User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 271 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 52 out of 271

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  1. Sep 3, 2023
    5
    When I play Pixel retro games I compare them against my experience playing other graphical similar games from the ps1 aera. This one would be a mid ranking game of that time. While the sea of stars is solid I didn't find anything special enough about it when compared against games made 20 years ago. No voice acting, standard story beats, okay characters. Sea of stars was missing modernWhen I play Pixel retro games I compare them against my experience playing other graphical similar games from the ps1 aera. This one would be a mid ranking game of that time. While the sea of stars is solid I didn't find anything special enough about it when compared against games made 20 years ago. No voice acting, standard story beats, okay characters. Sea of stars was missing modern advancements that could have made it more than a mid tier game that could have been made over 2 decades ago. When compared against final fantasy 7 8 or 9, suikoden, xenogears, parasite eve; sea of stars doesn't shine as bright. Expand
  2. Aug 30, 2023
    7
    It's a nice, funny game, with excellent art, and an excellent soundtrack, but there's a lot of missed potential on the mechanics/combat system, and it definitely gets repetitive and you kind of lose interest halfway through just asking yourself, is it worth it?
  3. Sep 3, 2023
    0
    The game is slow and boring with nothing to highlight except for the soundtrack
  4. Sep 6, 2023
    3
    No es un juego horroroso, pero tampoco nada especial, los gáficos estan bonitos y es soundtrack está ok, las historia es muy lenta y el combate se hace repetitvo demasiado pronto.
  5. Aug 31, 2023
    4
    Just finished the game, including all the post game content, true ending etc.

    For the first half, I was definitely enjoying myself. Sure the writing is bad, the story is boring and the characters are.. yeah. But whatever - the game was making up for that in spades with it's charm, beautiful graphics and the combat still felt fresh and interesting to me. Traversing the world was
    Just finished the game, including all the post game content, true ending etc.

    For the first half, I was definitely enjoying myself. Sure the writing is bad, the story is boring and the characters are.. yeah. But whatever - the game was making up for that in spades with it's charm, beautiful graphics and the combat still felt fresh and interesting to me. Traversing the world was wonderful, dungeons felt well crafted and I was excited for what would come next. The game promises you a lot in those first few hours.

    By the end though, unfortunately I feel like this is a 5/10 game at most. What you experienced in the first few hours of gameplay is what you will experience for the next 20 something hours, and it is painfully tedious.

    To break it down into points -

    Exploration.
    The game gives you this massive open world to explore, but all you can do is walk around. You aren't amply rewarded for going off the beaten path or backtracking when you have some new abilities to use. Everywhere is completely locked off and you are railroaded to do the main story for the most part. I wasted a good few hours exploring until I realised that it was best to just finish the story and just go back to get what I need for post-game content when everywhere is unlocked. There are no secrets to find or well hidden upgrades until the very end.

    Dungeons.
    As you progress through the game, you get more and more tools with the potential to make dungeons an interesting experience with varied, interesting puzzles. However, the puzzles seem to be made for people with a room-temperature IQ and end up mostly being variations of sliding some boxes across the floor repeated ad nauseum. Literally one of the "puzzles" about 70% through the game is a match the cards game with a whopping 3 pairs of cards. Massive wasted potential here.

    Combat.
    By far the worst offender. The combat by end game is mind numbingly boring. The main reason being that the game is just way too easy, the final boss is about as challenging as the first boss (so, not at all). You can just turn off your brain and just cast spells, melee attack to regain mana and heal throughout the entire game. Another issue is there is just not a lot of depth in the combat system. From about the 40% point onwards, you will be using the same strategy for the rest of the game. I think a big reason for this is that it relies solely on the typing + card interrupt system and nothing else. There are no status effects, no buffs, no unique gear choices or anything to bolster the base system so your experience at the very start of the game is going to be the exact same at the very end.

    In conclusion, Sea of Stars feels like it took the surface details of other classics such as Chrono Trigger and Golden Sun giving you a familiar feeling, but completely misses what made those games actually good. It's a hollow, boring, beautiful shell of an RPG
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  6. Aug 30, 2023
    2
    Good sound and art, but no more, story, dialogs and characters are trivial, gameplay is boring 2/10.
  7. Sep 5, 2023
    6
    The fact that it is a Western-made JRPG and the existence of a cut scene is worthy of high praise, but the character's development is monotonous and the story is unattractive.
  8. Sep 6, 2023
    5
    I'm glad to see, at the time of writing, that others feel there is something off about this game. I really enjoyed this studio's other game, The Messenger, so when I heard they were making a JRPG like Chrono Trigger, I was rather stoked. When the demo dropped over this past summer, I downloaded it immediately - and was left a bit disappointed. I knew they would have to cut certain featuresI'm glad to see, at the time of writing, that others feel there is something off about this game. I really enjoyed this studio's other game, The Messenger, so when I heard they were making a JRPG like Chrono Trigger, I was rather stoked. When the demo dropped over this past summer, I downloaded it immediately - and was left a bit disappointed. I knew they would have to cut certain features out for that, so I still held out some hope that the full product would lay my doubts to rest. Except they didn't.

