izigame.me

Overview

RPGs are complex games and they are difficult to make. RPG fans, like me, are unusually very demanding. The classic, turn-based formulas were slowly abandoned by bigger developers in search of a wider audience. The torch is figuratively passed to smaller teams with lesser demand for ROIs. The resurgence of the classic JRPG has brought us many excellent games and one of them would be Sea of Stars. At least that was what I thought when I saw this game for the first time. In August 2023, Studio Sabotage entered into the foray of the RPG world with this game, and it was received with such an overwhelmingly positive reception. My experience, however contrast the general reception of the game. here is why

Gameplay

The players begin by choosing Zale or Valere as the main controllable characters. This is a purely inconsequential choice, as they can be used interchangeably a few hours into the game.
Zale and Valere are Solstice Warriors, born respectively at the zenith of the sun and the moon solstices. They wield the sole magic that can destroy maleficent creations of the evil Fleshmancer called Dwellers, which have plagued their world for eons.
After extensive training since childhood, both warriors are ready to graduate as full-fledged warriors. This serves as the initiation for the players as well, and the first dungeon teaches us how to overcome obstacles in this world. Upon regaining control after a lengthy cutscene, the effort Sabotage put becomes apparent, starting with the movement. It is unbelievably dynamic yet straightforward, and each character is animated with such life and personality. For instance, when crossing a tightrope, Valere balances calmly without losing her posture, while Zale sways slightly left and right. I appreciate these subtle ways of conveying the characters' temperament. They can also jump, fall down, and mantle ledges, emphasizing the vertical and layered level design even in the tutorial dungeon.
Enemies roam throughout the dungeon floor, and touching them initiates combat without transitioning to another screen. Sea of Stars employs a timing-based combat system. Pressing the prompted button at the right moment strengthens your attack and weakens the blows you receive from enemies. Regular attacks restore your MP, allowing characters to use various skills with different button prompts for extra oomph. For example, Zale’s fireball can be held until it reaches the optimal size and then released for extra splash damage.
Damage dealt and received will charge a combo meter. When filled, two characters or more can unleash powerful combos that deal multiple damage types at once. The game cleverly uses these attack types and elements beyond the usual rock-paper-scissors formula. When enemies start their big attacks, “locks” appear above their heads.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3138998485
This system integrates seamlessly with the active timing combat. This means you can break the locks in just one turn with the right skill and timing. This is where the game’s core mechanic lies: rationing MP, managing the combo meter, health, and using abilities at the right time are the rules of the game’s engagement.
So, what’s the problem then? The issues arise later in the game, where I feel like the combat hasn’t evolved beyond the basics. Sure, the party will grow, and you will gain new skills, but the activities with those skills and combos aren’t that interesting for two dozen hours. There are no buffs, status effects, or synergies. In the end, you’re just attacking and healing. The lock and interrupt system get barely more complex because while there are more elements and attack types, the basics stay the same throughout 50 hours of playtime. There are also random elements where, when the battle begins, you will get some complex locks where you won’t have enough combo meter to cancel enemies' attacks. In the end, there is only one sure way to “get good” at this game: mastering the block timing of enemies' attacks. Maybe this is the intended way to play it, and there are various kinds of attacks and enemy types, each quite different from another. The problem, at least for me personally, is the lack of tactical depth I want from turn-based RPGs. Combined with the lack of an option for running away from battles, and some combat encounters are difficult to avoid makes the mid to late game especially frustrating.
Character growth is another problematic element of the game. Every level up, you have the option to raise a stat point on top of predetermined stat growth. That means later on, each character will have their specialization in the party, yet it never happened. For example, you want to make Garl a tank because of his high base HP and defense. Yet you cannot pick to increase his HP every level up; instead, the game roulettes four stats out of eight (whether this is random or predetermined, I don't know), so there’s no truly specializing by consistently increasing a certain stat on a character. It just results in a frustrating illusion of choices.

Story

I feel the same way about the storytelling of this game. The true dullness hides behind the facade of a promising hook and beginning. Without saying too much, the most obvious example of bad writing is how the plot progresses using multiple, very specific prophecies given to the team in early to mid-game. Prophecies are a tricky plot device that requires finesse so it doesn't turn out cheap. The writers definitely lack the finesse required.
What frustrates me the most is the ending, AND the true ending of the game. To access the true ending, one needs a few extra boring hours of tracking a few dozen collectibles that require backtracking and, to my disappointment, it doesn't really add a meaningful layer to the story, just adds extra frustration on top of everything.

Technical Issues and Bugs

Specs: RTX 3080, Ryzen 3700x, 16GB RAM, 1440p
The game is very polished. No problems at all, at least not ones I noticed. It runs well on both my main PC and potato laptop.

Graphics and Visual

This is the aspect where Sea of Stars truly excels. Oh god. The pixel art. The animation. Everything is just beautifully made. I have never seen modern shaders and lighting features put into pixel art so well. During sunset, the light effect would paint the terrain bright, orange hues, and buildings, trees, and rocks cast proper shadows that dynamically move with the sun and moon’s position. There is an insane amount of effort in animation too, especially the bosses where some of them would look progressively more wounded as the battle drags on. The locales and dungeons are varied, each populated by unique monsters. This is the aspect where the game truly shines.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3138996960

Audio and Musicl

There is a similar amount of care put into the soundscape of Sea of Stars. The music is quite varied enough, and they are enjoyable to listen to. The sound effect of spells, enemies, and their various movements and attacks are very well done to accompany their excellent animation.

Conclusion

It’s very difficult to judge this game. It is not a straight-up bad game; I know Sabotage truly put everything into this game, and their passion and care show in multiple aspects of the game. It is just playing through this that frustrates me greatly because of the design and narrative choices they managed to put in the game. This is just the perspective of an old grognard though. I can see why the game is hugely popular and glad it achieved this success. What I hope is they use this opportunity to iterate on some of the weaker aspects of the game in future projects.
Would I personally recommend buying this game? Not at full price. Not if you think my complaints are valid for you, but at a discount? If you think the critiques don’t bother you much, yes.