Want to Understand Elden Ring? Play Star Ocean

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This year, instead of making New Year’s resolutions about dieting and going to the gym, which often fade by February, I decided to play through the entire Star Ocean series. All six games are available on PS4 in my library, but I’d picked them up on sale over the years without ever playing them. Although I love JRPGs, Star Ocean never clicked with me—until now, in 2026, as I begin with Star Ocean: First Departure R, the PS4 remake of the original 2007 PSP game. Although First Departure R is a remake with some additions, it features few new mechanics or content. In terms of gameplay and story, it closely resembles the original 1996 Super NES game. Back then, Star Ocean had some unique elements, but what surprised me most was how many mechanics now associated with FromSoftware seemed to originate here. I’m not suggesting Elden Ring copied Star Ocean, but it’s easy to envision a young Hidetaka Miyazaki being inspired by Star Ocean and deciding to create similar games.

The original Star Ocean came from the creators of Tales of Phantasia at Namco, and it offered a fresh take on RPGs in the ’90s. Unlike Sega’s Phantasy Star, Star Ocean blended science fiction and space travel with classic JRPG medieval fantasy. The premise involves humans exploring galaxies using warp drives, only to find themselves on planets resembling medieval settings filled with swords and magic, creating a “Star Trek meets Dragon Quest” feel.

One striking aspect of the game is that it prominently features hidden rules—crucial elements that the game never explicitly explains. Character recruitment is a prime example. While you have four mandatory characters, you can fill four additional slots with nine other characters encountered throughout the game, making for a total of 13 potential party members to build a team of eight. The game also features Private Actions (PAs). In any town, you can press a button to split up your party, allowing each character to explore individually, shop, or rest. This reveals unique interactions that flesh out each character’s backstory, making them feel more real. You can unlock PAs in previously visited locations, but the game provides no indication of whether a new one is available in a city. As a result, you must wander around and hope to stumble upon something.

The game features confusing systems because it doesn’t explain how they function. For example, when asked if a character should join your party, it usually seems like a formality where you should always say yes. However, Star Ocean lets you decline, preventing that character from joining—a surprisingly respectful feature for an older RPG. That said, this is just scratching the surface of the game’s recruitment system. The process becomes more complex, because some characters only appear if you reject others first (like Ashlay, who appears only if you reject Cyuss). Others, like T’nique, can only join if you have six or fewer party members. The game offers no hints about any of this. Furthermore, Star Ocean lacks fast travel. To see everything, you must travel manually across the map, town by town, hoping something new has unlocked. Additionally, some of the most powerful moves are hidden within conversations triggered during these trips. It feels intentionally cryptic, yet nothing is quite as From-like as Star Ocean’s side quests. These quests are found by speaking with locals or teammates during journeys, and they operate in a subtly obscure way reminiscent of FromSoftware titles.

There is no in-game checklist or map markers to track side quest progress or locations. Also, NPCs with side quests blend in with regular characters. To complete these quests, you must speak with everyone, listen carefully, and deduce which information leads to a dungeon or mission. Any Dark Souls fan will recognize this approach, hinting at features that would later become the signature of a new RPG genre. Imagine a young Miyazaki in 1996, recognizing Star Ocean’s unique qualities and identifying its potential. Star Ocean may not be a Soulslike game, but fans of FromSoftware games may enjoy spotting the seeds of what would eventually become their obsession.

Discovering Star Ocean’s Elden Ring-Inspired Gameplay in First Departure R

This review reflects one player’s experience with Star Ocean: First Departure R on PlayStation 4. Find more on YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, TikTok, and Instagram. This is not necessarily Portal Uai’s opinion. Whether you’re a longtime fan or new to the series, Star Ocean: First Departure R offers a unique blend of classic JRPG elements and cryptic mechanics that may appeal to those who appreciate FromSoftware’s approach to game design.

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