Sea of Stars launched with much fanfare on 29th August 2023, one of the most hyped indie games of the year. An instant classic, there’s a lot to love about this RPG.
It’s a loving homage to SNES era 16-bit role-playing games such as Chrono Trigger (1995). Yet it’s also packed with fantastic modern gaming sensibilities and new ideas, make it a thoroughly engrossing experience. Hurray to that!
Sea of Stars is an Instant Classic
Developed by indie team Sabotage Studio in Québec of Canada, Sea of Stars is available right now on all consoles and PC (Steam etc.).
It’s a big step up from Sabotage Studio’s last game. That was The Messenger (2018), which was a great Metroidvania… one curtailed somewhat by an idiotic difficulty standard.
Sea of Stars balances that difficulty with features to make life easier for those who want that, namely in the form of a health regeneration system after each turn-based battle.
This makes the game infinitely more accessible for all gamers (as opposed to just diehard RPG enthusiasts).
A fantastic decision, as Sea of Stars is a total gem. This is very possibly the best indie game of 2023 so far—a magnificent ode to classic SNES era RPGs. It nods to the likes of the glorious Secret of Mana (1993) and Final Fantasy VII (1997) from the PlayStation.
We write “nods” as this game very much has its own identity.
What it does so well is build on those excellent gameplay foundations of the 1990s. All with modern gaming sensibilities and other flourishes—one of the reasons indie games work so effectively compared to the often dreary, overblown budget world of AAA titles.
Anyway, here’s the first 30 minutes if you fancy a shufty!
Plot wise, the game stars the heroes Valere and Zale. They’re Solstice Warriors (kind of like Jedi Knights, but with fewer light sabres) who must set out on an epic quest to stop an evil dude called the Dweller.
They’re one-eyed chef friend Garl joins them as the battle to restore all that is RIGHTEOUS and TRUE to the land.
With the two characters, you get some fancy features going on (such as the ability to turn day to night). Behold!
In classic RPG style, you’ll also power up your characters as the Sea of Stars experience unfolds and you defeat plenty of enemies.
The turn-based battles with enemies are largely good fun.
However, as with many RPGs of the ’90s, these can drag on a bit and slow down gameplay. They can get repetitive and you often can’t get around them and have to wage battle to progress. That’s one of the few downsides to the game.
But bloody hell, away from that the attention to detail here is exquisite. The areas you traverse are multi-layered—varying paths, collapsing platforms, inching along cliff faces etc. Things we’ve not seen in an RPG before and additions that bring the game to life.
That includes how you can pick plants to cook dinner for health boosts. And the intuitive equip system to empower your unit.
At its core there’s also the clever flow to dungeons, which is on the level of the likes of Nintendo’s A Link to the Past (1992). It’s a very impressive achievement.
Away from the gameplay side, the most immediate thing is the gorgeous pixel art style. This is a homage to the 16-bit SNES era, just advanced with many more details.
The game looks outstanding—just at the Coral Cascades (a very peaceful area of the game to just chill out and explore).
Areas like that are just a total joy to be in. You don’t want to leave! Much like the game, which lasts for 20+ hours and leaves you wanting much more (in a good way).
The gaming press has, on the whole, been swept along by the title. Nintendo Life gave it 9/10, the Guardian 5/5, IGN 8/10.
We’re in the 9/10 camp, for sure, Sea of Stars is a wonderful RPG.
We’d also argue Sabotage Studio has now launched itself to the forefront of indie games. With this and The Messenger under its gaming belt, it’ll be impossible to ignore its future projects.
As on the basis of Sea of Stars, this talented team is right in the top-tier of the very best indie game studios. Congratulations on this most glorious effort.
Yes, Sea of Stars Has Another Excellent Indie Game Soundtrack
https://youtu.be/It6P4dIoAIs?si=y9wwVCZxoWWFefi_
There are many excellent indie game soundtracks (as we’ve documented on this blog over the years). And now there’s another one, courtesy of composer Eric W. Brown.
Brown enlisted the help of Yasunori Mitsuda, Vincent Jackson Jones II, and Reece Miller for this extensive work.
Notable amongst them is Mitsuda. He’s the Japanese legend responsible for the music on Chrono Trigger and many other RPG classics.
SNES era RPGs such as Secret of Mana are legendary for their amazing music. Any retro-styled RPG like Sea of Stars needs one just as good to prove its worth.
With Mitsuda on board, there was no chance it was going to fail. Here he is discussing his approach to the project.
One of the many reasons we appreciate Sea of Stars is Sabotage Studio is aware of the love out there for video game music.
The studio has gone out of its way to provide video demonstrations from the musicians involved. It’s quite rare indie devs do this, so it’s fantastic to see their processes for recording a soundtrack.
Musician Reece Miller, for example, was brought in by the team to work on the acoustic versions of the game’s pieces.
Other pieces actually drift from old SNES style ditties into modern styled video game soundtracks.
The Zenith Academy being an example, with the music gradually transitioning to more advanced themes (including an organ and other orchestral swells).
https://youtu.be/z1cugeei7OQ?si=l87X862b8DAbqwpu
A fine piece of work overall that’s been complimented by many a gamer already. We like the balance between a homage to those legendary ’90s RPG masterpieces.
All whilst stamping a new identity over the music. Sea of Stars indeed.