    The graphics and music are all very well done and hearken back to the golden days of SNES JRPGs. However, the plot, pacing, and characters are all lacking. I feel like perhaps one of the reasons the game felt off was that there is a lot of telling, but not so much showing. Old JRPGs, you'd have the goofy character knocking things around or something like that. While there are some from other NPCs, the early cast of the game (before ultimately refunding) had their own personalities, but felt flat. The promise of it eventually getting better wasn't enough to keep me hooked. Hopefully this studio takes a crack at another retro style of game, as they do have a lot of talent! I think they just need to learn from this experience if they try for another JRPG; or hire a better writer and scenario planner.
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  9. Sep 10, 2023
    6
    After Chained Echoes who really understood what makes a good old school RPG, Sea of Stars is a disapointment.
    Visuals are incredible and the soundrack is nice, but that's pretty much it
    Pacing is really weird, chara development is nearly non existent and battles are legit awful and repetitive. I really wanted to like this game but whenall you're thinking is "Chrono Trigger was doing
    After Chained Echoes who really understood what makes a good old school RPG, Sea of Stars is a disapointment.
    Visuals are incredible and the soundrack is nice, but that's pretty much it
    Pacing is really weird, chara development is nearly non existent and battles are legit awful and repetitive.
    I really wanted to like this game but whenall you're thinking is "Chrono Trigger was doing this better 30 years ago", then it means Sea of Stars failed to do what it was meant to.
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  10. Sep 11, 2023
    5
    The beginning of the game starts promising. But after around 10 hours the story and dialogue get worse and worse. The battlesystem gets boring and annoying, you are using the same attack pattern as in the beginning of the game. The difficulty is WAY too easy. XP Scaling and leveling up feels not rewarding.
    I quit the game after 20h.
  11. Sep 8, 2023
    9
    Sea of Stars is a love letter to classic JRPG's like Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger with small inspirations from games like Octopath Traveler.

    This is a relaxing game with a great story and beautiful characters and art direction that everyone should experience, I can't wait to see what Sabotage Studio has in store for us after this game.
  12. Sep 10, 2023
    7
    Definitely overhyped.

    The gameplay and exploration are decent, but the progression is sloppy, rendering even the good mechanics boring and repetitive over time. The soundtrack is good, but nothing really memorable. Same goes for the graphics and technical aspects. It's a pleasant but not amazing experience on this regard. The story, however... it is a pile of trash. Poorly written,
    Definitely overhyped.

    The gameplay and exploration are decent, but the progression is sloppy, rendering even the good mechanics boring and repetitive over time.

    The soundtrack is good, but nothing really memorable. Same goes for the graphics and technical aspects. It's a pleasant but not amazing experience on this regard.

    The story, however... it is a pile of trash. Poorly written, shallow protagonists/villains and close to non-existant character development. A few funny dialogues here and there, but those were unfortunately rare exceptions rather than the rule.

    Though I support games like these being released (especially) by small teams. it didn't justify the hype received. The first hours were a blast, but it felt like doing chores not long after that.

    Comparing Sea of Stars with Chrono Trigger is completely exaggerated. Whoever says that is being fooled by their own nostalgia.
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  13. Sep 4, 2023
    6
    The funny thing about nostalgia is that it clouds our judgement and creates bias. Sea of stars very much does play the nostalgia gimmick by pulling things you loved from Chrono trigger, wild arms and golden sun but one thing it doesn't do is create originality. The one game I wish it pulled from is its modern peer chained echoes, with a depth to its story you don't see in a lot of NRPGsThe funny thing about nostalgia is that it clouds our judgement and creates bias. Sea of stars very much does play the nostalgia gimmick by pulling things you loved from Chrono trigger, wild arms and golden sun but one thing it doesn't do is create originality. The one game I wish it pulled from is its modern peer chained echoes, with a depth to its story you don't see in a lot of NRPGs (nostalgia RPGs) chained echoes took everything the classics did and amplified it. Sea of stars is a good game... Don't get me wrong but it also takes a solid 15 to 20 hours to have it's "lavos" moment. That moment when you see the depth of the bigger picture. 15/20 hours in to a 25/30 hour game for the "holy sh**" moment seems like too long.

    I have sea of stars 6 out of 10 because despite being born of the classics it's done nothing new for itself other then play the part of homage.
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  14. Sep 7, 2023
    5
    The writing is at a high school fiction level, with middle school grammatical mistakes. Chained Echoes had a writer but not an editor. Sea of Stars has neither a competent writer nor an editor at all. The art is gorgeous and the gameplay is nice (for the first couple hours) but repetitive. It's the same gameplay loop in hours 1-2 as it is in hours 25-26 of your playthrough. TimedThe writing is at a high school fiction level, with middle school grammatical mistakes. Chained Echoes had a writer but not an editor. Sea of Stars has neither a competent writer nor an editor at all. The art is gorgeous and the gameplay is nice (for the first couple hours) but repetitive. It's the same gameplay loop in hours 1-2 as it is in hours 25-26 of your playthrough. Timed attacks/blocks are ambiguous and unsatisfying. Very overrated and it shows critics may have only tested the game for a few hours. As you can see user score continues to go down. Expand
  15. Aug 30, 2023
    5
    A childish, naive plot. Standard mechanics. In my opinion, this game is overrated. I liked only the graphics.
  16. Sep 2, 2023
    2
    Another game ruined by a "Dumb down the game for me" toggle on settings... just put that "Tale Relic" in ON and you're invincible... What's the point of play the game?
    Dropped until they add some hard mode or something.
  17. Sep 2, 2023
    4
    Average game

    the amount of glow-up reviews im seeing just boils my blood ; either by fake bot accounts or ppl shilling HARD for this game ; the combat is fun for the first hour and then its very repetitive soon after ; im like halfway into the game and each character still only has 2 abilities with a very limited mana pool so you can only cast basically once each battle , theres team
    Average game

    the amount of glow-up reviews im seeing just boils my blood ; either by fake bot accounts or ppl shilling HARD for this game ; the combat is fun for the first hour and then its very repetitive soon after ; im like halfway into the game and each character still only has 2 abilities with a very limited mana pool so you can only cast basically once each battle , theres team attacks but you have to build up a meter to use them and usually the monsters are already long dead before you can even utilize them at all , basically for bosses its only useful for

