How to fix Star Ocean: The Second Story R HDR and brightness issues

You may find that some scenes in Star Ocean: The Second Story R to be too dark while others are overly bright. The colors may also appear washed out in some instances.

To see how you can potentially fix these HDR and brightness issues, you can take a look at this troubleshooting article from Seeking Tech.

1. If you are playing the game with HDR on a PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro or PlayStation 5, then you should make sure that the console has been properly calibrated for HDR brightness.

In order to do so on the PS4, head to the console’s Settings menu. From there, select Sound and Screen > Video Output Settings > Adjust HDR.

On the PS5, make you way to the console’s Settings menu and then select Screen and Video > Video Output > Adjust HDR.

Next, follow the on-screen steps to calibrate the HDR brightness output.

2. You can also try turning off HDR on your PS4 or PS5. Depending on your screen, the brightness may end up looking better in SDR.

3. There is an in-game brightness slider that you can use as well. To find it, open the Camp Menu by pressing the Triangle button on the PlayStation controller or X button on the Switch controller while exploring the field. Afterwards, select System > Settings > Screen Settings.

By default, the Brightness slider is set to a value of 5. You can use the left directional analog or left and right directional buttons to adjust anywhere between a range of 1 to 9. Make sure you use the two images above as a reference.

4. One last solution is to adjust the brightness and contrast of your television set or monitor.

If you are playing Star Ocean: The Second Story R on the Nintendo Switch via portable mode, then you can try adjusting the screen brightness.

How to turn off controller vibrations in Star Ocean: The Second Story R

The rumble is set to the maximum in Star Ocean: The Second Story R. If you find that the vibrations in this Japanese role-playing game to be too strong, then you can check out this Seeking Tech guide to see how you can lower its intensity or completely disable haptic feedback.

1. You need to open the System menu if you haven’t done so already. In order to do so, open the Camp Menu from the field by pressing the Triangle button on the DualSense/DualShock or X button on the Nintendo Switch controller.

2. Head into Settings from the System screen.

In the System Settings menu, select Wireless Controller Settings on the left side.

3. On the right side, you should see the Vibration slider, which is set to a maximum value of 10 by default.

Tilt the left analog stick to the left or use the left directional pad to reduce the rumble intensity. To completely disable haptic feedback, make sure that the Vibration slider is set to 0.

4. Once you are done, you need to back out of the System Settings menu. When asked to save your new vibration intensity settings, make sure you select Yes.

How to disable camera shake in Star Ocean: The Second Story R

You may notice that the camera will occasionally shake around in Star Ocean: The Second Story R. If you find that this visual effect to be a little too distracting, then you can check out this guide from Seeking Tech to see how you can lessen or completely disable it.

1. First off, you need to head over to the System Settings menu.

You can get there by pressing the Triangle button on PlayStation or X button on Switch to open the Camp Menu. From there, you can then navigate over to System and then Settings.

2. Once you get to System Settings, select Screen Settings from the left column.

3. On the right side, you should see the Camera Shake setting, which is set to a maximum value of 10 by default.

4. Use the left analog stick or left directional pad to reduce the Camera Shake effect. To completely disable it, make sure that the value is set to 0.

5. Exit the System Settings menu. When you see a message asking if you want to save the change you just made, you need to select Yes.

How to change the voice type in Star Ocean: The Second Story R

Star Ocean: The Second Story was first released for the PS1 and later ported to the PSP under the name of Star Ocean: Second Evolution. For the portable remaster, Square Enix changed the voice acting to the game.

The latest iteration, Star Ocean: The Second Story R, also features new voice overs. To see how you can switch between the voice acting of the latest version to Star Ocean: Second Evolution, you can check out this guide at Seeking Tech.

1. Start off by opening the Camp Menu in The Second Story R and then making your way to System > Settings.

2. You should now be in the System Settings menu. Here, you need to select Language Settings. Afterwards, make sure that Voice Language is set to Japanese.

If you are using English voice overs, then you are limited to using the recordings that were made for The Second Story R.

3. From the same System Settings menu, you need to select Audio Settings.

4. Afterwards, move the cursor down to Voice Type. If this is greyed out, then you need to change the Voice Language to Japanese.

