Sea of Stars has lots going for it. A love letter to classic pixelated 90s JRPGs it plays with tropes and makes tongue-in-cheek nods to genre conventions while, at the same acknowledging dated game design standards with quality of life-fixes.

To put it bluntly, you're in the target demographic if the campfire scene in Chrono Trigger is permanently seared onto your retina.

Lovely presentation, and a wonderful cast of characters aside, Sea of Stars' stand-out feature is its take on turn-based combat. Learning to time your attacks and blocks for extra damage output/defense boost is a variable, as well as "breaking locks"; i.e. disrupting powerful spells by performing a specific combination of attacks under a limited amount of turns.

Add the ability to switch party members mid-battle, and you've got a combat system that keeps you from zoning out. In fact, the game encourages you to use spells and special abilities frequently (and not, as I'm sure most JRPG players are accustomed to, to hoard your MP/SP for the next potential boss), as regular attacks always earn you back a small amount of mana.

It's a shame then, that the story doesn't stick to the landing, with an ending that feels a little rushed and unfocused. So much build-up, and so many fun twists and turns (like the “Old mentor”-character, basically saying "NOPE!" halfway through the game, opting out for a quiet country-side life instead) that eventually led up to a pat on the back.

From what I understand, this is by design as Sabotage Studios' previous game The Messenger is set in the same fictional universe. Which is fine, I guess. I just wish it felt self-contained, though. Lore is left unpacked, plot threads are left dangling. Even completionists who run through every optional side mission might want to brace for the resolution (or lack thereof). As the final credits roll up you're left with a bitter-sweet feeling of sequel bait, all too familiar in fictional worlds that go all-in on multiversal shenanigans.

Sea of Stars has lots going for it. A love letter to classic pixelated 90s JRPGs it plays with tropes and makes tongue-in-cheek nods to genre conventions while, at the same acknowledging dated game design standards with quality of life-fixes.

To put it bluntly, you're in the target demographic if the campfire scene in Chrono Trigger is permanently seared onto your retina.

Lovely presentation, and a wonderful cast of characters aside, Sea of Stars' stand-out feature is its take on turn-based combat. Learning to time your attacks and blocks for extra damage output/defense boost is a variable, as well as "breaking locks"; i.e. disrupting powerful spells by performing a specific combination of attacks under a limited amount of turns.

Add the ability to switch party members mid-battle, and you've got a combat system that keeps you from zoning out. In fact, the game encourages you to use spells and special abilities frequently (and not, as I'm sure most JRPG players are accustomed to, to hoard your MP/SP for the next potential boss), as regular attacks always earn you back a small amount of mana.

It's a shame then, that the story doesn't stick to the landing, with an ending that feels a little rushed and unfocused. So much build-up, and so many fun twists and turns (like the “Old mentor”-character, basically saying "NOPE!" halfway through the game, opting out for a quiet country-side life instead) that eventually led up to a pat on the back.

From what I understand, this is by design as Sabotage Studios' previous game The Messenger is set in the same fictional universe. Which is fine, I guess. I just wish it felt self-contained, though. Lore is left unpacked, plot threads are left dangling. Even completionists who run through every optional side mission might want to brace for the resolution (or lack thereof). As the final credits roll up you're left with a bitter-sweet feeling of sequel bait, all too familiar in fictional worlds that go all-in on multiversal shenanigans.