Star Ocean 5 Info: Everything You Need to Know

It’s been seven years since Star Ocean: The Last Hope came out in 2009, and fans of the RPG series have been waiting for a follow-up. Thankfully the next and fifth main entry in the series, Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness comes out in just a few days in North America. The heavily anticipated JRPG is developed by tri-Ace and published by Square Enix. Interestingly, the game isn’t actually Star Ocean‘s PS4 debut, as a port of Star Ocean 2 called Star Ocean: Second Evolution was released in Japan late last year.

While its subtitle might be a bit of a mouthful, Star Ocean 5 is looking to be a triumphant return for the series. It features real-time action, as players can switch between controlling one of the game’s seven party members in combat. Another key focus is the game’s seamless gameplay, which means you won’t be staring at transitions between battles and exploration.

Check out the gallery below, as it’ll tell you everything you need to know about Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness and its pre-release history.

Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness releases on June 28 for the PlayStation 4. You won’t have to wait long for PlayStation LifeStyle’s review, which will be coming soon.

Essential Reading:

Everything You Need to Know Star Ocean V

Everything You Need to Know - Star Ocean 5
Early Teases

Star Ocean 5 wasn't just announced via a press release since that wouldn't be fun, instead Square Enix launched a teaser site in early April. The (now defunct) site would last for a few days, and it definitely worked as fans got excited at the prospect of a new RPG in the beloved series.
Official Announcement

tri-Ace's latest RPG was officially unveiled on April 15, 2015. A trailer was released alongside it, but it spent more time celebrating the series' history instead of showing off the new game.
First Screens

Fans wouldn't have to wait too long for more information, though. The first screenshots of Star Ocean 5 were released just two days after the official unveil, and it's a bit surprising how much they look like the finished product.
Seamless Gameplay

Producer Shuichi Kobayashi stressed in an early interview with Famitsu that a key for Star Ocean 5 was moving "between events and battles seamlessly." This is of course referring to gameplay sequences (such as no transitions between running around the world and battles), and not that the game will have no cutscenes like Half-Life (although that would certainly be interesting for a JRPG!).
E3 Trailer

Square Enix had a big E3 2015, as they held their own press conference. This meant that Star Ocean 5 got some major attention as it received a trailer and a spotlight during their presser. They also took time to stress that the game would run at 60 fps when finished.
PS3? Japan Only

If you're looking to pick up Star Ocean 5 for PS3 then hopefully you know Japanese. The last-gen version of the game is only seeing release in Japan. This is due to the console all but being dead in North America as gamers want to play PS4 games (who would've thought).
TGS Trailer

Some interesting news regarding Star Ocean 5 was announced at TGS 2015. First was a Japanese release date of February 25, 2016 and a new trailer. You can check out the trailer at the link above (although it later got delayed to March 31).
TGS Preview

Also at TGS, our own Heath Hindman was able to get his hands on tri-Ace's RPG. In his preview, Heath said that there wasn't enough time to get a feel for such a long game, and that "SO5 failed to impress" from a visual standpoint.
Characters

Since Star Ocean 5 is a JRPG that means characters, lots of characters. The protagonist will be 23 year-old Fidel Camuze, a skilled swordsman. He's joined by his childhood friend Miki, a girl named Relia (who suffers from amnesia because one character in every RPG has to have lost their memories), and Victor, a dedicated soldier who is conflicted about killing.
Battle System

In late September, Square Enix announced more details about Star Ocean 5 and revealed the ins-and-outs of the battle system.

Here's the basics (more can be read at the link above):

"Based on your distance from the enemy, you’ll automatically switch between short-range and long-range attacks. The battle system adopts three basic options: light attacks, heavy attacks, and guards (and by extension, guard counters). Players will also be able to freely switch between characters with the press of a button."
Official Gameplay

In November, Square Enix livestreamed over 80 minutes of footage from the upcoming title. It starts off at Fidel's hometown, and shows off pretty much every aspect of the game (as you'd expect from over an hour of gameplay).
Jump Festa Trailer

The next major trailer release for Star Ocean 5: Integrity and Faithlessness would be at Jump Festa in December. The promotional video featured the game's theme song "Astra Nova" by Androp.
Character Trailers

In February of this year (coincidentally near the game's original Japanese release date), tri-Ace put out trailers showcasing five different characters. The videos are in Japanese, but the coolness of "hard-drinking playboy" Emmerson is really universal.
English Release Date

Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness finally got a North American release date when the Japanese game released. It's coming out June 28, which is in just a few short days!
Day One Edition
Those interested in the game will want to pick up the 'Day One Edition' which includes a bunch of exclusive DLC and the ability to listen to music from Vaklyria Profile.

Here's the DLC:
- Ring of the Valkyries – Increases ATK, INT and Critical
- Gold Bunny Statue – Increases EXP and FOL
- Bushybrume Cincture – Reduces amount of MP used
- Wristlet of the Stars – Reduces damage taken
- Secret Sthalian Tome – Increases HP healed
Collector's Edition

Die-hard fans who were ready to spend $109.99 might have pre-ordered the game's Collector's Edition. The Square Enix store exclusive included a steelbook case, a sampler soundtrack, an 80-page art book, art cards and in-game items.
Localization Details

Producer Shuichi Kobayashi was asked by Gamespot about the game's localization. "The essence of the game is not that part," he said regarding a ridiculous controversy over underwear sizes. "I really want players to not focus on that"
PAX East Preview

PSLS had another hands-on preview with the game earlier this year. Our own Jowi Meli checked it out and said "it’s looking like quite the follow-up to 2009’s The Last Hope."
Kingdom Trailers

In the build-up to the game's English release, Square Enix has released several trailers focusing on the game's different kingdoms. You can check out trailers for Resulia and Langdauq here, and Trei'kur here.