Square-Go: Star Ocean: First Departure review

Square-Go:

"It’s clear that the developer has updated both audio and graphics for this remake. The visuals are an interesting mix of old and new: over-land travel uses a 3D map of PlayStation 1 quality, while the town and dungeon sections are depicted by some truly lovely static backgrounds. On top of both of these scenes are your characters, still in 2D as they must have been in the original. This was an excellent choice as the characters, while sometimes tiny on the PSP screen, really manage to capture the spirit of those classic games-a feat that few similar updates have managed. Unfortunately, the new soundtrack is less successful. The audio makes passable background music, but you cartainly won’t miss it if forget your headphones.

Ultimately, what we have here is a faithful adaption of a classic RPG. The game includes an equal mix of authentic limitations brought from the original, as well as well-conceived updates for the PSP. Both lightweight and playable, this is a piece of gaming history to relax with between more taxing games."