It's often said, "If it's not broke, don't fix it". In the case of super beloved games that were considered near perfect, it's more "fix anything that was broken and improve on what it did well already". Star Ocean 2 R is a game that has adhered to the latter, and the final result polishes an already shining jewel in its original form.

The second Star Ocean was originally released on the PlayStation, as the first title was a Japanese-only SNES title. It was considered one of the best classic 2D-style RPGs on the PS1 despite some flaws. It was re-released several years later on the PSP with some new cutscenes, revised character art, and some new voice acting, but was otherwise the same game. This most recent port is even more extensively overhauled, with a new graphical engine with actual 3D backgrounds, new gameplay mechanics, and bugs that existed since the original game now gone since the game code was completely redone for the modern day.

The story, like all Star Ocean titles, starts with a science fiction style opening, where Claude Kenny, son of Admiral Ronyx Kenny, is teleported away to a faraway planet while helping with a scientific survey. From this bizarre set of circumstances, he finds himself on a planet called Expel where much like his father in the first game, he is caught up in an epic adventure, only this time the fate of the galaxy itself hangs in the balance.

Like all other games in its franchise, Star Ocean is primarily an RPG, with the conventions of fighting monsters, exploring dungeons, and doing quests. The combat is semi-action-based, with the player able to pause to make certain characters perform specific actions while otherwise moving the player around the combat map to attack enemies with a party. The different party members can be swapped around as needed to do different actions and each has their own moves and skills to make for more interesting combat.

Like many other Star Ocean games, this one features a crafting system that also provides stat boosts and other benefits. It has been reworked from the PS1/PSP version so the player can learn all skills at any time instead of unlocking them via various shops, but skills require a graduated amount of learning points to master. There are various "private actions" in towns that allow characters to get to know one another better and can change what ending scenes you get for game completion. New to this version are enhancements to combat backporting advantages from later Star Ocean entries for taking down multiple enemies without getting ambushed, combat bonuses unlocked by various party formations, and a new fishing minigame that unlocks some neat new sidequest rewards.

Graphically, this game is an interesting mix of modern and old-school. The original PS1/PSP versions had prerendered backgrounds in pseudo-3D and 2D sprites. This version features fully redone actual 3D for the backgrounds and set pieces while still retaining the 2D sprites for a sprite/polygon mix. The Star Ocean 6 artist returns to do character art in their signature style, fully reimagining the PS1 concept art in their modernized take on the concept, though they also provide the bright, poppy anime-styled PSP art and the original hand-drawn classic anime style of the PS1 version as alternates for character art.

The music and sounds are all vintage from the composer Motoi Sakuraba, and the game features both the original and remixed versions of the original Star Ocean 2 soundtrack. Both are excellent and well worth the price of admission. Sakuraba-san's musical range is quite vast and there are all sorts of instrumentals, synth, orchestral, and gothic choir-style pieces for those who are fans of his signature style. Voiceovers are the improved vocals from the PSP dub for the English soundtrack as opposed to meme worthy Engrish of the original PS1 version. Japanese VA fans can choose rerecorded vocals of the OG PS1 voices or the PSP voiceovers.

This title is playable with a keyboard and mouse, but it's highly recommended to play with a Steam-supported PC gamepad to have the best experience. While the Steam page claims partial controller support, I had no issues with an Xbox One controller. Tutorials are provided in-game on all basic controls should the player need to remind themselves at any point. Star Ocean 2 HD is not a super demanding title. Even most low-end computers should be able to max out settings with most dedicated graphics cards and it runs as smooth as butter. It's for Windows but will run on Linux via Steam Proton and is Verified for the Steam Deck too.

Morally, this game has some concerns.

Language is mild Teen level. A handful of d*mn, h*ll, and the rare b*st**d are here, but that's about it. Violence is similarly mild, with RPG-style violence with no remains, blood, or displays of gore. There is some implied bleeding from one scene where a character is damaged by a bomb, but that's about it.

Sexual content is also somewhat low. A few party members wear some form of accentuating outfits and do show off some cleavage, but that is about it. There is some mild flirting, but nothing overly risque. There is a once-off joke where a love potion makes a woman fall for another woman, but this is generally played for comedy only.

The occult and supernatural are handled in a complex way in Star Ocean games. While outwardly the game heavily mines high fantasy tropes of swords and sorcery (including ghosts and the undead), it is revealed nigh all instances of magic and the supernatural have some form of logical and far more scientific explanation. Regardless, some depictions of the undead and demonic do occur concerning the monsters. The "symbology", or magic, is known to have an in-universe technical explanation but is regarded by the less technologically advanced as if it were literal magic.

The in-game religion is implied to be generically polytheistic with a head goddess named "Tria" (a meta in-joke for "Tri-Ace", the series producers), with an "Oracle" skill that is a game hint system in disguise. The morals of said religion are generic, and in no way incompatible with Christianity and it exists mostly as a background element, with churches very similar to Christian ones in their general appearance. The villains of the game do appropriate a perverse corruption of Christian themes, specifically being named after the leaders of the various orders of angels in apocryphal Christian writings (especially by the Catholic definition). This is generally just a naming element used as a shorthand for the megalomania and arrogance of the villains in question.

Morally and ethically, the game follows a typical RPG-style path, though some acquired abilities do allow for potentially criminal acts such as pickpocketing and the production of illegal items. The use of these skills is entirely optional and up to the choice of the player. That said, the illicit items may be acquired via other legal means, with the in-universe justification that only their knowing manufacture is a crime. This appears to be a fantastical analog to how alcohol during the American Prohibition era could not be sold, manufactured, or distributed, but the drinking of alcohol from before the ban was entirely legal for private use. Actual alcoholic beverages are mentioned, but generally not drinkable by the player.

On a technical level, Star Ocean 2 R takes all that was good about the original game and polishes it to a mirror sheen. Coupled with an immense amount of quality of life and rebalancing decisions to make this classic game accessible to both old-time and modern gamers, I cannot recommend it highly enough. Morally, it has some mildly concerning elements, but nothing any reasonably mature teenager on up could not handle. If an RPG fan wants a classic updated for the modern era worthy of their library, then I heavily recommend this title.