Two days before the release of Star Ocean First Departure in Japan, Square Enix has released the latest batch of information on the PlayStation Portable remake. A young girl named Welch Vineyard is the second addition to the player's party. Her trademarks are her hair and innocent smile. She is an inventor who seems to have waited for the arrival of the party for a lengthy period of time.

Another new feature is the addition of a battle arena, where players can compete in one-on-one versus battles. Upon registering, players will face various opponents ranked from H to A (with A-class opponents being the strongest). After winning a series of five battles, players will be awarded with a prize. Afterwards, they can take on the next group of opponents. Last but not least, the development team has also added a movie and voice gallery.

Star Ocean First Departure will be available in Japan on December 27th for 4,800 yen ($42.05 USD). The "Eternal Edition" shipping with a special PlayStation Portable unit will carry a price tag of 24,840 yen ($217.59 USD).

• Famitsu