    I felt at times I was mashing X to speed up the wall of text I was all too accustomed to not wanting to read to progress the story forward , theres no option to unequip items and accessories and amulets are very missable with areas becoming non-acessible once you've cleared certain story points ; at times it really feels like a playstore android JRPG game behind a 31 $ price tag when those games are for free or very low cost

    I really cant recommend with the limited content the game has , some ppl praise the combat system but really its very shallow and you'll get bored of it almost immediately , how does this draw inspiration from past games when this game has the look, the feel of something you can make out of RPG-MAKER on the Playstation? theres no sidequest, theres a couple of secrets sure but nothing too wow about it , npcs talk on and on and on to the point you just want to progress , the story was so forgettable or barely explained I honestly forgot halfway through what the end goal for the two characers was supposed to be and frankly its a narrative I hardly cared for ; its not worth 30$ for what it is with and that is a very very basic JRPG that doesn't even come close to the 90's JRPG its somewhere in the NES level of content of JRPG and even some NES JRPG's blow this game out the water in content , storetelling, and combat mechanics
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  18. Sep 1, 2023
    1
    The game it's ok, a nice soundtrack and a beautiful pixel art but the text speed is slow and the gameplay is boring with no depth at all.
  19. Sep 2, 2023
    0
    A game of which the only thing that stands out are the excellents graphics and art; a childish story with unbearable characters and slow combat without depth that gets very repetitive and boring.
  20. Sep 8, 2023
    8
    Stunning pixel-art graphics, a smooth turn-based combat system with different combat mechanics and levels that you can explore in real-time make for a great adventure.
  21. Sep 11, 2023
    7
    TL;DR version: Not as good as Chrono Trigger. Play that instead.

    Game is a mish-mash of systems from different JRPGs, but unlike those JRPGs, these systems serve no purpose in this game other than to just "be there." Just to say, "remember that JRPG you loved? We have that mechanic in this game yeahhhh." Music is not memorable like Chrono Trigger. Yasunori Mitsuda is in the credits, but
    TL;DR version: Not as good as Chrono Trigger. Play that instead.

    Game is a mish-mash of systems from different JRPGs, but unlike those JRPGs, these systems serve no purpose in this game other than to just "be there." Just to say, "remember that JRPG you loved? We have that mechanic in this game yeahhhh." Music is not memorable like Chrono Trigger. Yasunori Mitsuda is in the credits, but he must have composed only like 1 track for the marketing. Writing and story is god awful. Little to no attention to detail on the lore and worldbuilding either.

    The best thing I can say about this is the visual style, and that's what attracted me to it, but the more I play, the more disappointed I get. Puzzles are also average at best. Hit a lever, step on a switch, put the key in a hole; basic stuff. Nothing that will stimulate your IQ. Game is also woke, which is surprising for a JRPG, but it's a western developer we're talking about (Sabotage Studio is from Quebec Canada), so that's not completely off the table either. When you do a JRPG right, you can't be woke. Japan is a homogenous culture.

    Also, it's not challenging in combat either. Pretty brain-dead. If a character dies, will resurrect for free with 50% HP. So even if you're asleep at the helm, you would likely still win.
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  22. Sep 6, 2023
    10
    The game is beautiful. I have not seen or witnessed any error in it. The game is absolutely perfect
  23. Sep 4, 2023
    0
    After 15 hours played something "funny" happened. I got killed by some random birds and chose the option "continue" to keep playing. So the game loaded a file -who knows how -of a past saved game where I had been playing for just 4 hours-ish... Needless to say this means goodbye for me playing this game. Might check the ending on youtube. Thanks for making me waste that time...
    I wanted
    After 15 hours played something "funny" happened. I got killed by some random birds and chose the option "continue" to keep playing. So the game loaded a file -who knows how -of a past saved game where I had been playing for just 4 hours-ish... Needless to say this means goodbye for me playing this game. Might check the ending on youtube. Thanks for making me waste that time...
    I wanted to end it in order to have a complete opinion. But here goes nothing.
    (Clears throat)
    Nostalgia is a dangerous thing. Specially because it is all about what you understood of an entertainment product when your brain was not fully developed. And there comes the problem of this game. You just need a few hours to noticed how half-baked it is. Sea of Stars shows a colorful and attractive visual style... and that's it. It's OST is extremely overrated,it's combat system is too simple and repetitive and it's dialogues are far from funny or interesting. There's no dramatic weight whatsoever during the story, some characters make decisions completely out of the blue and only to make the story move on artificially. Let alone it has the most obnoxious, irritating, shallow character ever written in all fiction story. I'm serious, the main engine that kept me playing the game was the hope to see this character die alone in pain. Every like spoken by this character was worse than the previous. Just terrible.
    After wasting all these hours my only hope is that somebody reads this and decides not to play this game. Or at least waste their money on it. Thank the gods I played it on Game Pass.
    If you are thinking about checking it out, don't. Go play (or re-play) Chrono Trigger. Revive your own nostalgia. Don't let others try to convince you of their vision of what was cool, or funny, or moving, or epic, or just fun... this game is not.
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  24. Aug 30, 2023
    0
    Nice soundrack, thats it. Maybe pixelart is ok, but nothing more, really. Not gonna recommend it to my friends.
  25. Sep 8, 2023
    10
    Jogo maravilhoso principalmente para o pessoal das antigas, muito bem feito
  26. Aug 30, 2023
    10
    Necesitaba este juego para quitarme el mal sabor de boca de Diablo 4, gracias Sabotage Studio por crear algo de calidad y no algo mediocre como el 99% de juegos de hoy en día.
  27. Sep 6, 2023
    10
    Sea of Stars is clearly an RPG inspired by the games we had access to when we were young. Featuring great graphics even though it's pixel art, a jaw-dropping soundtrack even though it's 16-bit, thrilling battles for its turn-based look, and a story told with intensity and humor, it will appeal to "old timers" who have loved games like Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy IV, FinalSea of Stars is clearly an RPG inspired by the games we had access to when we were young. Featuring great graphics even though it's pixel art, a jaw-dropping soundtrack even though it's 16-bit, thrilling battles for its turn-based look, and a story told with intensity and humor, it will appeal to "old timers" who have loved games like Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy VI, Super Mario RPG, Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga and many more like these.

