Sci-fi / fantasy roleplaying game Star Ocean the Divine Force has announced a release date with a new trailer.

Said trailer is packed with cringe-inducing dialog but additional videos showcasing characters and combat, and the opening scenes look much more promising.

Assuming you enjoy or can at least tolerate the clothing.

One of the female crew is wearing what looks like an incomplete mini-skirt, open at the front so you can see her underwear.

We are aware that more sexualised characters is the norm in many Asian titles and the male captain is wearing a short-sleeved shirt with bulging muscles.

But it still feels lost in the distant past to our western sensibilities.

Putting that aside we see the foundations of a thoughtful blend of sci-fi and fantasy

Rather than just throwing them all in together, we have the crew of a merchant vessel fired upon without warning by some kind of interplanetary government warship.

Abandoning ship they are forced to land on an "underdeveloped" planet where players can either experience the story from the captain's perspective or that of a female protagonist he encounters soon after landing.

Picking up his surviving crew and additional characters as they go.

It also boasts something you don't often see in games - free flight.

In STAR OCEAN THE DIVINE FORCE, characters can move freely in 360 degrees and fly through the sky.

[Move and explore freely in three dimensions: everything you see can be explored!]

You can move in three dimensions whilst flying around the largest environment ever. Whether you’re flying around and exploring rockfaces and roofs of buildings in the city, or leaping off cliffs to seamlessly enter battles, you’ll have more freedom in terms of both adventuring and battling.

Presumably they mean the largest environment in a Star Ocean game.

Or are they claiming to have set a record for the gaming industry's biggest map?

In the release date trailer there's a short flight sequence courtesy of what looks like the robotic companion latching onto the player's back and transforming into a jetpack.

Star Ocean the Divine Force releases on PC (Steam), Xbox and PlayStation on October 27.

[ Main Image: Star Ocean the Divine Force trailer. Credit: Square Enix via YouTube. ]

References

Square Enix (June 29, 2022). Star Ocean the Divine Force Mission Report: #1 Main Characters and Combat. YouTube.

Square Enix (June 29, 2022). Star Ocean the Divine Force Raymond’s Story: Opening Movie. YouTube.

Square Enix (June 29, 2022). Star Ocean the Divine Force Release Date Trailer. YouTube.

Steam. Star Ocean the Divine Force. (viewed June 30, 2022)