That being said, several of the more mundane character interactions in Star Ocean are disarmingly charming. As with previous Star Ocean games, the player can occasionally talk to party members and view little skits wherein these characters interact. Even though the game’s cast is archetypal and one-dimensional, watching their interactions is deceptively entertaining. For example, space-elf Faize returns to the party after receiving a large black cloak from the indigenous peoples of an alien planet. Another member of the party -- a young girl in a poofy dress -- curtly tells him that he looks terrible in it before waddling away. Star Ocean fares far better with incidental humor than it does with serious drama.
Given that most traditional JRPGs rely on a strong story to make up for lackluster (read: boring) gameplay, Star Ocean might not be looking so great already. Luckily, the combat system in the game is incredibly entertaining, though whether or not it can carry the game will depend on the player. The game’s mechanics allow both button mashers and beat-em-up aficionados to find a comfortable dungeon-exploring groove.
Players can earn bonus tiles by killing monsters with certain conditions, like finishing with a critical hit or using only special attacks. These tiles fill a board that grants bonuses (health recovery, exp bonuses, etc) at the end of every match. The bonus board keeps repeated battles entertaining since few things will give a dyed-in-the-wool RPG player warm fuzzies like getting 150% experience bonus. Additionally, each character can earn 100 battle trophies, awarded by matching certain conditions in battle. Earning the trophies also provides a short term goal and can make the sluggish grind of combat much more stimulating. That umpteenth fight in any given dungeon is a lot more entertaining while working towards that “Attack first ten times in a row” trophy.
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