‘Star Ocean 5: Integrity and Faithlessness’ In Development For PS4 And PS3

Square Enix's Exhibit At E3 — People play games at the Square ENIX, Inc. exhibit at E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, in Los Angeles, California, June 11, 2013. Reuters/David McNee

Following a brief tease on a mystery website, Square Enix has announced that it is developing “Star Ocean 5: Integrity and Faithlessness,” the fifth instalment in the acclaimed RPG series. The news comes just days after Square revealed that a sequel to “Deus Ex: Human Revolution” was also in development.

The news and first details come via Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, with details translated by Gematsu. The website notes that while no release date has been set for “Star Ocean 5,” the game will be developed by series veterans tri-ace, with director Hiroshi Ogawa taking the game’s reins. The game’s battles are seamless and occur in real time, following a growing trend in JRPGs. The way gamers attack in “Star Ocean 5” is dependent on how far away the player is from the enemy, and pushing buttons consecutively will activate combo moves.

“Basic battles are the same as previous entries, where the player-controlled character takes on the enemy in one-on-one battles. On the other hand, boss battles see the whole party squaring off against bosses, which lends those fights a different feel that players can enjoy,” said Ogawa.

Set in the year 537 on the space calendar, “Star Ocean 5” is set chronologically between “Star Ocean 2” and “Star Ocean 3” and takes place on Faicreed, an uncivilised planet 6,000 light years away from Earth. Three characters have been revealed so far. Fedel Camus is the protagonist, a fencer who protects the order of his village. Miki Sorvesta is the heroine and Fedel’s childhood friend; the two share a strong, sibling-like bond. Lilla is a mysterious girl who has lost her memories and emotions.

The game’s lead programmer, Yoshiharu Gotanda, who also served as lead programmer on “Star Ocean 4,” said that there were multiple meanings behind the subtitle “Integrity and Faithlessness,” noting that they would become clearer when fans played the game. Producer Shuichi Kobayashi said that one of the main driving forces behind “Star Ocean 5” was bringing a sense of reassurance back to longtime fans, explaining that this is why the game’s logo evokes “Star Ocean 3.”

The game’s character design is being handled by former Capcom artist Akira “Akiman” Yasuda, and Kotaku reports that development progress currently sits at 30 percent. While “Star Ocean 4” originally launched as an Xbox 360 exclusive before finding its way to Sony’s PS3, “Star Ocean 5” is being developed first as a PS3 game and is being ported to PS4.