Square Enix has opened up a page on their own store detailing the release date information for the upcoming Tri-Ace RPG, Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness.
The fifth entry in the Star Ocean series, Integrity and Faithlessness will release in North America on June 28th, 2016 on the Playstation 4. There is also a Playstation 3 version of the game, but it is receiving a Japanese only release at this time.
Square also showed off the "Day One Edition" of Star Ocean, which is priced at $59.99. In it there are numerous free goodies such as in-game DLC items that increase experience point gains, reduce damage and MP costs, and even help restore more HP. The big item though is a special change to the game's battle music; for fans of both Star Ocean and the Valkyrie Profile series they will be able to customize the battle BGM's with the game, replacing them with selected tracks from the Valkyrie Profile titles.
It should be noted that Square has taken down the image above, and has also removed the release date from their official page. It is possible the information was meant for a later reveal at this time, and was accidentally posted.
Star Ocean 5 has been getting a lot of press coverage this week although most of it has been controversial. Just yesterday it was reported that the game is receiving an edit to one of the characters costumes, which will be seen in both the Japanese and Western versions of the game.
Quick Take
Honestly, the timing of this is a bit suspect if you ask me. It has been reported by many websites, including us as an accident, and while it has been taken down, I have a feeling it was personally done on purpose by Square Enix because of the recent discussions about the game. Regardless, for $59.99 you are getting essentially day one DLC for free, which is not a bad deal overall. In particular I am a fan of the BGM customization, which is a nice little touch and a good way to connect two pretty decent RPG series.
Controversy of the game aside, overall I am actually more excited about Star Ocean 5 than I probably should be, especially considering how middle of the road the series has been for years compared to other RPGs. What do you guys think though? Does the release date, or the little extras seem like a good deal? Leave your comments below.