    Sabotage had one thing in mind: to offer an “old school” role-playing game and they more than delivered the goods with more than thirty hours of play to find everything.

    I've been saying for 28 years that there's no RPG game, especially in retro ones, that doesn't come close to Chrono Trigger because it had a great story, great fights, stunning visuals for 16 -bits and a soundtrack that kicks asses. Well, I have to admit that Chrono Trigger has finally been dethroned and what a pleasure to announce that it is, in my opinion, the best indie game of the year to date. I even want to see it as a Game of the Year Contender at The Game Awards this year.
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  28. Sep 7, 2023
    8
    As of writing this review I have 100%'d the game.

    Well made, enjoyable game with an overwhelming amount of effort put in. The game is slow paced and is fairly consistent from start to end and this can be both a good and bad thing Liked: + Stunning graphics and animations, this was the strongest part of the game + An impressive amount of love put in, everything feels deliberate and
    As of writing this review I have 100%'d the game.

    Well made, enjoyable game with an overwhelming amount of effort put in. The game is slow paced and is fairly consistent from start to end and this can be both a good and bad thing

    Liked:
    + Stunning graphics and animations, this was the strongest part of the game
    + An impressive amount of love put in, everything feels deliberate and even side content felt fleshed out, this can be applied to every point even the things i disliked
    + Late game side content was rewarding and interesting
    + Ingredients and cooking great system, and I prefer this to usual RPG consumables

    Mixed:
    = Almost every aspect of the game stays fairly consistent and does not evolve/change too much. Anything you like or dislike, you will feel the same way for the whole game, some things like combat became a bit stale over time as a result
    = Interactive combat means combat animations has to be slower, combined with generally slow story pacing means the game can feel very slow for some

    Disliked:
    - OST and sound design felt forgettable, credits to there being multiple versions of songs and ingame jukebox though
    - Minigames were weak. "Wheels" favored 1 strat throughout and fishing was extremely frustrating and dull until upgrades (which required fishing)
    - Felt lack of certain battle mechanics like buff/debuffs, dots etc

    Bugs:
    - Encountered a bug near water dungeon that sequence broke couple locations forward, got me stuck and I lost about 1.5 hours of progress
    - Sometimes in combat characters go off screen and makes it impossible to time actions since you cannot see them
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  29. Sep 7, 2023
    10
    I am so thankful for this games existence, a great throwback to games I loved growing up. Good combat, beautiful scenery and great characters
  30. Aug 31, 2023
    8
    If there's a game that pays homage to olden JRPG, the name Sea of Stars comes right into mind. From the art, combat and soundtrack, the game definitely took inspiration from games like Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana. The game has all the fun aspects that I missed from olden JRPG games and Sea of Stars has helped my craving for a good classic pixel rpg game.

    The game despite some of
    If there's a game that pays homage to olden JRPG, the name Sea of Stars comes right into mind. From the art, combat and soundtrack, the game definitely took inspiration from games like Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana. The game has all the fun aspects that I missed from olden JRPG games and Sea of Stars has helped my craving for a good classic pixel rpg game.

    The game despite some of its shortcoming such as story pacing and the story isn't as mesmerizing as other rpg games that came out this year, the combat feels fluid and the artwork is gorgeous, not to mention the person who helped to produce the soundtrack is none other then Yasunori Mitsuda and just like his other works, the soundtrack slaps in this game.

