Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope - Difficulty

Today, I started a new game on Star Ocean 4, because I realized there were things that I missed that I could no longer get anymore.  So I hit New Game on the Start Menu and it gave me some options on what Difficulty I would like to play on.  Originally I had started out on Galaxy mode, which is the game's normal difficulty.  Now that I have beaten the game, it allowed me to pick Universe mode.  I have to say that Galaxy mode was not that hard, until I reached the final area where I got my butt handed to me every 5 seconds by the enemies there.  Well I was in for some fun when I started my new journey.  It is very difficult now, because the Enemy's Rush Gauge fills up faster and they do slightly more damage.  I will add that I find this to be kind of fun because I hadn't had a decent challenge on the game for a while, and I am not adding the Secret Dungeon because that is just insane already.  Fortunately when you start a New Game, you keep the System Data, which has all the information on Monster Data, Weapon Data, Battle Trophies, and Ship Data.  So, if you want to get 100% you pretty much have to play the game again, or have some kind of guide with you in the first playthrough.

Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope - Item Creation

Located inside your ship, the Calnus, is a place where you can create items.  You can find it by going from the lobby, into the doors located between the two staircases leading to the upper floor. There is a console in the back that you can interact with.  After you select "Launch Interface" you will be brought to a Menu that has 2 options.  Those 2 options are Invent New Recipes and Create Items.  When you select Invent New Recipes you will see a screen that has pictures of the Characters in your party.  If you move any of those pictures down to the Invention Groups area and press start, the inventing process will begin.  The process takes at least 1 Party SP per group so make sure you have a lot.  Also combining different people in groups will make it so they invent different recipes.   Make sure you try as many combinations as you can!

When you select Create Items, you will be taken to a Menu that has been separated into a 8 categories.  Smithery, Cooking, Alchemy, Artistry, Engineering, Crafting, Compounding and Synthesis.  Selecting any of these will take you to another menu which lists all of the possible items you can create at the current time.  You can switch between these categories with R1 and L1.  In these lists you can see how much and what kind of items you need for the items you wish to create.  One of the Trophies for this game is to create one of every item in the game.  There are 321 total Recipes in the game. Talk about crazy!

Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope - Monster Data

In this game there are 154 different monsters you can encounter.  After fighting any monster their information is placed into a bestiary called "Monster List" that is located via "Collections" in the Menu.  In the Monster List, you can see what monsters you have battled, how many times you defeated that monster, what items you can get from it, where you can find it, what type of monster it is, and how much Exp and Fol it will give.  This is very useful if you are trying to find a particular monster that you need to get some Battle Trophies or an item that you need.

Along with that information, you also can see "% Analyzed".  This goes up when you fight the monster a few times, and when you get it to 100% you can do something special to it.  Any monster in this game when at 100% can be "Transformed" into a special item.  Each item's abilities are affected by what type of Monster Data you decide to use.  To use this feature you need an item called  a Monster Jewel.  When you select the Transfer option for the Monster Data, you get a menu that shows what type of item it will create.  When you choose to create the item it becomes a wearable accessory.  Hope this helps!

Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope - Battle Trophies

Today I wish to discuss something that is both fun and aggravating at the same time.  Something known as Battle Trophies.  You should already know by now that the game has Trophies you can earn by completing certain tasks, just like all the other games for Xbox360 which get Achievements, and the games that were made after 2009 for Playstation 3.  Well this game has Trophies inside the game called Battle Trophies.  These Battle Trophies work virtually the same way, in battle if you perform certain tasks you are rewarded.  There are a total of 100 Battle Trophies for each character in the game.

There is a point to collecting all of them, when you complete a certain percentage of these tasks you unlock things on the game.  All of the rewards are the same for each character, but the tasks are different.  At 30% you unlock Additional Battle Voices Set 1, at 50% you get a Level Cap Increase, at 75% you get Additional Battle Voices Set 2, and at 100% you get More CP.  Also I would like to add that if you are going to be going through secret dungeons, then it is imperative that you at least get 50% of the Battle Trophies for each character, for the Level Cap Increase is vital in gaining strength.

Naturally, you want to get 100% because you will get all of the rewards and More CP means that you will gain more points when you level up so you can max out your skills faster.  I find this to be a useful tool in the game, because it gives you something to work towards, especially when you will have to battle so many enemies throughout it's entirety.  I also find this to probably be the MOST annoying thing about this game.  If you want to get the Trophy, you have to complete all the character's Battle Trophies 100%.  This wouldn't be so bad, if some of them weren't based on luck. For example, Edge has a Battle Trophy where the requirement is to "Recover HP to the Exact Maximum Capacity."

Not all of the Battle Trophies are so difficult though, and you will probably fill out most of them by just going through the game and battling.  In total, there are 9 Characters in the game, so be prepared for a long and grueling process if you are aiming to get them all.

Some of the Battle Trophies are hidden, so you have to try and figure out how to do them and what they are.  Each Character's Trophies are based on their skills, so some of the Battle Trophies are easy to guess.  Overall I do think that Battle Trophies are a useful addition to the game, and if you want to get the Platinum Trophy, you must complete them all.  Have fun!