There’s something genuinely endearing about playing what is clearly a labour of love. The minds at Sabotage Studios are clearly massive fans of the same RPGs I grew up playing in the 90s and early noughties. But Sea of Stars is no mere nostalgia grab — it’s a love letter that looks to modernise a franchise that occupies a very special place in many gamers’ memories.
You play as either Zale or Valere, the children of the Summer and Winter solstice, respectively, and commander of solar and lunar magic, respectively. The two protagonists are the last of the Solstice Warriors — magic wielders tasked with taking down the Dwellers — remnants of the reign of an evil alchemist, The Fleshmancer — and the monsters left in their wake.
The conceit here is that the Dwellers can only be harmed during an eclipse, and are otherwise immune, invulnerable, and incredibly powerful. Zale and Valere essentially live to train, and train to rid the world of evil during the brief window of opportunity that these eclipses bring.
At this point you’re probably wondering if your choice of protagonist has any bearing on the story — other than some basic flavour during certain interactions and controlling the sprite at the head of your party, there is no difference. Zale and Valere are inextricably linked, and any puzzle that requires one can be done by the other. This is simply a nice point of personalisation. It’s also worth noting that while Sea of Stars is technically a prequel to the Sabotage’s previous game, The Messenger, this has absolutely no bearing on the experience either.
So, with your holy mission in mind, Zale and Valere set off on their 30-hour retro romp across the world, supported by a colourful cast of characters, from the excitable Warrior Cook Garl, to a party of pirate musicians. The brilliance of the world-building really shines through in this pixel-art, turn-based RPG that is heavily inspired by the likes of Golden Sun, Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy.
The art direction here is phenomenal, from the immediate looks of the platforms you find yourself exploring to the panorama behind you as you climb mountain after mountain, trail after trail. Exploring the world is incredibly morish, too, as you walk, swim and climb your way around the map.
The level design, on that note, is also surprisingly dense — at times it feels like you’re exploring a Zelda-level dungeon, with how much stuff has been packed into this game. If anything, it feels like the game may be a little too big for gamers who are time-poor, but when that’s the worst you can say about a game, you know you’re onto a winner.
And on the subject of time, the importance of the sun and moon carries through to the game’s dynamic lighting system. Some doors and puzzles are only unlocked by using sun and moonlight to your advantage. As you solve these, it’s impossible not to admire the stunning quality of the visuals as night seamlessly blends into dawn, day and dusk. Sea of Stars looks spectacular.
Unsurprisingly, combat is a big part of this turn-based RPG. Every attack (yours and your enemy’s) is dynamic; think of it as a secret QTE, where hitting the right button as you attack or block will deal extra or take less damage. It’s not essential to the game, but like the Perfect Reload in Gears of war, it makes for an all-round more satisfying combat experience.
Beyond that, you have all of the usual combos, type weaknesses and such that you would expect from a game of this ilk. The only thing that you might expect that is noticeably absent is summons, but that’s not really to the detriment of the game, just a weird expectation that after years of Final Fantasy and Golden Sun, now seems to come with the genre.
Combat for the first half of the game is rather quite satisfying, but to paraphrase a famous RPG villain, you shouldn’t mistake the stars reflected in the pond for those in the night sky. What starts out as compelling quickly gets stale when you realise that you’ve seen the entire depth of combat. Equipment is limited (in both number and ability), and while while your playable characters — of which there are six — do pick up new combos and abilities, you need to build your combo bar before can actually use them. It’s a real shame that the combat, by the end of the game, can feel a little lacklustre and shallow.
Sea of Stars is more than just climbing and fighting though. Each town has its own little secrets, from mini quests to hidden items and — if you’re lucky — a tavern where you can play Wheels.
This steampunk mini game is basically an RPG slot machine battle. Your slots (wheels) govern how your two game pieces upgrade and attack, and how your defences are raised to protect your crown (life total). It’s a surprisingly in-depth mini game, though it is frustrating how you can only upgrade your game by winning championship matches against those who have vastly better wheels and figurines than you. My harshest criticism of the game has to be that Wheels rarely feels fair, which in turn can make the mini game — one of my favourite parts of any RPG I play — feel less than fun.
