Star Ocean 5: Integrity & Faithfulness has been recently confirmed in this week’s Famitsu, and we’ve now gotten our hands on this particular issue of the magazine.

We’ve compiled translations of the most juicy information from the feature, including story and combat information, as well as interviews with the voice actors who are playing the role of the two main characters. You can find character descriptions followed by their respective voice actor interviews, below:

Touyama Nao, the voice of Miki Sorvesta

Miki is described as a character whose dominant traits are kindness, and strength of will.

Q: How was playing Miki?

Touyama: I’m happy I was able to play a cute character like her. She’s very close to the main character because she’s in the position of someone like his sister. She starts off as someone whose cheeks you want to pinch, but later on you want to protect her. She also has healing abilities, so that reflects part of her personality as well.

Q: What did you have to keep in mind as you were playing her?

Miki has little experience with the world outside her village, and is very attached to her allies. When she encounters someone weaker than she is, she tends to protect and look after that individual. She’s someone who floods others with kindness. When confronted by someone she has to watch out for, she boldly faces the enemy head on. When she has decided upon something, she won’t back down. She’s a little obstinate. These things, kindness and strength of will, are what I had to keep in mind while playing her.

Q: What about your relationship with Fidel? How does that change?

We were raised almost like siblings, so we have a relationship stronger than just childhood friends. She’s thinking about going some steps farther than where they currently are. If you listen to how she sounds when she’s calling Fidel-nii, you’ll get an idea of how her feelings are changing.

Q: Are there any scenes that left an impression on you?

All the characters are cool in the main scenario, but the difference between that and their private action (TL: literal translation) leaves a big gap. That’s interesting. To the women looking at how the men approach romance, their behavior is sad to see. And there are lots of hot dudes, so look forward to seeing them. It’s also fun to see how much Miki is a big eater – the gap between the image of her as a pure character and glutton is neat. All the characters have some personal traits that make you think ‘that’s too bad’ about some of them (laughs)

Stahl village

Fidel and Miki have lived in Resuria Kingdom’s southernmost village. “The Span of Seven Dark Years” is a period of uneasiness that has affected their village. Feycreed’s (the planet the protagonists are from) the equivalent of about 15th or 16th century earth. It has advanced black magic, so that has allowed the village to develop on its own, giving it a unique character.

Ishikawa Kaito, the voice of Fidel Camus

Fidel is described as a youth who has inherited the talent of his father, one of the best swordsmen in Resuria Kingdom. Even in this uncertain situation, he has continued his study of swordsmanship and wants to protect his village.

Q: First of all, how did you feel when you first got the opportunity to act in this?

Ishikawa: I really liked Star Ocean 4, so I was really looking forward to playing Star Ocean 5 when it went up for sale. I had never thought I’d be performing the part of the protagonist in SO5. This is a great honor.

Q: I see. What kind of impression do you have of the SO series?

The story is tightly put together. Human relations and emotions – things like that – are respectfully represented, so you quickly become absorbed into the story. There’s a feeling of fantasy as well as the future, there’s also a sense of the hugeness of the world. The tempo of the battles is good, and it’s interesting to fight these battles with your team cooperating. There are many absorbing elements, so it’s a series that keeps you hooked, I think.

Q: What impression do you have of Fidel?

From the material I was shown, I thought of him as someone with a cool character. However, when I read the main script, I thought his tone was very mild and he was someone who cared about his allies a lot. So there was a gap between his cool outside and his kind interior. When I played him, I tried to present that inner kindness when playing him.

Q: What did you keep in mind when you were recording his voice in battlefield scenes?

When doing an action scene, I tried to move my body as I recorded the line. What part of my body moved, where my center of gravity was, where I was putting power as I spoke, those are the things I focused on. In the case of Fidel, in most  cases the left half of his body has armor, and he uses his sword in his right hand to do most of the fighting. I’d shift my center of gravity to my right side and move as if I was swinging a sword while recording my lines.

Q: It sounds like recording the scenes meant you had to move around a lot.

I did indeed. When I am recording scenes for a fantasy work with a lot of battle scenes, every time I finish, I’m dripping with sweat (laughs). I also have a lot of fun yelling out the names of my special skills. I always admire the work of seiyuu when they yell out dramatic attack names in anime. That’s why recording the names of killer moves is always fun, and I get really excited to do it. (laughs)

You can participate in seamless battles. Events switch into battles instantly, and the feeling of absorption you feel in the scenario has been greatly improved. Many characters can be in the battle at the same time, allowing you to formulate many strategies.

Q: Will cooperation between allies be the key to victory?

Depending on how your character attacks and how distant you are from enemies, you’ll be able to launch a series of combos with a series of button presses. There are many types of skills, which have different effects depending on whether you’re close to or far away from your enemies. Usually attacks can be chained. The details of the battle system will be explained in detail later on. If you cooperate against one enemy, you can make him soak many attacks. Or you can carry out attacks against multiple enemies simultaneously. There are many ways to fight.

Editor’s Note: Translations were provided by Claude Smith