Sea of Stars (2023)

This title is a beautifully crafted homage to classic 16-bit JRPGs like Chrono Trigger and Golden Sun. Its pixel art is stunning, filled with rich detail, dynamic lighting, and smooth animations that make every location feel alive. The soundtrack, composed by Eric W. Brown and featuring contributions from Yasunori Mitsuda, perfectly complements the game’s nostalgic tone while offering memorable melodies that elevate key moments. Particularly speaking this all may not sound like a big deal, but when it comes to the atmosphere and overall artistic value of this title, this is one of the best out there solely because of it's presentation and OST.

The turn-based combat adds modern twists to familiar mechanics, such as timed button presses, combo attacks, and a “locks” system that encourages strategic thinking. This mechanic feels a lot like the ones you see on Mario RPG on the SNES or the Paper Mario on the N64 platforms, it is very satisfying and simple enough to make it engaging. Exploration feels rewarding, with optional activities like fishing, cooking, and puzzle-solving breaking up the pace of the main quest. The world design strikes a balance between linear storytelling and moments of freedom that invite curiosity, especially because it uses things like a world map to explore, with a lot of obviously hidden secrets out in the blue for you to try and find a way there.

However, the narrative and character development don’t always reach the same heights as the game’s presentation. This is especially bad because Garl exists, he is so much more charismatic than the rest of the group that it feels unfair. The protagonists are likable but somewhat shallow, and the story’s pacing can feel slow in the early hours. Customization is also limited, with few ways to meaningfully alter your party’s abilities or combat approach over time, though this is a good thing if you prefer focusing on the other elements despite the simplistic combat.

Despite these flaws, this game succeeds as a heartfelt and polished tribute to a beloved era of RPGs. It captures the charm and warmth of its inspirations while offering enough refinement and flair to stand on its own. This is a must-play for anyone who misses the magic of classic adventures told through pixel art and music, especially if you are a fan of the classics. I consider this one of the best RPGs that I've played, but I just can't say "of all time" due to some rough edges, and I know a lot of people ended up disappointed way more than me.

This title also lives inside of the same universe as "The Messenger", and it shows, you get immersed on a lot of it's elements if you are familiar and played this one (which I immensely recommend), and it is a nice nostalgic experience. In my opinion, this title is quite amazing, very few games can tackle the challenge of making simple enough RPGs, with good enough elements. Overall it doesn't blow you away in any of it's aspects, but the sum of the elements makes up for an incredible experience. It has some shocking events through the journey but I won't spoil anything since it would ruin the experience.

10/10 J’ai hésité à mettre 9 parce que un peu facile et un peu long des fois (genre les combats sont répétitifs), mais vas-y c’est un gros 10 pour le endgame qui est ultra plaisant, hyper sympa, l’histoire est trop cool sans être complexe pour autant, non franchement j’ai voulu redonner une chance au RPG tour par tour avec celui-là, et je ne regrette pas du tout. Et puis QU’EST-CE QUE C’EST BEAU PUTAIN !! Et les MUSIQUES SONT FOOOOOLLES

UPDATE : mais quand même toutes les ref a The Messenger c’est génial, + l’easter egg absolument super a la fin

Pas le 100% (genre pas tous les succes), mais 100% de choses faites.

Sea of Stars is a throwback to SNES era JRPGs. It's seeking to capture the magic of Chrono Trigger, and largely it succeeds.

Sea of Stars looks and sounds incredible. There is amazing attention to detail in the world, the maps, and the aesthetic. Overall, just great.

The characters in Sea of Stars are fantastic, with distinct personalities, roles, and a little development over the course of the game.

The story is passable. I think this is one of the slight stumbles of the game. The story itself is relatively basic, following a predictable structure, and involving a lot of quests that don't always connect. There are moments it rises to greatness, particularly in the ways it depicts some of the more emotional moments, with dialogue-free cut scenes.

However, overall, I think the story is merely good, while most of the rest of the game is great.

I love the use of turn-based gameplay. I personally don't like the active button clicking in combat. I am both bad at it, and I think it interferes with the ways I like to play turn-based games. But, the systems in place work well and provide interesting challenges and choices to the player. Most people I think will love it.

Overall, the gameplay was great. I do think at times the skills and progression of your team can feel a bit off, with long gaps of little change, and then suddenly a new character joins and the whole rotation adapts. For some people this might be a bonus, but for me it did mean a few periods of the game started to feel repetitive.

A final note, I think the length of the game is perfect. You get a meaningful, and enjoyable story, in under 30 hours. If you want to experience the whole story, you get some solid rewards in game, and probably some story changes (I don't know I didn't do this). I loved that this game respected my time, no dungeon over stayed its welcome, the combats were less frequent, but tougher making my play sessions flow nicely.

Overall, if you are a RPG fan you owe it to yourself to try this Indie Gem. It lives up to the hype.

Sea of Stars is an ode to classic RPGs. I’m over 30 years old, and when I was about 10, I had access to some JRPGs from the SNES era. I happily played Breath of Fire, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI, Secret of Mana, etc. I believe there is nostalgia and fondness when we think about these simple yet remarkable works, which might explain why some people adored Sea of Stars, while others considered it a good game but not as bold or robust in its proposal.

