If there was ever going to be an unbiased review of Sea of Stars, this would be it. Although I have returned to a few classic RPGs as an adult, I didn’t really play them as a kid. My turn-based roots branch exclusively from Pokémon games. And even now, despite watching a few walkthroughs to completion on YouTube, I haven’t actually beaten a beloved RPG like Chrono Trigger or Golden Sun on my own. (This is nothing against the games by the way, just new games coming in for review that made me stop part way in and I had not returned). Furthermore, I haven’t played The Messenger, the debut game from developer Sabotage Studio. So everything I’m about to say is from the perspective of someone looking at Sea of Stars for what it is in execution, not influenced by love for the genre or the developer.
Sea of Stars follows Zale and Valere, two kids who were delivered on a solstice by the Great Eagle, destined to become Solstice Warriors. After years of training, they set out on what they expect to be a fun adventure with their best friend Garl. What they get is an expansive 26-hour journey alongside new friends and old enemies. In the best way possible, Sea of Stars feels like playing an entire anime. I compare it to something like Fullmetal Alchemist, where the adventure has one definitive end goal, but along the way, there are multiple arcs full of auxiliary objectives and smaller characters. While I am sure the fact that I took regular breaks between story beats added to the effect, it’s due in large part to the excellent writing. The narrative is expansive but it’s also necessary and the way it all comes together in the third act is incredible.
One thing I like to do after reading a long book or playing a lengthy game is to think back on the journey. Where the characters started, where they went, and where they ultimately ended up. I won’t go into any spoilers here, but I didn’t expect Sea of Stars to go in the direction it did. Hours after I thought the game couldn’t possibly surprise me, it still did. This twist is done so cleverly due to the bread crumbs left around pointing towards small twists that distract you from the bigger ones yet to come. There’s a certain “shift” in the game in the last act that I not only didn’t see coming but also very much enjoyed in its execution.
Along with what I said already, another reason why Sea of Stars can make you feel like you’re playing as an anime protagonist is the power fantasy. Thinking back to the start of the game, where young Zale and Valere are aspiring to be stronger and dreaming of adventure, then to ten hours later, where they were seemingly getting everything they hoped for, and finally to the end of the game, you get to really appreciate what they’ve gone through, and what they’re capable of. There’s also plenty of anime-like parenthetical “could it be” and “that power” talk but witnessing them live up to that hype and then some is a delight. I know I’ve been vague about the story (and I’ll continue to be so for the rest of this review) but that’s only because I want to preserve the surprises this game has in store.
While the cutscenes and dialogue are engaging enough on their own, the gameplay is just as good. Your time playing Sea of Stars will be split between exploring different levels and taking part in turn-based combat. The level design in Sea of Stars is fantastic. Progressing through the story in the game often means solving some sort of puzzle utilizing both context clues and the powers at your disposal. Each area is crafted with the player’s experience in mind to encourage exploration and minimize backtracking. Nearly every location is densely packed with detail and hidden (sometimes in plain sight) are chests containing better equipment for your team and Rainbow Conches for trading.
Then there’s the combat. You might see the turn-based tagline and think it’s a game where you pick your attack and then sit back and relax, but that is not the case. Sea of Stars makes a few twists to the normal formula and those changes require your full attention. When your character attacks, pressing A (on Xbox) right as they hit the target will get you a second bonus attack to do more damage. Similarly, when your character is being attacked, blocking by pressing A (on Xbox) right before the hit will reduce the damage taken. Those two things alone are enough to make the turn-based combat interesting, but there are also additional abilities, like Valere’s moonerang, for example, which you can parry repeatedly over and over again to keep attacking. There’s actually an achievement for bouncing it 25 times in a row but I’ve seen a clip on the Sea of Stars subreddit where someone hit over 100.
On top of that, nailing the timing will also build your combo meter, which brings two different members of your team together to perform a special move. In the late game, that same combo meter will display when you can use an Ultimate as well. There are a variety of different combos to use and the Ultimates are all (for lack of a better word) really dope with each character getting their own specific animation followed by an attack that does a ton of damage.
You thought I was done talking about combat? Nope. There is one more thing to cover and that is the lock system. As you fight, enemies will cast locks, which can be identified by the box over their heads. These will display a combination of things from a hammer and sword to the sun and moon. Below that box, there is also a stopwatch. Now the stopwatch is on every enemy and counts down the number of turns until an enemy attacks. But in the case of locks, it marks the number of turns until an enemy uses a special ability. It’s always in your best interest to break a lock before the number hits zero. To do this, you have to attack with the items displayed on the lock. If it’s a sword, you need to attack with a character like Zale and if it’s the moon, you need to use one of Valere’s abilities. There are other lock combinations, but I am keeping it basic to avoid spoilers.
