Sea of Stars, an RPG that feels like a throwback to the good ole' games of the 90s and early 2000s, is a wonderful experience with gripping combat, exciting exploration segments, and solid visuals. Read on to learn about our impressions of the game.
Sea of Stars Review and Score Explanation
Sea of Stars Review Video
Sea of Stars Score Explanation
| Overall | Sea of Stars is an amazing product with a polished exterior. The game looks good and plays like what you would expect from a modern tribute RPG to the bygone era of the 90s. However, the early game experience is marred by a very underwhelming opening hook and two disappointingly dull protagonists. |
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| Story | Sea of Stars' story is nicely paced, complemented by a likable main cast and side characters. However, the two main protagonists lack prominent personalities and are often overshadowed by the supporting characters' glowing traits. In fact, it is really the side characters that save this game from being such a boring story. The two scarecrow of a protagonist aside, the plot lacks a strong opening hook to draw in players and is overall just your standard "saving the world" kind of story. |
| Gameplay | Featuring several combat mechanics that work perfectly together, Sea of Stars proudly showcases a very engaging and cohesive combat system that any turn-based enthusiast would enjoy. Not only that, its exploration sections do not slack either. The fields are open enough to make exploring every nook and cranny for treasure or equipment a wonderful experience, despite its more or less linear design. |
| Visuals | "Charmingly retro" is a great way to describe the visuals for Sea of Stars. It's everything a gamer who loves the sprite-based artworks that hardware of days gone by was famous for would like. Its use of colors, which are persistently vibrant despite the various environments you find yourself in, gives the game a distinct and appreciable personality. |
| Audio | The music in Sea of Stars is great. All of them fit well with the circumstances our heroes often find themselves in, pressing or otherwise. Even the sound effects fit the game like a glove. They even brought in the legendary Yasunori Mitsuda, the composer for Chrono Trigger and Xenoblade Chronicles 3, to compose for the game. But while he did an amazing job with great music, it is often overshadowed by the game’s vibrant visuals and engaging combat. |
| Value for Money | At $34.99, Sea of Stars is a good deal. The main scenario alone will keep you entertained for more than an entire day. Adding in the side stories and quests, of which there are plenty, easily provides another half a dozen hours of satisfying game time. Although, compared to similar RPGs of its nature, it is on the shorter side. |
Sea of Stars Review: Eclipsing Expectations
I've always been a fan of story-driven games. My favorite RPG of all time, in fact, is Nippon Ichi Software's (NIS) Soul Nomad & The World Eaters for that very reason. Although its gameplay is quite messy with a notably dull post-game, it still has my favorite alternate route in any RPG, especially among the ones NIS has developed. After all, it has taken the path that few games are eager to tread even today. It allowed you to act as the greatest villain in probably any RPG.
Unfortunately, Sea of Star's writing couldn't scratch that same itch for me. It certainly didn't have to follow the same pattern; it isn't that I like those kinds of dastardly plots. It's just that the writing didn't have the same kind of power that could hook a story-loving gamer like me.
Don't get me wrong, Sea of Stars has stellar (hehe, get it?) gameplay with very engaging mechanics that set it apart from other games of its genre. It also has beautiful visuals that can capture the attention of any retro-loving enthusiast anywhere, complemented by musical compositions that suit every scenario like a glove. Its simple controls are also intuitive, which many will appreciate, even with the addition of several unique mechanics that make its gameplay charmingly distinct.
So despite the flaws in its writing, Sea of Stars makes up for it with all the other aspects of the game. It's an easy recommendation for any RPG enthusiast.
Sea of Stars Full Game Review
Pros of Sea of Stars
| Things Sea of Stars Got Right |
|---|
 Incredibly Vibrant Environments Engaging Strategic Gameplay Fishing Abundant Side Content Memorable Supporting And Side Characters |
Incredibly Vibrant Environments
The first thing most gamers will encounter in games is its visuals. After all, we play games mainly through a screen rather than the speakers.
Although the character sprite designs are standard fare, the game excels in its level design. Each stage in Sea of Stars is designed such that there is rarely ever a place where you wouldn't want to take a look around. Every area has a fantastic sense of verticality, encouraging you to seek ladders, holes, platforms, or elevators.
Not only that, the amount of life the developers have imbued into each area is remarkable. Even when you pass through roads rarely traveled in game, you will see no shortage of signs that people have traversed there once. It truly solidifies the illusion that these roads were built by people who use them. For the areas untouched by civilization, the game makes sure that you're fully aware of that fact by rampantly spreading wild vegetation around the area. They even took great care with the final boss' lair, supplementing his theme with an environment that screams "body horror.".
