Star Ocean: The Second Story is first and foremost, the grinder's dream. Realizing the depths that their previous title's skill system was capable of, Tri-Ace further improved surrounding gameplay aspects such as its massively raised level cap and added complementary mechanics such as character-specific talents. This system at least enables players to work towards a goal beyond simple levelling not unlike the original, but allows for greater, more reasonable end points. While combat remained the same from the series' debut, the pace is less frenetic and not nearly as tedious, with long-winded spell and attack animations breaking up the monotony into tolerable chunks. Also of note are the various environmental effects on the battle screen that add some layer of strategy to combat.

But this sequel also succeeds on more than a single overarching mechanic. The story in particular operates on a more personal level than the first, with effective uses of character moments and generally better pacing. The returning slew of optional characters are unfortunately meaningless in terms of story impact - reducing the game to focus on only two major characters, but the cast's design, personality, and sub-stories are at least memorable.