Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness
Square Enix
PlayStation 4
Two stars
What might you expect from a role-playing game called Star Ocean? Interstellar exploration? Thrilling outer-space combat? Encounters with weird aliens? Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness has none of that. Instead, it delivers a disappointingly planet-bound experience.
The planet Faykreed’s nations are locked in war. Fidel is a swordsman protecting his hometown with the help of a childhood pal, magic-wielding Miki. When a mysterious girl called Relia arrives, they realise the conflict extends far beyond their little backwater.
One faction chasing Relia is the Pangalactic Federation. The game is like a Star Trek episode in reverse: instead of playing Captain Kirk, you are the clueless local listening to their debates about violating the Prime Directive.
It is not a bad idea, but Faykreed is a drab dump and you will repeatedly drag Fidel and Miki across the same locations, killing mostly hapless monsters using an awkward battle system.
This is a short RPG – about 20 hours – yet still seems padded, and its refusal to adopt the genre’s modern trappings, such as the ability to save anywhere or teleport between locations, means it is hopelessly stodgy.
* Lou Kesten / AP
