It's like the most mid action rpg ever. I think they spent most the budget on the main character models because everything else looks like ass. I wouldn't be bothered by this, and I typically don't talk about graphics because it doesn't matter most of the time but DAMN. They will do these panning shots on the background, and they look like a ps1 game, not even ps2, and I have everything on normal graphic setting with prioritize image quality. My biggest issue however is that the game is really blurry, like so blurry that it affects gameplay. Apparently, it's the depth of field but I don't know that it is, it makes this game so ugly to look at. This game already has a huge problem identifying key visuals during combat because it's a party-based action rpg. I couldn't figure out how to eliminate this issue without using mods but I did minimize it.

Combat is uhm... it's not the worst thing ever. There's a large lack of feedback and visual clarity I mentioned earlier, and enemies don't react to attacks that well enough to understand if you have staggered them. You are limited with ap points to attack, which sucks because it just makes it so you can't play aggressive, you have to eventually just stand still in combat to be able to attack again. It's not that long but its long enough to ruin key moments in combat. Blindside feels really janky, whenever I wanted to do it, I never got it and whenever I didn't, I got it all the time. A lot of this game is just walking back and forth from places you've been in, some of the cities are nice but they are filled with nothing.

The story is a nothing burger with nothing remotely interesting in it. if you do play the game, just skip the cutscenes.

I could keep drilling into this game, but I think the problem is that the budget just isn't there for this franchise to tackle 3D and that's probably why the 2 remake is the highest rated one of this franchise.

Star Ocean: The Divine Force is absolutely the return to form I so desperately wanted for the series, and it’s a game I legitimately, whole-heartedly adore, but it’s also held back by some baffling design decisions and outright unacceptable performance issues. The music is fantastic and the cast even more so, with strong performances across the board. The story is serviceable and does a fair job at touching on some fundamental philosophical questions about governance and humanity, though it lacked the “wait, what?” surprise factor I expect from SO titles. Despite the hurdles, there is a lot to love here, and I consider this my second favorite entry in the franchise. I seriously adored playing this, but I cannot in good conscience give it a higher score due to the performance issues that plagued my playthrough.

https://operationrainfall.com/2022/11/17/review-star-ocean-the-divine-force/