Star Ocean: The Second Story R appeared on the Switch 2 essentially as part of the 30th anniversary celebrations and, well, it’s fine. This is a totally serviceable, well-executed port. Aside from some tune-ups that ensure it runs and looks better, it’s identical to the Switch version of the JRPG. Which means it’s an exceptional game, even if it is disappointing that Square Enix didn’t offer a free or paid Upgrade Pack for existing owners. The base experience from Star Ocean: The Second Story R remains the same. This is a 2.5D JRPG with two routes that offer different viewpoints of the same story. One features Claude C. Kenny, son of Ronyx J. Kenny from the first game. When on a mission, he finds himself teleported to the planet Expel, where he meets a native resident named Rena who mistakes him for a prophesied Hero of Light. His story involves finding a way home (while also dealing with events related to Expel). Meanwhile, it’s also possible to see things from Rena’s side. She’s a young woman who isn’t like anyone else on Expel and has been raised there, but her journey involves dealing with Claude and the Sorcery Globe meteor while also finding out who she is (and helping with Expel events). While each goes through the same general storyline, there are different events for each character, Private Action possibilities, and endings. As expected from the Switch 2 version of Star Ocean: The Second Story R, the resolution is improved and some textures look better. This means this version looks closer to the PS5 and PC release than the Switch and PS4 one. If you’re playing in Handheld mode, I’d say that isn’t as noticeable? Perhaps for location and environmental elements, sure. But the 2.5D approach means things like actual character sprites and enemy sprites didn’t feel all that different to me. The bigger improvement and more noticeable feature is the improved frame rate for Star Ocean: The Second Story R on Switch 2. On the Switch, it was locked to 30fps. To be clear, that is totally fine. It worked well. It was stable. Here, it feels like we really are seeing a consistent 60fps. When exploring towns, dungeons, and the world map this doesn’t feel all that substantial or meaningful. However, I did find it noticeable for the actual battles given this is an action-RPG that encourages combos and organizing attacks in the same way Tales of entries do. Go Ad-Free With Siliconera+View the site with no ads, be able to provide direct feedback about what we cover, and be automatically entered into our monthly PC game giveaway.Join Siliconera+ Images via Square Enix What I did find disappointing, aside from the lack of Upgrade Pack or update option, is that there’s no demo for this version of the game at launch. On the original Switch, you can test out the JRPG with a free demo. While it does have a time restriction, the save file does carry over. It would have been great for that option to be here with this Switch 2 port. Someone could compare and contrast to see if the enhanced visuals and frame rate made a difference to them. But then, both the original and new port are $49.99 each regardless, so it isn’t like someone completely new to the game would pay more for the Switch 2 release. All this means the Switch 2 version of Star Ocean: The Second Story R does feel totally fine and work well. The improved frame rate is the real “selling point” here, given how critical combat is to the experience. But the improved textures and resolution take a bit of a backseat. Especially if you’re playing in Handheld mode most of the time. It’s a situation where if you haven’t played it at all, the Switch 2 version might be the preferred one to get, but someone who already owns the Switch release doesn’t need to and shouldn’t double-dip. Star Ocean: The Second Story R is available for the Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5, and PC. The original game showed up on the PSP, and Second Evolution versions showed up on the PS3, PS4, PSP, and Vita.