I want so many of my favorite JRPGs to get the kind of update that just dropped for already-stellar remake Star Ocean: The Second Story R

Star Ocean: The Second Story R
(Image credit: Square Enix)

Star Ocean: The Second Story R is getting one of the beefiest post-launch updates I've 🃏ever seen for a JRPG, pushing the already-stellar remake to new heights.

Patch 1.1 for Square Enix's JRPG remake is available right now across all platforms, and you can catch the full overview trailer for the update just below. In short, Star Ocean: The Second Story R has a brand new high-tier difficulty mode, new raid enemies, new equipment, new illustrations for characters during the story, and a replay feature for viewi🀅ng past scenes.

"CHAOS" is the title bestowed upon the new difficulty mode, and it's the toughest mode The Second Story R has seen yet. The fact that there's four screenshots accompanying the announcemen♋t of the mode, with protagonist Rena looking aghast at having to face four early-game enemies before being killed, should tell you all you need to know.

The "Ten Wise Men" will also appear now throughout The Second Story R as special raid enemies. These were protagonist Claud's sworn adversaries throughout the main game, and now you've got more opportunities to batter them. There's good news, though - defeating any of the group will give you a special jewel that lets you sum🎉mon the bosses as allies later on.

There's also new equipment for Claud and Rena to earn in update 1.1. You can obtain these new items via raid enemies like the Ten Wise Men, or through the in-game item creation feature. Some of th𝕴ese have brand-new effects in battle, but Square Enix isn't letting slip what these abilities actually are. 

Update 1.1 also boasts brand new illustrations for six story members throughout scenes in The Second Story R: Clyde, Regis, Eleanor, Leifath, Mariana, and Allen𓃲. The portraits are all drawn by veteran artist Yukihiro Kajimoto, who previously worked on Star Ocean Integrity and Faithlessness, and The Divine Force.

Finally, you can replay scenes in a new in-game menu, and you can decide whether or not to reset your character's levels when carrying over an existing save file to a new playthrough. Perhaps retaining character 🥀levels could help make the new Chaos difficulty mode more manageable. 

I'd kill to see other modern JRPGs take on this emphasis of post-launch content for players to really sink their teeth into - Octopath Traveler 2 springs to mind as one such game that could've really benefitted from a big update like this well after launch. This is a massive update for the JRPG remake - The Second Story R was already regarded  aꩲs "the new goౠld standard for any new remakes" by fans, and this is only ൩making a good 𒆙thing better. 

Take a look at our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:new games 2024 guide for an overview of all the upcoming JRPGs we've got to look forward to.

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesra🍰dar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.