Storyline

The game’s storyline is quite simple and straightforward. I won’t include any spoilers, but it’s set in a world with an Order that takes in babies born during the solstice period. Those born during the summer solstice are sponsored by the god Solen, while those born in the winter are sponsored by the goddess Luana. Solen is the solar god, and Luana is the lunar goddess (as we can deduce from their names).

In this context, Zale and Valere are born. It’s not very clear what they are, but they are treated as twins, suggesting some sort of sibling bond, even though there’s a months-long gap between their births. This implies either they don’t have a conventional birth (perhaps created by some deity) or were born to different women, but they are considered “chosen ones” destined to become Solstice Warriors.

In summary, there’s this Order of Solstice Warriors that trains these special children born during the summer and winter solstices. These children are left in the city of Mooncradle by the Great Eagle. It’s the warriors’ duty to fight the monsters in the world, which, if left unchecked, could become world-destroyers.

This is the spark for a series of adventures involving many allied characters who join the journey. The world is full of islands, and players will experience sea voyages to various locations throughout the story.

In the end, it’s safe to say that Zale and Valere go far beyond what conventional Solstice Warriors have done. They face numerous situations involving loyal allies, betrayals, many trials, disappointments, etc., before managing to overcome the desperate plight of their world (and others).

Gameplay

The game’s combat is reminiscent of Super Mario RPG from SNES, as the techniques allow you to press a button to increase damage if pressed in sync with the attack’s hit. There are combos between characters, evoking the style of Chrono Trigger. You can unlock additional combos as the story progresses, but you need to stay alert because combos are found in chests scattered around the world. Like many RPGs, the party can consist of three warriors, while others stay in reserve. The difference here is that the game allows you to switch characters during combat, which helps rotate injured characters or shift tactics depending on the enemies. This is useful due to a lock system (slightly reminiscent of Octopath Traveler) during enemy spellcasting. As long as the enemy has these locks, their defense is much stronger, and attacks won’t work properly.

Movement is smooth, and I didn’t encounter any gameplay issues. With practice, things improve. There isn’t a minimap or similar system. There’s a map, and you can even be guided to the next tasks by a star that appears on an unknown island or location on the map, but it’s not like modern games with a sidebar menu showing where to go and what to do, like a mini-summary of active quests.

Achievements

The game has achievements on Steam and other platforms. I played on Steam (I initially started on Xbox Game Pass, yes, I had to start over, even recovering my save file) and found most of the achievements plausible. Generally, you need to do things like fish all species of fish at least once, beat the Wheels minigame champions in towns across the world, collect all items, etc. I stopped when I was only missing one achievement, which involved defeating 10 bosses with a relic activated. This achievement is easier to obtain in a NewGame+, and since I already replayed everything due to my migration from Xbox Game Pass, a third consecutive playthrough was too much for me, even though I really enjoyed the game.

Note: There was an update in November 2024, a free DLC from the developers. I stopped playing, but I’m very excited. There are also new achievements, so let’s see later how to pursue them.

Graphics

The graphics are stunning. It’s a cartoon-like effect with other visual enhancements that left a great impression on me. I believe many games are returning to this style of graphics, like Hades, Octopath Traveler, etc., exploring visuals from a time when games were simpler but more fun. Realistic graphics aren’t always synonymous with more enjoyment; on the contrary, they can be demotivating because video games aren’t just about imitating reality—they’re about being well-crafted works of fiction.

Music

I loved the soundtrack. Besides Eric W. Brown and Vincent Jones, there were some tracks with special participation from the legendary Yasunori Mitsuda, the very composer of Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross. It’s always great to have quality music in more recent works alongside the legendary classics embedded in many players’ imaginations.

Final Thoughts

I understand the game may not appeal to all audiences. I believe players over 30 years old, like me, are more moved by the work. I saw many people saying the story is simple, the game isn’t very challenging (I believe it can be since you can adjust the difficulty by using or not using relics), etc. As a husband, father, and full-time worker, I spent 50 hours practically completing almost everything in the game. So, 50 hours of life for someone in my situation is still a lot. There’s an entire generation of adults who can’t dedicate 120 hours to video games, and there’s also the factor of getting tired of them. I realized I enjoyed simulation games and now sometimes play them to relax (e.g., Flight Simulator or Euro Truck to enjoy beautiful landscapes). That’s my profile, though it may not be everyone’s, even those my age. However, having an extremely nostalgic and high-quality work is enough for me to give it a 10/10. Congratulations to Sabotage Studio for such a well-made and lovingly crafted game.

The graphics are pretty but the gameplay is interesting then becomes annoying late game.

But my main problem with this game is made by people who really love chrono trigger but do not understand why chrono trigger works well. They only remember the main story beats and cool moments not the little moments that built those big story beats that allowed those story beats to work.

Chrono trigger ain't my favourite game I think better rpgs have been released since its debut however this game really made me want this studio to be responsible for a remake of chrono trigger where they are not allowed to touch the script at all. I went in expecting a simple story and this was...sure an attempt a simple story. This is a first draft on a simple story by someone who clearly is not a writer tried, they just didn't really succeed. My complaints are not uncommon so i won't dwell on them in a review that no ones going to read most likely.