To complement the visual experience, the game employs fitting music, which changes depending on the place and scenario you find yourself in. It enhances the experience by leaps and bounds. Admittedly, the soundtrack lacks the personality to provide any memorable pieces, but as background music, it fulfills its role in spades.
Engaging, Strategic Gameplay
The main pull of Sea of Stars' combat system is their Breaking Locks mechanic, which ties most of their other combat features together. You see, enemies would sometimes start to charge powerful special moves in combat. Those often have very troublesome effects, such as dealing heavy damage to your party or summoning more enemies into the field (and trust me when I say that you can have way too many enemies at a time).
To prevent your enemies from performing these special moves, you have two options. First, you can just murder them before they use it. After all, violence tends to solve everything in these games. But if that's impossible to do within a couple turns or so, there's another method: Breaking Locks.
The Breaking Locks mechanic manifests as icons on top of an enemy's sprite. When it appears, it means that the enemy is preparing to use its special move and acts as a list of conditions you must fulfill to interrupt their preparations. Though the requirements vary, they all involve hitting the enemy with a specific damage type.
The number of turns provided to you to interrupt their special moves is often limited. So, to make the best use of your turns, you must use the game's several other combat mechanics to quickly fulfill the Breaking Lock conditions. The mechanics that can assist you include Timed Hits to deal multiple attacks in one turn, Live Mana Boosts to imbue your attacks with elemental properties, Combos to deal elemental damage outside your two Solstice Warriors' turns, and etc.
Not only does Breaking Locks force you to consider the order in which you have your characters take their actions, it also makes you consider your resources, such as your MP and the amount of Live Mana on the field, which you can get by hitting enemies with basic attacks. It will also force you to consider your priorities, as there will be moments where multiple enemies will prepare special moves with conditions that are nigh impossible to complete for all of them in time. It's an awesome mechanic that turns each battle into a satisfying struggle.
But if you're still having trouble working through the main campaign, or if you find that things are too easy for your epic gamer skillset, you have the option to tweak the difficulty of your run through the use of Relics. These function as gameplay adjustments that fundamentally change certain aspects of how you interact with the game.
For example, one relic makes every encounter much easier by doubling your health and making all your characters fully recover their HP at the end of every battle. On the opposite end, there’s a relic that can increase the challenge by reducing your health to five percent of its total value and by making your enemies invincible when they cast their special moves. However, to balance that, successfully timing a block reduces the damage you receive to 1 and doubles the bonuses of a Timed Hit, making it a high-risk high-reward kind of relic.
Fishing
Ah, yes. Here we are, yet again, with the quintessential feature that every RPG must have: fishing. Indeed, no RPG experience is complete without the option of approaching a suitably calm body of water with a fishing rod in your right hand and a basket of bait in the other.
No, this isn't sarcasm. The fishing experience in Sea of Stars deserves its own section purely because of how enjoyable it is. Its "gameplay" isn't just your standard fishing minigame, where you cast a line and press the action button when you get a bite. There's much more complexity to it.
Just casting the line already requires a bit of forethought. After all, you can miss your mark and have your hook land on the trees if you're too careless. This is especially true for fish that like to gather at the lake's edges. Fortunately, you can tap the action button to force your hook to land in the water. But be careful; doing so too early might make it impossible to lure fish beyond your range to get a bite.
For players who dislike the waiting aspect of fishing, rejoice. Sea of Stars has almost completely eliminated that cumbersome aspect of the game by making the fish voraciously hungry. As long as they're within a suitable distance from where your hook landed, they will beeline toward your bait and get caught.
The fight only truly begins once you get a bite, however. After that, it becomes a fierce tug-of-war between you and the unfortunate future seafood dish. To catch it, you must learn how to use the rod to its fullest by maneuvering your prey to where the line is least likely to break. Though the game shows you the general area where such a thing is possible, your catch will fight back by jumping out of the water and into a farther spot than you would have expected or simply resisting your act of reeling it in.
The overall experience culminates as one of the best fishing minigames in any RPG, which rewards you in both food ingredients for you to use, as well as gratifying satisfaction for every fish reeled in.
Abundant Side Content
Aside from fishing, you'll be pleased to learn that there are many other things to do in Sea of Stars that don't qualify as padded content. After all, if you're the type to explore every nook and cranny of every area, you'll likely accomplish them as you go. Though some of the side content requires backtracking, it’s nothing too egregious, as you'll eventually unlock a form of fast travel similar to soaring on Latios or Latias in Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.
One of the side content is a minigame called Wheels. It's an unreasonably addictive tabletop game you’ll be able to play in any of the inns. But if you're more into treasure hunting, then you could look for all 60 Rainbow Conch to exchange for prizes. Battle junkies also have no need for worry, as they’ll have access to an Arena over at the port town of Brisk to indulge in.
