Sentences written about this title, gathered by type from the Japanese and English Wikipedia articles (as of 2026-8-30).
The first details of the game were revealed at the "Star Ocean Special Stage" during the Square Enix Party 2007, alongside those of Star Ocean: The Second Story.
Yoshinori Yamagishi, producer of the series, stated that he wanted the remakes to feel as though they're completely new games.
They had different opinions on the story of the game with one saying it was solid, another saying the player's mileage in the game will depend on their how much they can get into the story, while another said that stories involving travelling to the future and past were a bit cliche at the moment.
In a 2009 retro review, Nintendo Life praised the game's technical aspects calling it "one of the best-looking Super Nintendo games ever created" and that the soundtrack "never ceases to amaze".
IGN found the game to have a "bland, awkwardly-told narrative" with "weak characters", but thought that it would appeal to fans of older games.
GameSpot also stated that the title had "limited appeal" in addition to providing little challenge.
Dualshockers called it "an underwhelming port of an excellent but often forgotten Square Enix JRPG", remarking that any improvements to the PSP version were "mostly minor" such as the re-balance to the game's difficulty.
This game is the 1st title in the "Star Ocean series", and it became the last original Super Famicom title released by Enix.
Development was carried out by tri-Ace, and it is also the first game the company developed.
The first game in the Star Ocean series, it was released only in Japan in July 1996, and was the first game developed by tri-Ace, consisting of staff that had previously left Wolf Team due to being unhappy with the development process for Tales of Phantasia with Namco in 1995.
The first details of the game were revealed at the "Star Ocean Special Stage" during the Square Enix Party 2007, alongside those of Star Ocean: The Second Story.
The game was first released in Japan on December 27, 2007, then in North America and Europe in October 2008, marking the first time that the original Star Ocean was officially released outside Japan.
Star Ocean: First Departure on the PlayStation Portable sold 115,280 copies in its debut week in Japan, with lifetime sales of approximately 204,996 copies in the region.
This game is the 1st title in the "Star Ocean series", and it became the last original Super Famicom title released by Enix.
In the "Cross Review" feature of the magazine Famitsu,the game scored a total of 28 out of 40. In the "Game Report Card" reader poll run by Family Computer Magazine,it scored 26.2 out of 30, as shown below.
In the "Cross Review" feature of the magazine Famitsu, the game scored a total of 31 out of 40, earning a place in the Silver Hall of Fame.
The original Super Famicom release of Star Ocean sold approximately 235,000 copies in Japan, of which just over 175,000 copies were sold during 1996.
Star Ocean: First Departure on the PlayStation Portable sold 115,280 copies in its debut week in Japan, with lifetime sales of approximately 204,996 copies in the region.
Critics praised Sakuraba's progressive rock style, and highlighted his musical experimentation throughout the original Star Ocean score and First Departure.
In a 2009 retro review, Nintendo Life praised the game's technical aspects calling it "one of the best-looking Super Nintendo games ever created" and that the soundtrack "never ceases to amaze".
On the other hand, the dialogue of the staff in the Oracle Room was not changed at all (a warning about this point is given at the entrance).
The Super Famicom version was never released outside Japan due to Enix closing its American branch shortly before the game was finished, as well as Nintendo's focus on supporting the then-upcoming Nintendo 64 video game console.
Despite appearing in North American video game magazine Nintendo Power in 1996, the Super Famicom version was never officially released anywhere outside Japan.
Dualshockers called it "an underwhelming port of an excellent but often forgotten Square Enix JRPG", remarking that any improvements to the PSP version were "mostly minor" such as the re-balance to the game's difficulty.
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