Star Ocean: Second Story R is SO GOOD! like i put off trying it bc i thought 2D pixel characters + 3D environment would be too jarring but wow i fell in love. the hybrid real-time combat with all the flashy but weighty effects was refreshingly chaotic as i've been mostly playing pure turn-based jrpgs like SMT and Fire Emblem. i like that for protagonists, i can play as either Claude or Rena (picked Rena tho just to see if they'd do a female protag right). combat-wise Rena is pretty interesting, starts out healer-focused and since i was a newb i didn't know how to keep everyone alive very easily, but once i started maxing out Gravity Crush it was really satisfying to alternate between tossing heals and stomping enemies (a much more dimensional playstyle than pure DPS, reminded me of what i love about WoW healer gameplay).

in the end though, Precis ended up being my favorite character, most unique spells where you boing around the screen like a rabbit bonking people with your robot minions.

overall the story, art, and music were fantastic as well and i wonder if the other Star Oceans hold up to this. Square Enix even released an anime opening to hype this game and honestly it's pretty great haha