There are also many side puzzles to solve, optional bosses to defeat, hidden areas to explore, and even a settlement management feature in the Town of Mirth.
But what's truly amazing is that (small spoiler here) at the very end of your journey, you'll realize that the "side content" you’ve been doing actually has another, more profound purpose that will influence the ending of the story.
Memorable Supporting And Side Characters
Despite lacking in the plot department, Sea of Stars features a cast of very likable supporting characters. They have glowing and prominent personalities, making them stand out to the point where their actions actually influence the story more than the main protagonists Valere and Zale.
The vast majority of Sea of Stars' story involves their interactions with other charming characters, which fuels the campaign's progression. These include the stoic Captain Klee'shaë and her band of cheerful pirates, the lonely molekin Malkomud and his pet salamander, and even Wentworth the Dragon, despite his relatively short screen time.
The experience of progressing through Sea of Stars' story becomes special due to their personalities. Through thick and thin, fortune and tragedy, these characters will share in your moment and elevate the immersion. You’ll leave with the feeling that the events that transpire around you affect, not just the main cast, but also those around them. Their personalities complement your party's, and fill any holes our main protagonists create with their dismally lacking personalities..
There are barely any dull moments in the game with them around.
Cons of Sea of Stars
| Things That Sea of Stars Can Improve |
|---|
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The Main Protagonists Are Dull Opening Sequence Lacks A Captivating Hook A Somewhat Jarring Late-Game Theme Change |
The Main Protagonists Are Dull
Sea of Stars opens up with the two main protagonists, Valere and Zale, as they hike a mountain to meet with the Elder Mist. The lack of context in this moment allows you to judge them for their personalities alone. And, oh man, are they quite dull.
It's not like both of them are self-insert characters either. Valere and Zale both clearly have distinct personalities that are guiding their actions and opinions. You can determine that from the very start of the game, which makes it almost impossible to truly relate to them, even with their lack of engagement in the story.
Because of this, the supporting cast often overshadows the main protagonists. This is especially true for Garl, Valere and Zale's childhood friend, who often acts as their voice of, well, everything, with his abundant positivity and extrovertedness.
Even after a certain point in the story, where the protagonists could have taken the spotlight for themselves, its reins are instead taken by Serai, the mysterious assassin who joins your party halfway through the game. To be fair, she does enjoy an incredible, if somewhat jarring, "big reveal" (more on that later) that justifies her taking center stage. However, it does lead the two protagonists to remain in a position more akin to a supporting cast than being the game's main characters.
Opening Sequence Lacks A Captivating Hook
Most good stories start with a strong opening hook. Its purpose is to take a firm grip on its readers right from the start, ensuring they will be much more willing to continue reading (or in this case, playing the game). While the power of a story's opening hook isn't always telling of the overall quality of its plot, it certainly helps create a lasting impression on its readers. To apply this to games, you can think of it as "does the game's first few hours not make me want to play another game?"
Unfortunately for Sea of Stars, its opening sequence leaves much to be desired. Nothing is gripping, striking, or even unique about its "prologue." In a way, it even loses to some slice-of-life stories, since the latter compensates for the lack of a good opening hook with an attractive or original premise, something Sea of Stars also lacks. It's an incredible shame since these kinds of stories where the world is in peril (what's new at this point?) often have limitless potential for creating engrossing opening hooks.
A Somewhat Jarring Late-Game Theme Change
In consideration for those who do not appreciate spoilers, I'll try to word this section as vaguely as I can (even though the header image might give it away, regardless), especially considering that the story of Sea of Stars hinges quite a lot on this reveal.
At around the last quarter of Sea of Stars' main campaign, the crew will be forced to chase the Fleshmancer, creator of the evil abominations that threatened their lands, to a world where he has set up his main base. The world resembles the protagonists' world in many ways, including the existence of Solstice Warriors who fight with the blessings of the Sun and Moon.
However, there's a distinct difference between that world and theirs. That difference is quite significant, since it changes the entire feel of that section of the story compared to what you might have gotten used to.
For some, it might be a shocking turn of events. After all, it had never been hinted at before arriving at that point. This may be particularly true for those who have yet to learn about the studio's ARG (Alternate Reality Game) on their Discord server, where the story of Sea of Stars was shaped.
Regardless of what you may feel about the level of appropriateness of its development, this rather abrupt change in themes, which has been done in several other games, is a bit of a double-edged sword; it could take your interest level for the game's story to another level or turn you off of it completely.
Sea of Stars Overview & Premise
Sea of Stars follows the tale of two Children of the Solstice. These unique individuals are capable of combining the powers of the sun and the moon to perform Eclipse Magic, the only known power able to fend off the monsters of the Fleshmancer.
