Shinra an all too powerful corporation is killing the planet with their Mako reactors. While the people who live on the upper levels of the cities are safe from the pollution from the Mako reactors, those who are poor live below and are dying. A resistance group named AVALANCHE has been attempting to destroy the reactors one at a time and have recently hired a young ex-soldier named Cloud Strife. However, little does Cloud know that joining AVALANCHE will forever change his life and the future of mankind, can he handle the truth that even he doesn’t remember? Find out as Cloud and a team of random warriors end up fighting against a threat they never saw coming in Final Fantasy VII.

The Final Fantasy series has been a long running franchise since the days of the original Nintendo. While it was supposed to be a one-time saving grace for a dying company, Final Fantasy ended up exploding and becoming one of the most lucrative and popular series ever crafted. Final Fantasy VII though is what we consider the best of the series and the most similar to the Star Ocean games. Players will explore a fantasy sci-fi infused world filled with intrigue and hidden mysteries. If you don’t own an old PS1 don’t fear you can now download Final Fantasy VII via PC or PSN in a semi-updated form. There is no excuse folks, if you love JRPGs you need to play Final Fantasy VII.

Kaim has lived over 1000 years as a being that is immortal. Kaim’s past life is clouded by his amnesia making Kaim wonder where his future lies. However, Kaim is about to embark on a new journey that will have others side with him as they fight back against a powerful magic source that can rip the world apart if left unchallenged. Kaim will need to rely on his friends and family as they gather their strengths and fight through not only an unknown future but learn more about what Kaim’s past is all about. Get ready for an amazing journey in Lost Odyssey.

The Xbox 360 had many JRPgs release but one of the best exclusives that graced gamer’s consoles was Lost Odyssey. Helmed by developer Mistalker and Feelplus many of the minds and souls responsible for titles like The Legend of Dragoon and Final Fantasy series. Unlike most traditional turn based JRPGs, players needed to mix in timing with certain attacks and also couldn’t rely on level grinding in areas, skill was needed in Lost Odyssey like Star Ocean. With beautiful graphics, interesting game mechanics and some cleverly written narrative, Lost Odyssey has a lot of the excellent themes we found all too like Star Ocean. If you’re gearing for a story filled with twists and turns and amazing gameplay, you’re going to want to play Lost Odyssey.

Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir follows the narrative of five heroes who each reside in the fantasy world of Erion. This continent is divided into two sections—once three but a previous war made that land inhabitable—where tensions are high and a war is brewing. Each of these characters are part of the game’s narrative and talks about how they are dealing with the various threats to their being and their world. While they separate stories, their fate will have their worlds overlap at times for various reasons related to an approaching Armageddon. Can these heroes stop a prophecy from unfolding or will their tales end in tragedy?

One thing we always admired about Star Ocean was its clever use of fictional themes—though some entries were more set in our world—and the deep lore. Players will embark on artistic quest that has players fighting on a 2D plane fighting enemies and bosses in equal measure. Honestly folks we can’t stress enough how gorgeous Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir seeing as how this is an updated version of the original PS2 release of Odin Sphere. We here at Honey’s Anime know Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir may not play like the Star Ocean titles, but with the beautiful graphics and unique mechanics they are two peas of the same pod. If you’re looking for a more beat em up style of JRPG and more similar to the newer more free range Star Ocean titles, than we recommend Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir.

Based loosely off the real life Polish musician Frederic Chopin, we are introduced into a world that is whimsical and all too real. Chopin is dying and as he lays on his deathbed, he begins to dream of an odd fantasy world. It is here that Chopin meets another soon to die soul by the name of Polka. Polka hopes to leave some note on the world before she dies and Chopin decides to join her on a fantastical adventure. Is Chopin really dreaming this otherworldly place or is he really a soul who has found his way into another world? Enter the tale of Eternal Sonata and let the music reveal the truth.

Developer tri-Crescendo—the same team who has taken over a lot of the newer Star Ocean titles—has always brought to the JRPG world rich gameplay and interesting stories. Eternal Sonata is easily one of the best JRPGs we’ve ever played here at Honey’s Anime. Using songs from the real life Chopin with alterations to fit a more modern theme, Eternal Sonata’s story will leave you captivated just as strongly as the excellent scores Chopin use to create. If you’re more of a fan of Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, than the traditional Star Ocean games, you’ll want to grab Eternal Sonata as soon as you can. We also recommend picking up the PS3 port of Eternal Sonata as it has a longer story and more characters are introduced but if you can only settle with the Xbox 360 version don’t fret they are both amazing titles.

Valkyrie Profile begins in the village of Coriander. Here we witness a young girl named Platina running away from home with her lover Lucian. However, at one point Platina ends up inhaling a toxic planet and dies. Our story then shifts to a Valkyrie named Lenneth who is tasked by the goddess Freya to assemble an army of einherjar, or warriors who have perished. This task needs to be accomplished quickly as Ragnarok—the end of the world in Norse mythology—is soon approaching.

Some JRPGs reinvent the typical themes found in most turn based games with mixed results. Well focus Valkyrie Profile isn’t one of those games, this turn based JRPG was nothing but amazing in every element. Players controlled one of 4 warriors—each represented by a symbol on the PS1 controller—and needed to be used in order to deal deadly combos and win against tough bosses. As your party reached certain levels, you could remove the party member sending their soul to Valhalla but in turn losing that character for the remainder of the game. Valkyrie Profile really changed up a lot of tropes of the usual JRPG but that should be expected seeing as how developer Tri-Ace—the same developers responsible for the Star Ocean series—were the ones in charge of its creation. We knew that gamers who loved Star Ocean would feel hurt if we didn’t include Valkyrie Profile on our list of 6 Games Like Star Ocean.

Taking place one year after the events of Tales of Xillia, we now see the world has changed quite a bit thanks to Jude and Millia’s actions. We follow the life Ludger Will Kresnik who gets involved with a young girl named Mel Marta who he saves on a train alongside Jude. When the train derails, Ludger is told that now he has a huge debt he must pay off by working for Spirius Corporation by doing a very specific task for them. Apparently parallel dimensions have been opening up around the world and if they continue the world may face an apocalyptic event. Seeing as how Ludger’s family have latent powers to close these portals, if Ludger wants any chance of removing his massive debt he will now have to work alongside Jude and the Spirius Corporation whether he wants to or not.

Tales of Xillia 2 ends our list of 6 Games Like Star Ocean and what a fantastic way to end it. This 3D real time title gives fans of the Tales of series plenty of new gameplay elements such as Ludger being able to switch between one of three weapons as well as an advanced form unlocked later in the game. Similar to Star Ocean: The Last Hope and Till the End of Time, players will need to rely on quick movements and smart actions to build strong damage dealing combos against some of the tougher enemies. We here at Honey’s Anime loved the first Tales of Xillia title and this sequel is a massive improvement in multiple ways. If you love Star Ocean and or the Tales series, you’re going to definitely want to pick up Tales of Xillia 2.