    If you're a fan of pixelated rpg games such as Chrono, Golden Sun and Secret of Mana franchise, I would highly recommend this game and I urge people who just want to play a solid rpg game to give this a try as well.
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  31. Aug 30, 2023
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Uma viagem nostálgica para quem gosta de RPG. Gameplay muito fluida e história bem interessante. A parte que achei ruim é que o jogo é relativamente curto. Expand
  32. Sep 8, 2023
    8
    Sea a Stars is a fun game to play. This is JRPG 2d sprites at it's best. The story really shines here. It is deep and emotional. Combat is turn based with some button trigger mechanics. Fast and fresh enough, it keeps you interested. You have some abilities for accessing some areas. A part I didn't like was no real fast travel to speak of. Or at least, difficult to get back to some places.Sea a Stars is a fun game to play. This is JRPG 2d sprites at it's best. The story really shines here. It is deep and emotional. Combat is turn based with some button trigger mechanics. Fast and fresh enough, it keeps you interested. You have some abilities for accessing some areas. A part I didn't like was no real fast travel to speak of. Or at least, difficult to get back to some places. Graphics are retro, but you have some nice 2d render and some nice surprises at times visually. No voice overs. The music is correct. Although I found the sound balance a bit weak regarding music. No bugs on PC. I give it 85%. Well done 2d game. I have finished in 26 hours. You get flying just before the final boss battle. The ending felt like a setup for another game. I hope we get another one. Expand
  33. Aug 31, 2023
    8
    Great story with master work of Pixel art and music, the old masterpiece is coming back, a classic JRPG legend!
  34. Sep 7, 2023
    9
    An absolute gem of a game. You can tell that it was crafted with love. The art style is beautiful, the combat is simple yet fun and the dialogue is standard JRPG (in order words it is decent with some cringe).

    If you are not a bitter basement dweller like our friend, Dash_Bannon, then I am sure you will have a great time with this little game if you have a few hours to kill.
  35. Sep 7, 2023
    10
    Nostalgia for turn-based RPG games is back with this great game, beautiful and well-crafted pixels, captivating characters, amazing story.
  36. Sep 1, 2023
    9
    So far, Sea of Stars is something interesting to play and one GOTY contender that is underrated to play.
  37. Sep 1, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Buena banda sonora diseño increíble y una historia que te invita a jugar una joya de juego Expand
  38. Sep 1, 2023
    10
    Es un juego maravilloso, tanto por diseño, jugabilidad, banda sonora... Era el final fantasy que todos estábamos esperando
  39. Aug 30, 2023
    10
    Really good game, amazing soundtrack, amazing art, amazing story, amazing gameplay. Just really good.
  40. Sep 4, 2023
    9
    Really good game. Loved the art style and mechanics. Made me miss the classics in the current era.
  41. Sep 6, 2023
    10
    O jogo é muito bom! Para quem gosta de RPG de turno, ele trouxe um game tão bom quanto os clássicos que conhecemos, uma gameplay mais inovadora (mas que foi inspirada/copiada de outros jogos) com pescaria, culinária, lutas um pouco mais dinâmicas pois te dão a possibilidade de boostar teu ataque e defender alguns golpes. Estava com saudades de um jogo assim!
  42. Sep 1, 2023
    10
    Sea of Stars is a captivating RPG that excels in storytelling and combat. The intricate narrative is a joy to witness as it unfolds, keeping players engaged throughout. With its charming pixelated visuals, the combat system oozes charm and excitement, making battles a thrilling experience. Don't miss this game if you're looking for a rich, immersive RPG with a unique visual style andSea of Stars is a captivating RPG that excels in storytelling and combat. The intricate narrative is a joy to witness as it unfolds, keeping players engaged throughout. With its charming pixelated visuals, the combat system oozes charm and excitement, making battles a thrilling experience. Don't miss this game if you're looking for a rich, immersive RPG with a unique visual style and engaging gameplay. Expand
  43. Aug 30, 2023
    10
    Nice Soundtrack. Wonderful pixel graphics and a good fight system. Good written characters and an interesting story.
  44. Aug 30, 2023
    10
    A beautiful RPG inspired by many JRPGs from the 16 bit era. Sea of Stars will mesmerize you with its thoughtful story, creative combat, and fun but not too challenging puzzles. This is a game crafted with passion and love for the genre, by people who are not afraid to follow through on their vision and goals and not sellout to making a profit.
  45. Aug 30, 2023
    10
    These are the games we have to support and the devs we have to protect. Thanks sabotage studio guys for this game. So far this is my indie GOTY.
  46. Sep 1, 2023
    8
    Very good. Solid in all the right areas, absolutely gorgeous pixel art design, tremendously endearing. The combat is unfortunately the weakest part of it, it never really evolves and it starts to get a bit repetitive past the halfway mark, but the game itself held my interest very well throughout.

    So yeah, very good. Not a game of the year contender, and not up there with the classics
    Very good. Solid in all the right areas, absolutely gorgeous pixel art design, tremendously endearing. The combat is unfortunately the weakest part of it, it never really evolves and it starts to get a bit repetitive past the halfway mark, but the game itself held my interest very well throughout.

