Star Ocean The Second Story Sequel ‘Blue Sphere’ Localization Requires Fan Support, Says Director

Ahead of the launch of the Square Enix and Gemdrops action JRPG Star Ocean The Second Story R, we interviewed director and producer Yuichiro Kitao and composer Motoi Sakuraba.

In one question, we asked about the possibility of seeing the direct sequel to Star Ocean: The Second Story, Star Ocean: Blue Sphere, coming West. For those unaware, this is a GameBoy Color and mobile phone title launched exclusively in Japan in 2001 and 2009, respectively. It’s set two years after the events of The Second Story.

In response, Kitao essentially answered that the possibility is reliant on the support of players and fans.

You can view the relevant questions and answers quoted below:

AL: Are there any plans to also bring Star Ocean Blue Sphere west? In this series, this game acted as a sequel to Star Ocean 2 but was never localized.

YK: I’m not officially a member of the Square Enix company, although my company, Gemdrops, is the developer. That being said, I do want the Star Ocean series to continuously succeed into the future. However, in order to achieve that, I think it’s important that we hear the voices of support from our players and fans. So it would be appreciated if we can get your support.

AL: Is there anything you’d like to tell fans awaiting the release of the Star Ocean Second Story R?

YK: So it’s been 25 years since the original release in Japan, and with the remake title Star Ocean Second Story R, we wanted to make sure that everyone who played the original game 25 years ago relive this experience with the memories and the feelings that they experienced back then.

On top of that, we also wanted to make sure that the newcomers to the Star Ocean series get to experience this game to understand the feeling and new discoveries this series offers while also having the older generation of players play and experience a definitive version of this Star Ocean game. We are looking forward to seeing all generations of players play this game. And we hope to see that they enjoy it. It’s a 2D game, but we featured many systems that we feel players will enjoy. It’s awesome to have the chance to see different generations of players enjoy a 2D game such as this.

But what I want to tell the players is that if they enjoy the game and if they ever feel like they want to play a sequel, please make sure to tell Square Enix so that we can get the opportunity to develop one. Thank you.

Be sure to check out our full interview.

Star Ocean: Blue Sphere takes place two years after the events of “The Second Story,” taking place on the planet Edifice. This world is undergoing a pre-space flight era but retains traces of an advanced civilization. Protagonists from the events of The Second Story find themselves unexpectedly transported to this planet by an unidentified force and are compelled to uncover its origin and find a way to return.

The gameplay, even though it was developed for Game Boy Color, preserves several core features of the Star Ocean series, such as real-time combat and the opportunity for optional interactions between party members. Additionally, new gameplay elements are introduced, including a skill-based item creation system and the inclusion of local multiplayer options that can be unlocked using the Game Link Cable.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R is releasing for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam on November 2, 2023. A free demo is now available, with progress carrying over to the full release.