Square Enix announced today that the mobile title Star Ocean: Anamnesis is coming to western shores this July on iOS and Android devices. Star Ocean: Anamnesis “puts you in the captain’s chair” according to Square Enix, and allows players to lead a squadron of heroes across the galaxy. Choosing between attackers, sharpshooters, defenders, invokers and healers; players will have the freedom to build their own powerful teams by utilizing the returning all-star cast of characters from the Star Ocean series. Though on mobile devices, players will be able to experience fast-paced real-time combat enhanced with mobile-specific controls in full 3D graphics. And players will also get to take part in a brand-new co-op multiplayer mode, allowing friends to tackle various missions together. iOS device users can register for the official Apple Testflight closed beta to get an exclusive preview of the game before it launches. You can fill out the application here. Fans can also pre-register through the official Star Ocean Twitter, Facebook and Google Play to unlock various rewards following the launch of Star Ocean: Anamnesis. These prizes are determined by the total number of pre-registrations across all participating platforms. You can see the number of prizes for pre-registration goals listed below: For additional information

Square Enix hosted a special celebratory festival for the Star Ocean series this past Sunday(May 20th, 2018). The event was called Star Ocean Fes 2018 ~Festival of the Sea of Stars~, and featured a musical concert and a cast of Star Ocean voice actors for story dramas. There was also a live stream for stage events, including an on-tour version of the Star Ocean Program. Though Star Ocean 6 had not been present or announced during the event, Square Enix producer Shuichi Kobayashi had addressed the demand for a new entry to the series during the Star Ocean Program live stream. “I understand,” he said. “I know what else everyone would like to hear, but speaking frankly, it’s not that simple to make. If it could be made without tri-Ace, then surely it would possible. But that’s not the case, is it? I’m saying please wait a little longer. Won’t you please wait a little longer?” “Please keep faith in us as we continue with Anamnesis.” Kobayashi continued. “I’ll also do my best. That’s all I can say today, but I believe that everyone’s support will empower us to work hard.” Star Ocean: Anamnesis is available now in Japan on Android and iOS devices.

Star Ocean The Last Hope International recently received a re-release that included a visual upgrade in the form of Star Ocean The Last Hope 4K and Full HD Remaster. This title includes all of the features bundled into the PlayStation 3 release of Star Ocean The Last Hope International and is a good introduction to the series for newcomers looking to explore earlier installments of the franchise. While elements of the story haven’t aged remarkably well, Star Ocean The Last Hope 4K and Full HD Remaster offers itself to be a good entry point to the series and to scratch the itch of those looking for a lengthy JRPG to fill their time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATXMtBsr2TM I sunk a good amount of time into Star Ocean The Last Hope 4K and Full HD Remaster. While the base game is wholly the same when compared to Star Ocean The Last Hope International, I found the upgrade to the game’s visuals to be the most stand-out part of this re-release. This port to both PlayStation 4 and PC provide a handful of new visual features that can be accessed through the menu. I quickly turned these new settings on and found that the environments were crisper, cleaner, and

Shuichi Kobayashi, a producer at Square Enix, had been the one to revive the once dormant Star Ocean with the release of Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness after the series had been quiet for roughly seven years. And in a recent interview with Sisilala, Shuichi spoke about his experiences with rebooting the series and discussed his hope for the development of a new Star Ocean title. Thanks to Siliconera, some of the highlights from Kobayashi’s interview have been translated to English: When Kobayashi went to get approval from producer Yoshinori Yamagishi who said he’ll no longer make a Star Ocean game, he was jokingly told “So you’re going to take one for the team.” Kobayashi said there wasn’t any chances in his favor but felt it was a waste to see the IP that is Star Ocean remain dormant. He always felt that it was worth doing since he understood that it has many passionate fans, but since nobody stepped up to the task he decided to do it myself. Unfortunately, Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness didn’t meet its sales expectations, but that was also something that Kobayashi expected. Resource management was one of the first things Kobayashi thought about. From