    So yeah, very good. Not a game of the year contender, and not up there with the classics of the genre, but it's a brilliant homage and well worth your time and money if you're a classic JRPG fan.
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  47. Sep 3, 2023
    9
    I'm not finished yet, but from my experience about 15 hours in I love this game! It's challenging, it's rewarding, and the music is awesome!!! I played the demo a week after it was announced and it was such a joy, so I was ready to play it amongst release, and it has been nothing short of a pleasure to play. Even my stream was entertained with every puzzle and turn that came along the way.I'm not finished yet, but from my experience about 15 hours in I love this game! It's challenging, it's rewarding, and the music is awesome!!! I played the demo a week after it was announced and it was such a joy, so I was ready to play it amongst release, and it has been nothing short of a pleasure to play. Even my stream was entertained with every puzzle and turn that came along the way. I highly recommend playing this game if you enjoy RPGs at all. It's definitely a top 5 GOTY. Expand
  48. Aug 31, 2023
    8
    I have been enjoying my time with it as of right now. Nice music and art design. Story seems interesting as well.
  49. Aug 31, 2023
    10
    Habiendo esperando unos años por esta precuela lo vale totalmente. Su sonido y música dinámica de parte del compositor de Chrono Trigger entre otros juegos en conjunto de Eric (The messenger) lograron algo magistral. En cuanto a gráficos cada día me sorprende para bien la mejora técnica y manejo del pixel con iluminación y otra técnicas. El Gameplay ya de por sí está tan bien planteado, laHabiendo esperando unos años por esta precuela lo vale totalmente. Su sonido y música dinámica de parte del compositor de Chrono Trigger entre otros juegos en conjunto de Eric (The messenger) lograron algo magistral. En cuanto a gráficos cada día me sorprende para bien la mejora técnica y manejo del pixel con iluminación y otra técnicas. El Gameplay ya de por sí está tan bien planteado, la variada forma de combatir y el equilibrio entre ataques físico, mágicos y no mágicos hace que se siente bien jugarlo y además de ser adictivo para no perder la emoción. La historia pensé que iba a ser floja pero me lleve la agradable noticia que tiene el mismo tono de humor en ciertos segmentos a lo que ya había visto en The Messenger, y cuando se tiene que poner serio lo logra que hasta me hizo llorar gracias a la coneccion y amistad que tienen los personajes. Aún no lo eh terminado ya que voy 5 horas de juego y con tan pocas horas ya me hizo feliz. Pero acá no acaba, fácil con el desglose de reliquias, secretos y puzzles que probe en la demo nos indica que el juego completo debe ser una locura de varias horas súper entretenidas. Expand
  50. Aug 31, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Great story with master work of Pixel art and music, the old masterpiece is coming back, a classic JRPG legend! Expand
  51. Aug 31, 2023
    9
    Hablando desde mi experiencia, siendo este mi primera experiencia en un juego rpg por turnos, Sea of Stars es sobresaliente de principio a fin. Su estilo artístico y su música te atraparán desde el minuto uno, mientras que su historia y combate te mantendrán pegado a la silla hasta su desenlace final.
  52. Sep 10, 2023
    10
    This game blew my mind. Everything in it is perfect : the gorgeous look, the astonishing score, the clever combat mechanics, the moving story... It's definitely my 2023 GOTY and does a banging entry on my top 10 best games of all time. Ignore the (very few) bad comments : it's a masterpiece if you're even curious about turn-based RPG.
  53. Sep 4, 2023
    9
    Review só pra lembrar a nota que eu dei pro jogo:
    Jogo mt bom, agora só escrever pra passar dos 75 caracteres.
  54. Sep 5, 2023
    8
    Un buen Juego, que recuerda a los viejos RPG, me recordó mucho a Golden sun, pero si que tiene algunas cosas que podria mejorar, los poderes son muy básicos, tambien que había momentos que aunque hicieras mil cosas, te comías el daño de los especiales de los enemigos, algunos bosses son muy básicos, pero la historia y todo el universo es muy interesante, algunas cosas son poco intuitivasUn buen Juego, que recuerda a los viejos RPG, me recordó mucho a Golden sun, pero si que tiene algunas cosas que podria mejorar, los poderes son muy básicos, tambien que había momentos que aunque hicieras mil cosas, te comías el daño de los especiales de los enemigos, algunos bosses son muy básicos, pero la historia y todo el universo es muy interesante, algunas cosas son poco intuitivas como los momentos de acción de los personajes como, la lluvia de dardos de serai, no entendi como es atinar la mecánica o hasta que momento puedo usarlo, de resto es un muy buen juego Expand
  55. Aug 31, 2023
    10
    Amazing game full of the classic elements from the 90s rpg golden era but with a modernized feel, great story and surprising twists, beautiful ost. a must play. !!
  56. Aug 30, 2023
    10
    Quem curte um RPG de turnos com certeza vai gostar desse jogo. É como se fosse jogos antigos com algumas mecânicas novas. Recomendo.
  57. Sep 5, 2023
    8
    Magnifique jeu d'une beauté malheureusement trop souvent absente de nos jeux pixelart récents. Ce jeu est prenant malgré une histoire quelque peu bateau, et entendue assez souvent. Si vous hésitez à le prendre mais que vous avez le GamePass, n'hésitez plus et testez le via celui-ci ! Ce jeu est une pépite. A bon entendeur, foncez !
  58. Sep 7, 2023
    10
    Uno de los mejores juegos del año, buena historia y jugabilidad, merece la pena jugarlo.
  59. Sep 6, 2023
    8
    O jogo é bem interessante, pra quem gosta desse estilo inspirado nos antigos jogos do tipo vai se identificar
  60. Sep 5, 2023
    10
    INSTANT. CLASSIC.

    This could have easily stood out amongst the SNES-era RPG giants of the time had it released back then and it would also have been a childhood favorite. That being said, it STILL holds its own in 2023. I knew I was right to expect something great when this announced. The way you traverse the world in this game is so satisfying with its buttery smooth transitions into
    INSTANT. CLASSIC.