There to assist them in their adventures are Garl, a warrior with a penchant for cooking, and Serai, an assassin who can use portals to move in and out of the field. Together, they embark on a journey to defeat the remnants of the Fleshmancer's monsters and investigate the evils that past Solstice Warriors have sealed.
Who Should Play Sea of Stars?
Sea of Stars is Recommended if You Enjoy:
• Chrono Trigger
• Gale of Windoria
• Wild Arms 2
Fans of RPGs from the bygone era of the 90s and early 2000s will definitely like Sea of Stars. It's a proper homage to those games, with its incredibly polished gameplay, visuals, and a slew of novel mechanics that will engage any turn-based RPG enthusiast.
Is Sea of Stars Worth It?
It’s Not A Long Game, But It’s Worth The Price
A complete playthrough of Sea of Stars would take anywhere between 20-25 or so hours, depending on how well you can adjust to each situation in the game. To obtain the True Ending, you can easily add around five hours of gameplay into the total. I, for one, completed everything after about 32 hours, primarily because I have massive skill issues. For an RPG, that's… not a lot, actually. It's on the lower end of the spectrum when it comes to the total number of hours you can spend on it, even at that price point. And while more game time doesn’t always mean a better game, you should also consider that you’ll spend all that time going through a cliched plot and two dull main characters.
But still, it's not a bad deal at all, considering how well it plays and how great the side characters you meet are.
How Sea of Stars Matches Up to Recently-Released Games
| Games That Came Out Recently | Why Get Sea of Stars? | Why Get the Other Game? |
|---|---|---|
 Armored Core 6 |
Sea of Stars is a great RPG for those who prefer the traditional isometric experience. Its turn-based combat mechanics are polished and fun, with many challenging fights that will entertain you for hours on end. | Armored Core 6 is a wondrous entry for the Armored Core series, with gameplay mechanics and difficulty levels tuned by FromSoftware's vast experience with the series and its other titles. It's definitely an excellent choice for action-loving mecha enthusiasts. |
 WrestleQuest |
The characters in Sea of Stars are attractive bundles of personality that anybody, regardless of their preferences, would enjoy interacting with. Its combat mechanics are deep, complex, and demand a level of attention and forethought that exceeds that of WrestleQuest. | If you're a big fan of professional wrestling, it's a no-brainer. WrestleQuest takes everything you love about the borderline wacky scenarios of the sport and turns them into gameplay features you'll love. |
 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre |
Sea of Stars appeals to RPG lovers who love story-driven games. It's much more relaxing, allowing you to spend hours in the game on end. And unlike the co-op experience of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, you are actually working toward a grand end goal. | For a gritty survival experience that can be played in short bursts with your friends, look no further than The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. It's fun, suspenseful, and ridiculous, just like the movies that it strives to depict. |
How Sea of Stars Matches Up to Similar Games
| Games Similar to Sea of Stars | Why Get Sea of Stars? | Why Get the Other Game? |
|---|---|---|
 Chained Echoes |
Sea of Stars offers far more freedom in combat and exploration, allowing you to grapple and fly into almost every crummy corner of the map or onto the unsuspecting backs of enemies. It also has a far more complex battle system, demanding a lot of planning and consideration. | Chained Echoes is a very traditional turn-based RPG tuned to the next level. It allows you to adjust the difficulty on the fly, effectively manipulating just how hard enemies come at you in the middle of battle. Its story is also better than the former, which any story-loving player would appreciate. |
 Chrono Trigger |
Basically Chrono Trigger with a brand spanking new coat, Sea of Stars is an experience that anybody who has played the SNES classic would come to love. | Chrono Trigger is one of the classic masterpieces of RPGs that people, even today, tend to remember fondly. It innovated many aspects of the genre, such as the concept of New Game+, which accompanied an incredible gameplay experience and masterful writing. It truly is one of video game history's timeless (get it?) classics. |
 Gale of Windoria |
With excellent freedom and a deep combat system, Sea of Stars differentiates itself from its competitor with an action-packed experience despite using a turn-based gameplay. | Get Sea of Stars. Gale of Windoria not only suffers from a story worse off than Sea of Stars' standard fare, but its characters also lack the colorful personalities that the former offers. |
Sea of Stars Trailer
Game8 Reviews
Sea of Stars Product Information
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| Title | SEA OF STARS |
|---|---|
| Release Date | August 29, 2023 |
| Developer | Sabotage Studio |
| Publisher | Sabotage Studio |
| Supported Platforms | PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch |
| Genre | RPG |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | Everyone |
| Official Website | Sea of Stars Website |
