Square Enix Drops Surprise Remaster For One Of Its Best JRPGs

Published Jul 16, 2026, 7:00 PM EDT Austin King is the Senior Editor of Gaming at ScreenRant and has been with the site since 2020 with a focus on RPGs and tabletop games. He previously managed content for Geek to Geek Media, and has served as a writer for sites like Nintendad, Geek Fitness, and more. In addition to his work at ScreenRant, he also hosts the Dragon Quest FM podcast and is the author of several books, including co-writing Nimbus (a #1 bestseller in 2013). His latest is the nonfiction The Dragon Quest Book, available now. He's written about pop culture, video games, and genre studies over the course of his career. You can find him on BlueSky, X, and at Dragonquestaustin.com Sign in to your ScreenRant account Square Enix is quietly adding more of its games to Nintendo Switch 2. This comes after Octopath Traveler 1 and 2 ports were confirmed earlier this week for Nintendo's newest console. As if that news weren't exciting enough, yet another excellent remaster from Square Enix's deep library of JRPGs has been quietly added to the Switch 2 - and it's available now. Square Enix is no stranger to remasters and remakes. Between Final Fantasy 10/10-2 coming to Switch 2 this month, and FF7 Revelation launching globally next year, there's already plenty to look forward to. And then there's the recent Dragon Quest remakes and upcoming Kingdom Hearts ports. Indeed, pretty much every flagship series at Square Enix is getting plenty of love lately. Thankfully, yet another one of its long-running series is also coming to Switch 2. As confirmed by Nintendo Everything, Star Ocean: The Second Story R now has a Switch 2 version that's available to purchase and download from Nintendo's eShop. It's quite a surprise, considering the game was added without much fanfare. It's also a pleasant one, because the original Star Ocean: The Second Story, which debuted on the first PlayStation, is one of the best JRPGs of all time. Although the listing doesn't include what changes to expect in this version of the game, considering it's a Switch 2 title, we'd expect there to be noticeable graphic enhancements from the Switch 1 version (think more in line with how Star Ocean: The Second Story R looks on PS5). Faster loading times and better performance are also to be expected here. The announcement trailer for the Switch 2 port can be viewed below. The Star Ocean games are well-known for their action-RPG combat, lengthy roster of characters, and incredibly vast number of alternate endings. Star Ocean: The Second Story might just be the best in the series (it's certainly my personal favorite), and the latest iteration of the game, which launched in 2023, is equally incredible. It's cool to see remakes and remasters like Star Ocean: The Second Story R coming to Switch 2, and it's hopefully a good sign of things to come. Maybe even more Star Ocean games will come to Switch 2 in the future. If you're a fan of JRPGs, or just a fan of Square Enix games in general, then you should definitely check this one out. Star Ocean: The Second Story R is a phenomenal game that's well worth your time. Systems Released November 2, 2023 ESRB T Developer(s) Gemdrops, Inc. Publisher(s) Square Enix Engine unity Franchise Star Ocean