Common Sense Media Review
By Marc Saltzman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Despite fun battle sequences, this is a mediocre sci-fi RPG.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness
What's It About?
The fifth installment in the best-selling Star Ocean series, STAR OCEAN: INTEGRITY AND FAITHLESSNESS is an epic sci-fi role-playing game (RPG) that takes place between the second and third games in the series. The Pangalactic Federation is nearing the fulfillment of its mission of maintaining peace throughout the galaxy, until a disturbance begins to take place on the planet of Faykreed, which is 6,000 light years from Earth. Fidel and his childhood friend Miki get involved in this alien civil war, and once they realize the threat of war can spread across the galaxy, they enlist the help of others to fight. Gamers will fight on various planets, in dungeons, and elsewhere, with up to seven characters engaged in combat at any one time, each with a different fighting style and technique. Other features include a unique item-creation system, multiple side-quest options, and various endings to the single-player adventure.
Is It Any Good?
While it's an ambitious RPG that has some strong combat mechanics and a huge world to explore, this game ultimately disappoints for its bland and repetitive missions. It also suffers from a story that's hard to follow, paper-thin characters you won't care about, and some technical issues that break the immersion. Interestingly, you really can feel a disconnect between the good and bad in this game. On one hand, you have fast, frenetic, and fun combat sequences, including multiple fighters in your party that each bring something different to the brawl. These fighting scenes are tense, pretty, and rewarding. But when it's time to move on, there are boring missions where have you walk around a huge and sparsely populated world, characters who don't discuss what they're doing there and why they're helping you out, and sloppy audio and video issues (such as characters who talk over each other or you walk right through your mates, respectively). While not horrible, this fifth Star Ocean game may only satisfy longtime fans of the franchise, and even with this group, many will likely feel it's not the polished adventure they were hoping for.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about sex, gender, and body issues. Is it OK to let young girls play this game, or will they think it's appropriate -- or even desirable -- to wear revealing clothing that shows off breasts and buttocks? Is this just a cultural difference between Japan and North America?
Talk about violence in games. Does this game need to focus so much on combat? Could the gameplay have been as good or better if there weren't the same focus on battle?
Game Details
- Platform : PlayStation 4
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Square Enix
- Release date : July 2, 2016
- Genre : Role-Playing
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Friendship
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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