    This could have easily stood out amongst the SNES-era RPG giants of the time had it released back then and it would also have been a childhood favorite. That being said, it STILL holds its own in 2023. I knew I was right to expect something great when this announced. The way you traverse the world in this game is so satisfying with its buttery smooth transitions into gorgeous animations of jumping, sliding, falling, edging along a cliff, diving into a lake and so on. The game just stays so fun to interact with. Yasunori Mitsuda is still crushing it with music as memorable as Chrono Trigger and the many environments are beautifully scored. The combat system is engaging, letting partners even swap out members in battle without even taking a turn to do so or worse having to switch at a static location and as such feels very fluid and makes use of every character at any time removing the feeling that you aren't utilizing each character. While not so challenging of a game so far, it has its moments and the relic to bump the difficulty will be a welcome addition for veterans or it can be very friendly for newcomers. The story is actually phenomenal and executed beautifully. It is not filled with typical JRPG tropes en masse and even side characters are very entertaining or intriguing. The unfolding plot is as engrossing and as worthy as Chrono Trigger. I mean it. This is a great game that shouldn't be judged too quickly. The characters have adequately entertaining backgrounds and it all seems to work really well while letting the player fill in some of the gaps with imagination as you stroll along and each character has just enough spark to make them endearing along the journey and not overly simple or complex. My favorite area so far has to be the Marsh on Mesa, home to Yomara. Just wow. Beautiful environment and excellent scoring here. Sprawling and very fun to navigate. There are plenty of fun things to do in this game and even more ways to do them. There are so many secrets to discover, Easter eggs, a parrot that helps locate missing treasures in the world and even a very cool minigame called Wheels.

    I can't put this down and I'm already getting a physical copy for my switch when it releases next year. What a solid RPG. This game is truly great. Ignore the negative reviews and immerse yourself in this world and you'll find plenty to love.

    Also below, check out Jirard The Completionist on youtube's very emotional and intimate connection with the history of the game and Sabotage team.

    https://youtu.be/u9mBsmiXR0I?si=VTsJXJ3oDvIYvw8G
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  61. Sep 5, 2023
    10
    Eins vor weg. Die Musik ist so verdammt nervig. Aber das Game ist so detailverliebt. Einfach eine 10/10
  62. Sep 2, 2023
    10
    Great game 10/10

    + Pixelart is very good + Soundtrack is dope + Gameplay is unique and very demanding and rewarding (maybe to complex for the 0-2/10 warriors here) + Great story + Also beginner friendly with a lot of features you can enable to make the game easier for you (i recommend to NOT enable all the "easy" mode stuff like relics, because thats why people say its "way too
    Great game 10/10

    + Pixelart is very good
    + Soundtrack is dope
    + Gameplay is unique and very demanding and rewarding
    (maybe to complex for the 0-2/10 warriors here)
    + Great story
    + Also beginner friendly with a lot of features you can enable to make the game easier for you
    (i recommend to NOT enable all the "easy" mode stuff like relics, because thats why people say its "way too easy", i mean u dont need to be a genius to find out this is intended to help new players, its the same thing with FFXVI where u can equip items that automatically dodge for you etc. turn it off and ur good)
    + Lot of puzzles to solve
    + Lot of hidden stuff
    + Minigames

