Due to their similarities in graphics, music, battle system, and implementation of voice acting, some fans consider Star Ocean and the games that succeed it to be a sister franchise to the later successful Tales series.

[4] In Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, producer Shuichi Kobayashi noted that one of the game series most important themes is first contact between two different societies and planets.

[7] It established the series' staples, including the futuristic setting, real-time battle system, item creation, and private actions.

An enhanced remake entitled Star Ocean: First Departure was released for the PlayStation Portable on December 27, 2007 in Japan, and in North America and Europe in October 2008.

The game was remade using Star Ocean 2's engine, adopting prerendered backgrounds and 3D battlefields, as well as new character art and animated cut-scenes provided by Production I.G, and fully voiced dialogue.

An enhanced port entitled Star Ocean: Second Evolution was released for the PlayStation Portable on April 2, 2008, in Japan, January 20, 2009, in North America, and in Australia and Europe in the following month.

[8] Star Ocean: Blue Sphere is a direct sequel to The Second Story, released for the Game Boy Color on June 28, 2001, in Japan (a North American version was planned but canceled).

A director's cut of the game with bonus dungeons, new playable characters, a versus mode, and tweaked gameplay was released in 2004, and that version was brought to North America and Europe the same year.

Fayt Leingod is the main character, and after finding himself separated from his family during an alien attack on a resort planet, is pursued by the same Vendeeni forces across space for reasons beyond his imagination.

[citation needed] Star Ocean: The Last Hope was released for the Xbox 360 in February 2009 for Japan and North America, and in June of the same year for Australia and Europe.

[citation needed] Star Ocean: Material Trader is a free-to-play card and item creation RPG developed by Hippos Lab and published by Square Enix for the GREE mobile phone social network in 2013.

[citation needed] With the PlayStation 2's installment, Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, Square Enix hoped to attract more gamers, especially in the United States, where the franchise has not been very popular.

The Director's Cut 2-disc version of Star Ocean: Till the End of Time has been released in North America, with more playable characters, more games and additional storyline tangents.

As of July 2005, Star Ocean: Till the End of Time is a part of Sony's Greatest Hits line, indicating that the game had done reasonably well in North America.

Another recurring gameplay feature is that many of the branching story choices and different endings are not easily accessible, as things like "affection points" are not exposed to the player.

In the earlier games, magicians had spells, whereas fighters had special physical attacks called "Killer Moves"; both are learned after passing certain level requirements (or through specific items and sidequests) and cost HP or MP to use.

[15][16] Critics praised Sakuraba's progressive rock style, and highlighted his musical experimentation throughout the original Star Ocean score and First Departure.

[18] The First Departure remake features the theme song "Heart" performed by Japanese music group Asunaro, which accompanied the game's opening animation as well as the end credits, and was included in that version's official soundtrack in 2008.

The song "The Small Bird That Forgot How To Fly" (飛び方を忘れた小さな鳥, Tobikata Wo Wasureta Chiisana Tori) by the JPop singer Misia was used to accompany the game's ending credits.

[39] In a 2009 retro review, NintendoLife praised Star Ocean technical aspects calling it "one of the best-looking Super Nintendo games ever created" and that the soundtrack "never ceases to amaze".

[43] Star Ocean: Blue Spheres' popularity in Japan, primarily for its story and gameplay systems, prompted tri-Ace to remake it for mobile devices.

[45] Star Ocean: The Last Hope was reviewed by IGN which stated that despite the rough pacing in the storyline that could be told in a much more engaging manner, tri-Ace and Square Enix's latest RPG holds together quite well with action-packed gameplay.

[46] Star Ocean: Anamnesis was described by Kotaku as "exploitative but charming", praising the game's use of nostalgia, but abhorring the "blandness" of its free to play formula.