Sea of Stars Reviews
A welcome homage to JRPG classic Chrono Trigger and one of the best-looking 2D games of recent years, even if it's not really doing anything new.
In true Sabotage fashion, Sea of Stars faithfully captures the nostalgic appeal of retro turn-based games while improving upon its systems with contemporary innovations. The witty, self-aware dialogue and charming cast of characters are bolstered by thoughtful design choices and a compelling narrative. Sea of Stars is an instant classic that retro RPG fans and newcomers alike will not want to pass up.
Sabotage Studios blends aspects from Super Mario RPG, Illusion of Gaia, and Chrono Trigger to create Sea of Stars, its largest RPG yet. It incorporates combat quirks like timed hits and dual attacks that force you to pay attention way after you’ve selected a move, and keeps encounters exciting with the diverse enemies throughout the colorful, pixelated landscapes. All that, plus respectable storytelling, make it the best indie RPG that I’ve played this year.
Sea of Stars manage to stand amongst its inspirations as a fantastic role-playing experience. Beautiful graphics and a fairly charming story are joined by creative turn-based combat and mind-bending dungeons, making for an incredibly fun adventure. With so much to love, one can only hope that Sea of Stars will go on to inspire other games as well.
From the beginning of the game to the end credits, I loved Sea of Stars. It has an engaging combat system, gorgeous pixel-art graphics, a large variety of intriguing side content, and a fantastic plot featuring a charming world, likable characters, and crazy twists that I didn’t see coming. If you grew up playing JRPGs in the 1990s or are a younger fan who likes JRPGs in general, then I guarantee you’ll love Sea of Stars.
This homage to classic Japanese RPGs picks from the best to create something original, and its rich, engaging world makes it feel like a classic in its own right
Sea of Stars is an old-school JRPG, cut on modern molds, which because of its dragging and template solutions turns from a fun adventure into a routine work.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Sea of Stars is a Vergil for all the Dantes that want to explore the Hell and the Heavens of JRPG. Sabotage Studio learned from the genre's master, but took away the boring grinding part giving life to something very catchy to play.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Sea of Stars is more than just an excellent turn-based RPG that pays homage to the greats. The gameplay choices it makes turns the game into a must-play for fans of the genre, while the story is suitably charming for RPG aficionados. This is far more than simply a prequel to The Messenger, and is a tremendous achievement in its own right.
Balance is important, so I searched high and low for something to cite as could-be-better. I found nothing. Lovingly crafted by Quebec City’s Sabotage Studio, Sea of Stars is quite a departure for the team responsible for The Messenger. It’s a risk that’s resulted in one of the most beautiful, heartfelt, and well balanced RPGs I’ve ever played.
Overall, Sea of Stars is immensely enjoyable from start to finish. While it's been inspired by various classic RPGs, it sets itself apart with an engaging story, some brilliant characters, and surprisingly deep lore. On top of that, the combat is great fun thanks to its involving, strategic mechanics, and exploring the gorgeous pixelated world is rewarding. It isn't perfect, but it overcomes any flaws with its charming presentation, a world ripe with things to see and do, and no shortage of personality.
I freaking loved Sea of Stars, from its adorable graphic style to its heartwarming story Sea of Stars is a sure-fire hit. Even the times I ran into glitches and bugs I still enjoyed my time within its world. Sabotage studios already proved the pedigree of their studio with The Messenger but I fully expect them to level up with the release of Sea of Stars. With its enjoyable story, utterly fantastic musical score, and beautiful pixel world if you are a fan of RPG’s this one is NOT to be missed!
Sea Of Stars is an excellent, retro-inspired RPG that I would recommend anyone play, with feel-good characters, intricate and engaging combat, a stunning soundtrack, and beautiful world with a wonderful sense of adventure, friendship and love. While the story doesn't break any molds, its characters are all charming and endearing, to the point where I feel like I'd follow them to the ends of the world and beyond.
Sabotage Studio has accomplished its grand vision. With a mission statement of “creating definitive editions of the game genres we enjoyed as kids,” not only have they tactfully paid homage to their inspirations, but through a number of dazzling new ideas, they’ve now left an indelible mark on the JRPG genre. Sea of Stars is a modern classic.
Top tier storytelling, environmental puzzles, and exploration make Sea of Stars a must play for RPG fans. Though the combat system wears slightly thin after a while, the rest of the game is absolutely stellar. Colorful, funny, and packed full of memorable characters and moments, this is a game that is not to be missed by RPG fans.
Sea of Stars is a vibrant, beautiful RPG that's packed with gameplay conventions from yesteryear, but it has enough flair to stand out from its inspirations.
Sea of Stars rejects the abundance of content at all costs and offers a memorable journey, which could have dared a little more on the narrative front, but lived by characters that we could not fail to appreciate.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Sea of Stars in short, is the indie surprise of the year, it is that game that makes us relive the past and invites us to travel a colorful, captivating world, from which you do not want to detach at any time. When a game is made with love, affection, dedication and a lot of effort, it is when we can fully appreciate it, we are facing a masterpiece and in my humble opinion it is the best of the year, you should not miss it, whether or not you are a lover of JRPGs.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Sea of Stars is much more than just a tribute for games like Chrono Trigger and Golden Sun. Sabotage created a truly special RPG experience that deserves to be considered as a GOTY contender.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Sea of Stars successfully modernizes and builds on the traditional 2D pixel RPG game and proves how such a genre has the potential to thrive among the saturated market hype for realistic games through beautiful storytelling, engaging gameplay, and brilliantly written characters.