Developer – Sabotage Studio

Publisher – Sabotage Studio

Platforms – PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (reviewed)

Review copy given by publisher

Indie developer Sabotage Studio is no stranger to the retro-inspired indie game scene, as their first project The Messenger served as a nostalgic nod back to the Ninja Gaiden series. But perhaps you first heard of this small team of developers from their upcoming title Sea of Stars, a turn-based role-playing game that draws heavy inspiration from classic JRPGs such as Chrono Trigger. Sea of Stars has garnered fanfare since its announcement, and for justifiable reasons too, thanks to its grand musical score from legendary Yasunori Mitsuda and its stunning visual presentation.

If you haven’t played the free demo that has been out for almost half a year now (go play it!), or just haven’t been in the loop about the game, here’s a brief recap. Development of the project took roughly 5 years, with the initial pitch starting back in 2018. The game was supposed to be released last year back in the holiday season of 2022 but has been delayed by nearly a year and pushed back to August 2023. Finally releasing and seamlessly blending nostalgia with innovation, this indie gem takes players on an interstellar journey that is as captivating as it is pixel-perfect.

Sea of Stars follows the journey of 2 young heroes, Valere and Zale, known as Children of the Solstice, who are destined to save the world from an ancient cosmic evil known as The Fleshmancer. Joined by their loyal and best friend Garl, the team sets off on a perilous journey to fulfill their destiny. The narrative wastes almost no time setting the context and immediately hooks you in with well-crafted characters and a story filled with twists and turns. Every main and side character carries a certain amount of emotional depth that you instantly connect and empathize with.

Gameplay boils down to what you might expect in a traditional turn-based role playing game, but Sea of Stars does add a bit of its own flair to mix things up. First off, exploration is elevated from your typical flat 2D up and down, left and right movements because this game features a degree of 3D-ness in its environments. You can climb up and down walls, jump in and out of rivers, and shimmy across ledges. These refreshing traversal options allow the developers to play around more with the level design and hide even more secrets behind hidden areas. That being said, sometimes it is hard to tell the 3D effects apart from the flat ones given the game is still rendered on a 2D plane, as I had some trouble recognizing that something was supposed to be a platform when I thought it was just a wall.

For the most part, the dungeon and level design is impressive, and the game effortlessly blends puzzles within environments. As you progress further into the story, you gain almost Metroidvania-like tools that allow you to access previously unreachable areas, such as a grappling hook! The puzzles sprinkled throughout were never too difficult but also not flat-out easy. The developers expertly employ clever color based combinations or block pushing mechanics to provide riddles that often reward you handsomely with gear.

Combat is also a bit more than your classic turn-based affair. Sea of Stars utilizes time-based button presses to either dish out extra hits or take reduced damage from enemy hits. There are no difficulty levels but the game does offer excellent accessibility options known as relics, which provide certain advantages during combat. These include visual cues that signify if you timed an attack correctly or not and the option to heal back to 100% after every combat encounter, which significantly reduces the difficulty of the game, but also renders food items useless.

Certain party member’s skills also have unique interactive elements, such as Valere’s boomerang attack which has you precisely timing button presses every time her attack bounces back to her. As you perform normal attacks or block enemy attacks, you charge up a combo meter that then can be used for special multi-character skills. Regular attacks expel magical energy orbs on the ground that can then be absorbed by subsequent characters to enhance their next move. This all might seem a bit overwhelming at first, but the game does a great job at pacing you into it, and there’s even a helpful “How to Play” section that reminds you of things you may have forgotten.

Perhaps the most important thing to learn is the game’s signature Lock system, which forces you to be more strategic about which moves to use and which enemies to attack in order to succeed. All enemies can dish out what can be considered their ultimate move from time to time, as signaled by a number and a bunch of symbols. Clear out all the symbols with the correct attack type and you will completely negate that particular enemy’s special move. This is especially pivotal when facing ants. Yes, you heard that right, ants. The ant’s special move is to summon 2 more ants, so if you don’t want to face an infinite army of ants, then I advise you to break their locks immediately!

At the end of the day, the combat system isn’t the most groundbreaking, but the meshing together of several different elements provides an engaging experience. Combat encounters are mostly required, for better or worse, unless you find a way to outrun an enemy on the field. If an enemy spots you, it will either attack you with a ranged move or come sprinting at you. The biggest complaint I have about the fighting is the lack of an escape or retreat option. A lot of the time I don’t want to fight another 2 ants and 1 bandit, but the game forces me to as it’s extremely difficult to avoid combat, and impossible to leave it once you engage in it. There’s also no 2x speed or auto-battling option, and some battles can drag out for tens of minutes, as you have to sit through the same animations over and over again.

On the progression side, it’s pretty standard and typical. You gain experience points at the end of every battle, and level up each character individually. After each level-up, you can choose an extra stat to further level up, such as Physical Attack, Magical Defense, Health Points, or Mana. Every party member can be equipped with a main weapon, armor, 2 rings, and 1 amulet. Better gear can be bought in shops or through exploration, but nothing can be leveled up and there isn’t a crafting system. You do recruit more party members as you push further into the story, but only a maximum of 3 can be on the field at a time, meaning the extras have to be put on the bench.

Thankfully the game provides some nice change of scenery from the constant exploration and battling. Yes, there’s fishing in this game, and it’s quite simple to pick up! You throw your line out and have to follow the path of the fish to reel it in without breaking the line. There’s also an extremely fun mini tabletop game known as Wheels, which has you deploying different figurines on a board to attack the enemy’s base. It’s the little things like these that break up the monotony of normal gameplay.

The most stand-out feature of this game from a glance is its impeccable pixel art style. With graphics that evoke the magic of classic 16-bit role-playing games, Sea of Stars pays homage to the nostalgia of our childhood while leveraging modern technology to deliver a beautiful visual spectacle. The fluid animations, vibrant and colorful environments, and attention to detail in character designs bring the game world to life in a way that feels refreshing yet familiar. The full on dynamic lighting feature truly pushes the limits of 2D pixel art games and allows for a more immersive experience while traversing through different environments. It feels like every nook and cranny of the game was handcrafted with love and care.

Accompanying the gorgeous pixel graphics is the remarkable musical score, composed by Yasunori Mitsuda, who worked on both the Chrono and Xeno series, and Eric Brown. From this alone, you already know the music is going to be a bop. The soundtrack, composed of beautifully crafted melodies and atmosphere setting tunes, elevates both the emotional impact and overall experience of the game. I would often find myself just letting the game idle for several minutes so I could enjoy the background music. Given that this is an indie game, there is, unfortunately, no voice acting, as all dialogue is read through text bubbles. Even the occasional fully animated cutscenes aren’t voiced, which is a huge opportunity missed.

In a day and age where most modern games charge outrageous prices, Sea of Stars is available for a humble price of $34.99 and is available on all platforms. Heck, it’s even going to be on Game Pass and PlayStation Plus on day one! This review was done on the PlayStation 5 native version, and I have nothing bad to say about it. Load times are lightning fast and I never saw a single frame drop.

Sea of Stars is more than just a video game; it’s an enchanting journey that captures the essence of what makes RPGs beloved by gamers of all generations. Sabotage Studio has crafted a masterpiece that effortlessly balances nostalgia with innovation, creating a world that players will want to explore and protect. With its compelling narrative, stunning visuals, engaging gameplay mechanics, and unforgettable music, Sea of Stars is a celestial gem that deserves a place in every gamer’s collection.