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ShockwaveSwirl SO2

Claude C. Kenny using a special attack, Shockwave Swirl.

Special Attacks (必殺技, Hissatsu Waza?, lit. Sure-Killing Arts), also known as Special Arts or Killer Moves, are physical techniques developed for combat and one of two main types of battle skills in the Star Ocean series. They are the alternative to Heraldry for characters that cannot or do not use spells.

Overview[]

Special Attacks rely on a character's ATK/STR parameter and mostly require MP to be used. The majority of Special Attacks are offensive abilities meant to damage opponents but they sometimes can boost character attributes or even heal wounds. Unlike spells, they rarely are element-locked, with characters needing to rely on weapons for elemental advantages.

They also must be mapped to a button (L and R in earlier entries, and X and Circle in later ones) or they cannot be used in battle. They also adhere to range. Generally, depending on the character's distance from the target—denoted by the "Short" or "Long" icon in the upper left corner of the screen—, the attack will automatically change to close-quarters or long-range attack.

From The Second Story onwards, Special Attacks can improve their effects and modifiers with the Mastery mechanic, either by simply using the skill until it ranks up, or by investing SP to level them up since The Last Hope. The Cancel action, solidified in Till the End of Time, makes possible rapid chains of attacks by pressing buttons at the right moment after attacks and, in some entries, provide a Cancel Bonus. This is different from Chain Combos, in which battle skills are pre-set to follow one after the other for faster activation.

Appearances[]

Star Ocean[]

In Star Ocean, Special Arts are used by assigning them to the L and R buttons in two sets: short and long range. Thus, a character has four slots. In Star Ocean only, the Link Combo combat skill allows characters to combine Special Arts, linking up to four attacks (in the remake, this is instead an accessory, but weaker in effect). In Star Ocean: First Departure, characters have only two Art slots, but Arts can rank up (indicated by the "Used" tally) and improve their effect. Arts are used by Roddick, Ilia, Cyuss, Ashlay, Phia, Mavelle, Pericci, T'nique and, in First Departure, Welch.

The Second Story[]

Known as Killer Moves in Star Ocean: The Second Story, slots were reduced to two and assigned to either the L1 and R1 buttons. They can be used by Claude, Dias, Ashton, Precis, Bowman, Opera, Ernest, Chisato, and in the remake, Welch.

Most Arts alter their effects based on range, allowing a skilled player to control which version of an art will activate by keeping track of the distance from their intended target. The new Proficiency mechanic levels Arts up through their steady usage. The Second Story skill Cancel can randomly allow a player to immediately use a killer move after a normal attack, while the Link Combo item allows the sequential use of two Arts under certain conditions.

Blue Sphere[]

In Star Ocean: Blue Sphere, Special Arts are learned through leveling skills with Skill Points. Because of the semi-realtime nature of the battle system, all Arts freeze time when activated.

Till the End of Time[]

In Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, Special Attack slots returns to four, and are set to the X and Circle buttons, which must be held. Their position will make the Special Attack a major and minor attack, and affect its power. Minor attacks can be completely blocked with a special Guard, whereas major attacks have a blue aura, are slower but cannot be guarded. Damage is generally calculated via the following formula:

Furthermore, the cost of usage is either Hit Points (HP) or Mental Points (MP), plus a set percentage of Fury; the amount will depend on their position, with major attacks consuming more meter. Once again Mastery can improve a given Special Attack, now with ten possible levels of mastery. Special Attacks are available to all party members.

The Last Hope[]

In Star Ocean: The Last Hope, most characters can learn Special Arts: Edge, Reimi, Lymle, Bacchus, Meracle, and Arumat. The Mastery system is altered so that the player spends SP to level each skill, but it will also raise the MP cost.

Integrity and Faithlessness[]

In Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, characters can only learn these moves by finding and reading skill books. Arts assigned to X are weak attacks, while Circle are strong attacks (signalled by an aura appearing around the enemy). Attack affinities dictate combat interplay similar to rock-paper-scissors: Weak attacks can interrupt strong attacks, strong attacks can break Guards, and guarding can stop weak attacks and lead to counterattacks. In combat, there are no pop-ups to distinguish Special Arts from Signeturgy or Reserve Rushes; they are only called 'Battle Skills'. Fidel, Victor, Emmerson and Anne are the physical attackers in the party.

Anamnesis[]

Special Attacks in Star Ocean: Anamnesis are all those battle skills that use a character's ATK stat to calculate damage. Although menus don't make a distinction between Special Attacks and Heraldry, a pop-up does notify their category in battle. Due to their physical nature, Special Attacks are used by the melee classes: Attackers Attacker, Defenders Defender, and Sharpshooters Sharpshooter. Unlike previous entries, using Special Attacks consumes the AP Gauge. Additionally, they help fill up the character's Rush Gauge, although some skills are more effective than others.

The Divine Force[]

In Star Ocean: The Divine Force, special attacks and spells are grouped into the Combat Skills classification. These—along with passive and active skills—must be learned by spending SP points in each character's Skill Tree, but also to improve them. As in Anamnesis, special attacks require AP to be used in battle. Combat skills of this type are learned by all characters except Nina and Midas.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • The Japanese name for these attacks are often used as the term for "special moves" in most video games, especially in fighting games.


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