Does Star Ocean Second Story R Physical Copy Still Require a Download? Answered

In an era when physical game copies are becoming rare, it’s always great to have a full game on a cartridge or disc without worrying about extra downloadable content. But when copies of Star Ocean Second Story R hit the shelves, the question was raised: does the physical copy still need to be downloaded?

What’s the Star Ocean Second Story R Download Notice?

When players started receiving Star Ocean Second Story R before launch, they noted a small message at the bottom of the case that read: “Download required. See back.” This caught the attention of dedicated collectors on the NSCollectors subreddit. And one even wrote to Square Enix’s customer support for clarification on the matter. Since then, some have taken to warning others about it under the Q&A section of retailers selling the game.

Thankfully, you can read the official note on Square Enix’s store page. A download is required for Star Ocean Second Story R to access additional languages and bug fixes. It’s approximately 4GB. This means that if you’re planning to play the game in a language other than English or Japanese, the download is necessary. You’ll see this notice on the page for all platforms and editions.

The languages available are:

• English
• French
• German
• Italian
• Japanese
• Spanish

Can You Play Star Ocean Second Story R Without the Download?

If you bought a physical copy of Star Ocean Second Story R and plan to play in English or Japanese, the download isn’t mandatory. However, you might be inclined to do the download if you experience bugs. That said, the store page doesn’t specify if the download is only for day-one fixes. But the Reddit post linked above does.

So, yes, you can play the physical copy of Star Ocean without the extra download. Whether it’s a matter of storage or internet connection, you shouldn’t be locked out from the game if you opt out of it.

That answers the question: does Star Ocean Second Story R‘s physical copy still require a download? If you’re interested in reading more about the game, take a gander at our growing Star Ocean guides hub.