Is There Romance in Star Ocean The Second Story R

In Star Ocean games, there can be times when players influence characters relationships. Star Ocean The Second Story R is one such game with romance, and it isn’t too difficult to pair people up.

So, can I romance people in Star Ocean The Second Story R?

Okay, so yes there is romance in the game, but no it doesn’t have dating sim elements in the same way that Story of Seasons, Rune Factory, and Dragon Age games do. Rather, as you go through the game, characters’ affection levels towards each others will change based on actions. 

Based on things you do, you’ll trigger different Star Ocean The Second Story R endings that can feature romantic situations. So in the case of Rena, choices you make can result in her being paired up with Claude, Dias, Ernest, and Noel in endings that make it pretty explicit that the they are together. 

This can also happen with side characters who aren’t the protagonists. So while Claude and Rena will have paired endings, people who also got close to each other over the course of your game could also end up together. For example, Opera can have endings with characters like Ernest and Dias.  

How do I pair characters up in Star Ocean The Second Story R?

It honestly isn’t too difficult. The most passive way to get characters closer together in Star Ocean The Second Story R is to have them both on your active team at the same time. That boosts their affection for one another and can help a lot. Rena and Claude already start out the game with chemistry and a boosted relationship, so those who want her or him paired with another person for the ending should take both out of the same party as soon as possible and have the people they do want them to get closer to there.

You also will want to go through Private Actions. These are typically one-time occurrences where you’ll see someone in town to interact. That means it’s a minor boost. Still, that can be a benefit for someone who wants a few extra relationship points.

One of the best and possibly easiest ways is through Publication. If you have at least two characters get the level four Writing skill (learned by acquiring the Penmanship IC/Specialty Skill) and have another person who has Machinist at level 1 (learned by getting Machinery and Operation), you unlock the Publication Super Specialty. Getting a Word Processor item helps with this process, but the general idea is you pick a character, choose which one of two books they write with a Fountain Pen item, and then if the success rate is high enough you might get a relationship-boosting book out of it. So for Rena, her lower-level book is Eyes Only for You and offers a 16 Friendship Level. If you manage to get her to successfully write Romantic Love, then that nets Friendship Level 28. 

As a note, there are also some special situations. Namely, Celine can end up paired with a prince. However, triggering that means you need to engage in some Private Actions on a Rena route after recruiting Celine in Krosse to get her to meet and get closer to him.

Star Ocean The Second Story R is on the Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC. The game can also immediately be found on the PlayStation and PSP worldwide and the PS3, PS4, and Vita in Japan.