jumping moves. Each character’s jump is individual, with height, speed, and agility varying between different people. Some characters will be able to use the jump button to quickly dodge or sidestep attacks, while some will launch high into the air.
There are some characters that are able to attack mid-jump, and some whose jump is an attack in and of itself.

Sight-In and Sight-Out
SO4 utilizes the new “Sight-In / Sight-Out” system, which refers to your characters being within an enemies range of vision.
“Sight-In” refers to when your characters are within an enemy’s range of vision, while “Sight-Out” refers to your characters losing their enemies, allowing them to land surprise attacks from behind, lessening or nullifying the enemy’s ability to dodge or counter your strikes.
Jumping or side-stepping out of an enemy’s range of vision is a good way to achieve a Sight-Out.
The article says that the use of this system can lead to very high-paced battles.

Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope will be available sometime next spring in Japan, with no current release date set for North America or Europe. Expect some news next week at TGS.

Thanks to RPGLand for the easier-to-read scans.