All of those mechanics combined make Sea of Stars the most engaging turn-based game I have ever played. Combat can at times feel like solving a puzzle as you swap out characters based on abilities and plan out the best order of attack to break a lock and deal the most amount of damage. The mechanics in the game are certainly inspired by the likes of Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy, but it’s hard to deny their effectiveness in execution. Sea of Stars puts the control in your hands in a genre that’s more often than not known for the opposite.
I want to briefly mention cooking here because it is essential in keeping your team healthy. As you explore the levels, you will see shimmering food products like tomatoes and wheat. You can use these to cook recipes at a camp or any fire. And while sleeping by those fires does top off the team’s health and mana, when you’re on the go or in between fights in an area full of enemies, it’s handy to have food available so that you aren’t sending characters to fight with 20 health. The cooking is pretty straightforward. You naturally find recipes as you play and if you have the right ingredients for it, you can select the recipe you want and hold down A to cook it. (No timed button presses needed). You can hold up to ten in your inventory at one time so stock up whenever you find a fire.
I will admit without shame that one of the reasons I haven’t been able to finish old JRPGs is because I am bad at them. They don’t have any difficulty options and I eventually get to a boss who just beats me down so mercilessly that I cannot progress. And I will be honest, I feared I would come to a similar place in Sea of Stars. That’s where Relics come in. These in-game items can be purchased at certain vendors and act as toggleable buffs and debuffs. The Sequent Flare relic, for example, shoots up a rainbow star when you time a move correctly, giving players like me, who need a more visual indication of success, just that. Meanwhile, the Amulet Of Storytelling is for players who want to really focus on the story and not worry about combat, giving them 100 extra health points and automatically healing after each combat encounter. I experimented a lot with the Relics and, though I still had bosses that put me through my paces, I liked knowing that I wouldn’t be stuck if things got too frustrating.
I have written (perhaps exhaustively) about the overall gameplay loop, but players wanting more will be happy to know the game is ready to indulge. There are water holes around the map where you can go fishing, secret bosses to discover and take down, as well as a totally original mini-game called Wheels to play. Wheels can be found in most of the taverns in the game and you can play it either casually for fun or competitively for additional pieces. I won’t go into the nuances of it, but on a surface level, Wheels is played by two people, each with two pieces on the board. Each player has 10 hitpoints and they spin a set of five wheels to either do damage to their opponent or build up defenses to block attacks. These side activities (or the side quests for that matter) aren’t necessary but they give more depth to the game’s world.
If you have seen any clips (or even screenshots) from the game, you will not be shocked when I say that Sea of Stars is gorgeous to look at. This may be the best-looking RPG of its kind and the love the developers have poured into it can be seen at every corner. Everything from the world to the characters is wonderfully designed with the sprites especially showing a lot of personality in animation alone. There are plenty of small details, like the way the water ripples behind a boat or the light emanating from certain objects, that aren’t noteworthy on their own, but when paired with everything else make for a game that often made me go “damn” as I played. What’s great is that the game manages to do all this (and look this good) while still sticking to its isometric influences.
The audio is just as noteworthy throughout the game. Eric W. Brown, who previously worked with Sabotage Sudio on The Messenger, has composed some beautiful tracks for Sea of Stars. Joining him this time around to compose ten of those tracks is Japanese video game composer Yasunori Mitsuda, known for his work on Chrono Trigger and Xenoblade Chronicles, among others. The tracks, regardless of who composed what, are all great for their respective location in the game, and, without spoilers, the way the music evolves after the “shift” is cool too. Everything from the combat music to sound effects is very fitting. The note of sound effects carries over to the menus, which all have satisfying navigation noises.
As we get to the end of the review, you might be wondering if I had any gripes at all with the game. Well, I do have two small ones to address. The first is that at times the game can be self-aware, taking a second to jab a joke at the genre that it so clearly adores. These moments, delivered primarily through the pirate Yolande, often took me out of the experience and worked against it more than for it. Some people may not find it as distracting, but for me, it was self-aware to it’s detriment. The other thing is that I think the game has some pacing issues in the second act. Again, some people might not find this a problem if they are very into the gameplay loop, but as someone who had a great interest in the narrative, I think the game takes a bit too long to get to the awesome Act 2 closer. However, and thankfully, everything past that point is smooth sailing.
Sea of Stars is a gorgeous love letter to classic JRPGs. It tells an expansive story backed by excellent writing. The turn-based combat is engaging with their use of fun mechanics that reward precise timing. Boasting striking visuals and beautiful music, Sea of Stars, much like its colorful cast of characters, is incredibly charming. While I did have some issues with pacing, and at roughly 25 hours to credits, it can feel a bit long, I do not hesitate in recommending this game. Sea of Stars is available now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The game is also available on PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass. And if all that is still not enough to convince you, then you can download the demo and play it for yourself.