    Game is pure love. 10/10
    Dont listen to the
    Expand
  63. Aug 31, 2023
    10
    Un Jrpg a la altura de lo que los amantes del genero esperamos, dinamica de combates dinámica y adictiva, personajes carismaticos, una historia que engancha y escenarios preciosos
  64. Sep 1, 2023
    9
    Es impresionante! Un juego de este género siempre ha sido tema de comparación con Chrono Trigger y ha terminado opacado, pero Sea of Star es un juego que a pesar de las comparaciones es capaz de estar a la par y no quedarse atrás. Con un sistema de combate dinámico, un buen sistema de niveles, sistema de pesca (que trae recuerdos a Battle Chaser), minijuego, historia y todo lo que debe deEs impresionante! Un juego de este género siempre ha sido tema de comparación con Chrono Trigger y ha terminado opacado, pero Sea of Star es un juego que a pesar de las comparaciones es capaz de estar a la par y no quedarse atrás. Con un sistema de combate dinámico, un buen sistema de niveles, sistema de pesca (que trae recuerdos a Battle Chaser), minijuego, historia y todo lo que debe de contener para poder brillar con luz propia. Si bien recoge muchas cosas buenas y deja de lado bastantes malas, que han sufrido este tipo de juego durante años, han sabido conectarlas de manera ejemplar, y han dado cátedra de que juegos de este estilo aún son viables en el 2023! Sea of Star, creo yo, con el tiempo se le dejara de comparar con Chrono Trigger y pasará a estar a la par, e incluso me atrevo a decir que será el juego de comparación para con muchos de los venideros.
    Mi enhorabuena para los creadores del juego, han logrado crear una obra maestra para los juegos de éste genero!
    Expand
  65. Aug 31, 2023
    10
    Esse jogo é uma verdadeira volta no tempo, me senti da mesma forma de quando joguei Chrono Trigger pela primeira vez nos anos 90. Trilha sonora excelente, belos gráficos em pixel arte e jogabilidade muito refinada. Vale muito a pena dar uma chance para este jogo.
  66. Aug 31, 2023
    9
    Um jogo extremamente envolvendo, sendo convidativo até para os que não curtem o gênero
  67. Sep 9, 2023
    10
    Sea of Stars its a must play indie RPG and you should be minded some points. On the opposite way of moast recent games, the classic turn based its really something dated, unless if made it right. With good mechanics, a charming and intrigate story e lots of things to explore. Dont expect to play somthing innovative, but certainly expect to play a GOOD game. If you played THE MESSENGER andSea of Stars its a must play indie RPG and you should be minded some points. On the opposite way of moast recent games, the classic turn based its really something dated, unless if made it right. With good mechanics, a charming and intrigate story e lots of things to explore. Dont expect to play somthing innovative, but certainly expect to play a GOOD game. If you played THE MESSENGER and enjoyed like me, you will be served of a lots of references if you pay attention. Done 100% in about 40 hours, with is a good amount of time for me. Expand
  68. Sep 10, 2023
    10
    This game is a masterpiece. I love it in the way it give me just enough of everything. It starts with funny moments then grows into emotional scenes and ends with tear of fulfillment in my eyes. For a long time I did play a game and enjoy everthing including side-quests, mini games, even fishing (I hate fishing for most of the game)... I've missed those feeling since I completed ChronoThis game is a masterpiece. I love it in the way it give me just enough of everything. It starts with funny moments then grows into emotional scenes and ends with tear of fulfillment in my eyes. For a long time I did play a game and enjoy everthing including side-quests, mini games, even fishing (I hate fishing for most of the game)... I've missed those feeling since I completed Chrono trigger as a teenager. The battle neither hard or easy. It is a turn-base system but it adds a feature that you need to focus and think for every step you take. I feel so excited for beating every boss. I do not like grinding to level up (it waste too much time for repetivie actions), I like to beat the boss with the level I have when I follow the story. I failed sometimes, but I know I can win if I make better choices in the battle. There is no debate about the beautiful and colorful themes in this game, you an see it on the websites or just youtube. I also in love with the captivating OST. Just waiting for the moment that I can slowly dive into my favourite sound tracks and enjoy. There are also some lessons you can learn like what it means to be a normal person, a good friend and a good cook. LOVE IT SO MUCH Expand
  69. Sep 5, 2023
    9
    Un gran juego y sin duda de los mejores indies de lo que llevamos de año, un apartado visual precioso, combate por turnos clásico pero con un giro de tuerca que le da más profundidad, y una buena historia que cumple. El único defecto que se le puede encontrar es que puede llegar a ser algo repetitivo en algunos tramos, pero el juego es lo suficiente divertido para pasar esto por alto.
  70. Sep 10, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. So ein gutes Spiel, lange nicht mehr so viel Spaß gehabt. Man denkt ah jetzt ist es vorbei, bäm komplett neue Welt... einfach genial. Wer so spiele mag, wird es lieben Expand
  71. Sep 11, 2023
    2
    Trash Gimmick

    Sabotage lives up to their name . they took 7 years to develope this and delivered a turd of a finished project. Garl is insuffereable, the rest of the party have no identity , plot wise things just... happen.. without further explanation or followup; the combat is very very basic the only innovation is the moonorang ability blue haired chick has everything is is just
    Trash Gimmick

    Sabotage lives up to their name . they took 7 years to develope this and delivered a turd of a finished project.
    Garl is insuffereable, the rest of the party have no identity , plot wise things just... happen.. without further explanation or followup; the combat is very very basic the only innovation is the moonorang ability blue haired chick has everything is is just timing the button at the right time ; slow movement and tons of backtracking ; in order to get the True Ending a ton ton ton of backtracking is required to unlock it along with some very very hard minigames ; the story pacing is completely awful and at times you'll just be skipping walls of dialogue that dont seem to end and just go on and on and on; on top of all that I dont know about you guys but I hate puzzles in RPG'S the amount of puzzles you do in 1 dungeon is hair pulling and nerve racking ; you'll do 2-4 tedious puzzles EVERY dungeon some even more! and it completely takes you out of the element. the occasional one would have been fine but why did they think having multiple puzzles that range from simple but time consuming to medium difficult to solve and thought it would be ok??

    The character sprites are not even 16 bit they morely resemble something in between 10 bit -12 bit and dont reflect the jrpg's on the Snes ; think Neo-Geo graphics ; it doesnt even compare to the Snes titles of the Snes like Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Secret of Evermore, Breath of Fire, Illusion of Gaia and other Jrpg's that came out that era ; this game is trash worse than a story pacing that was placed on the NES with below cookie cutter story telling, tons of Grammital Errors, no side quests, 1 mini game in the form of a rigged wannabe Might & Magic ripoff that you'll spend hours trying to win at ; this game is an absolute dogturd and it took them 7 YEARS to make this filth ; yeah Sabotage is correct because they are Sabotaging your hard earned money of 31 $ when this game belongs on Google PlayStore for FREEE!!!!!
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Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 48 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 47 out of 48
  2. Negative: 0 out of 48
  1. May 13, 2024
    86
    Sea of Stars is wonderfully evocative of the RPGs of yesteryear, recalling strong memories of Chrono Trigger and the like. Gorgeous pixel art is backed up with a soundtrack that for the most part is very pleasant to listen to, even if some of the loops do tend to repeat themselves a little too quickly. It seldom distracts, and almost always adds to the scene.
  2. Dec 6, 2023
    60
    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.
  3. Nov 2, 2023
    90
    Sea of Stars will keep players on their toes for dozens of hours with a huge variety of locations, enemies, bosses, side quests, riddles and puzzles. I have always kept both Chrono games very close to my heart, and now Sea of Stars took place next to them.