Bunnies Return in Star Ocean 4! Also, Command Skills

A truckload of new Star Ocean 4 details have surfaced in the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu, including a new character, details on “Command Skills,” and the return of magic rings and Bunnies!

I have translated the article for your English reading pleasure below. Check it out!

First up, I suppose I should get the new character out of the way. His name is Eirmat P. Thanatos, and he appears to be an Eldarian, like Faize, and it looks like he fights with a spear. Unfortunately, the article doesn’t give a full character description of him, so we’ll have to wait to find out exactly what his deal is.

Next, this article introduces “Command Skills,” which allow your party members to perform character-specific abilities on the field. It shows off two Command Skills for Edge, one for Reimi, and one for Bacchus.

Edge – Dash
Dash is a skill that allows Edge to dramatically increase in movement speed while exploring the field. Since enemies are visible while exploring in SO4, the use of Dash can aid in avoiding unwanted encounters. Dash can also apparently be used consecutively.

Edge – Pickpocket
While walking around towns, Edge can quietly steal items from townspeople and allies using the Pickpocket Command Skill. Using the Pickpocket skill is apparently the only way to get certain rare items, though the continued use of it can reportedly have undesirable effects… You can only use Pickpocket on any given character once.

Reimi – Harvest
While exploring various areas, Reimi has the ability to search green glowing areas, known as Harvest Points, for various items. Both usable goods and materials for Item Creation (IC) can be found this way.

Bacchus – Mining
Like Reimi’s Harvest Command Skill, Bacchus can search yellow glowing spots for items, most of which will be related to raw rock and metal materials used in IC.

In addition to the skills outlined above, characters can have various other Command Skills. Some skills are immediately available, while others must be obtained by filling certain requirements. One example of this is Bacchus’ Stealth skill, which allows him to become invisible to enemies on the field.

It is interesting to note that the series staple Oracle skill is making a return in SO4. Oracle was a mostly useless skill in previous installments that allowed you to receive messages from the God of Creation, Tria (I don’t remember what he/she/it was called in English). Though the skill has been confirmed to be returning, it is unknown if it will actually be useful this time around…

The article also mentions that the fields and dungeons in this installment of the series feature much bigger sweeps in altitude in the terrain. Using a Jump Command Skill can lead to new, unexplored areas, or give access to short cuts that would otherwise be unavailable.

For those familiar with Star Ocean 3, you will likely remember the Ring of Disintegration (known as the Vanish Ring in Japanese), which allowed you to destroy certain obstacles in dungeons and open up new areas.

In SO4, instead of getting one “destroy everything” ring, you will instead have to find different types of rings, each with their own effect. For instance, this article covers the Fire Ring, the Lightning Ring, and the Wind Ring, though there are reportedly more.

The Fire Ring can be used to melt ice or unthaw frozen chests. Similarly, the Lightning Ring can short out some electronic equipment or doors, or have effects of other types of machinery. The Wind Ring is capable of cutting open overgrowths of vines over doors and treasure chests.

Finally, fans of the series will likely be stoked to see the return of the Bunnies. In Star Ocean 2, using a certain skill would allow your party to ride a giant pink Bunny around the overworld without getting into battles. Though the Bunnies were mysteriously absent from SO3 (at least in rideable form), they have returned to give you a lift in SO4!

Bunnies can be found hanging around in certain areas. Jumping onto their backs allows you to travel much faster than you could on foot. How convenient! However, there are apparently certain areas that Bunnies can’t go, so it would be wise to keep a look out while traveling.

How is it possible that this game looks better everytime I see it? O_O

Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope will be available on Xbox 360 on February 19, 2009 in Japan, on February 24, 2009 in North America, and on April 24, 2009 in Europe.