5. With Voice Type, you will be able to pick between the following:

  • SOR2
  • SO2SE
  • Custom

If you chose Custom, the Individual Type Setting becomes selectable. If you select it, you will be taken to a Character Voice Type screen where you can select the voice over for an individual character. The options here include the following:

  • SOR2
  • SO2SE
  • Off

The “Off” option will mute the voice of the individual character.

6. Once you are done, you can exit the System Settings menu and then save your new voice type customization options when asked.

How to automatically skip spell animations in Star Ocean: The Second Story R

While some of the bigger spells in Star Ocean: The Second Story R may look spectacular, these magic attacks will also take a lot of time to animate.

If you are tired of seeing the same animations over and over again, then you can check out this Seeking Tech tutorial to see how you can automatically skip them in battles.

1. To start off, you need to open the Camp Menu. You can do so during exploration by pressing Triangle on a PlayStation pad or X on a Nintendo Switch pad.

2. From the Camp Menu, select System and then head into Settings in the proceeding screen.

3. Once you get to the System Settings menu, select Battle Settings on the left side.

4. On the right side, you should see the Skip Spell Cutscenes setting. By default, this is set to “Off.”

Use the left analog or directional pad settings to change it to “On” instead.

5. You can then close the System Settings screen. When you do, make sure you select Yes when the game asks if you want to save your new settings.

How to change the voice language in Star Ocean: The Second Story R

Star Ocean: The Second Story R supports both English and Japanese voice-overs. To see how you can change the voice language in the remake of the classic JRPG, you can check out this article from Seeking Tech.

1. Start off by heading over to the System Settings menu.

If you have already loaded into your save file, then you need to press Triangle on a PlayStation gamepad or X on a Nintendo Switch gamepad to open the Camp Menu during exploration.

2. From there, navigate over to System and then Settings.

3. Next, you need to select Language Settings from the left column of the System Settings screen.

4. On the right side, you should be able to find Voice Language.

Use the left analog stick, or left and right directional pad buttons, to switch between English and Japanese voice overs.

5. After you are done changing the voice language, exit out of the System Settings menu. When prompted to save your changes, make sure you select Yes.

How to lower the background music volume in Star Ocean: The Second Story R

You may find that the background music to be a little too loud in Star Ocean: The Second Story R. The BGM may even drown out the voices in the dialogue. To see how you can lower its volume, you can check out this guide from Seeking Tech.

1. For the first step, you need to head over to the System Settings menu.

To do so, open the Camp Menu while exploring the field by pressing the Triangle button on the PlayStation controller or X button on the Nintendo Switch controller.

From the Camp Menu, select System and then Settings.

2. In the System Settings screen, select Audio Settings on the left side.

3. On the right side, move the cursor to BGM Volume.

4. By default, the BGM Volume is set to the maximum value of 10.

You need to use the left directional button, or tilt the left analog stick to the left, to decrease the loudness of the background music.

To mute the soundtrack completely, move the slider all the way to 0.

5. Afterwards, back out of the System Settings menu.

Make sure you save your new settings when asked to apply the new volume level for the background music.

How to change the soundtrack in Star Ocean: The Second Story R

While Star Ocean: The Second Story R uses the re-arranged soundtrack by default, you will be able to switch back to the original OST. To find out how you can properly change the BGM in this role-playing game, you can take a look at this tutorial from Seeking Tech.

1. For the first step, open the in-game Camp Menu. This can be done by pressing the Triangle button on the PlayStation controller or X button on the Nintendo Switch controller while exploring the field.

2. From the Camp Menu, select System and then Settings in the following screen.

3. In the System Settings menu, select Audio Settings from the left column.

4. On the right side, you should then see BGM Version.

5. By default, BGM Version is set to “Arrangement” in Star Ocean: The Second Story R.

You can tilt the left analog stick to the left or right, or use the left and right directional pad, to change it back to the “Original” soundtrack.

You should hear the background music changed in real-time as you switch between the two options.

6. After you are done, exit out of the System Settings menu. Make sure you select Yes when asked if you want to save your recently changed settings.