Sea of Stars

 PlayStation 5
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 186 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 131 out of 186
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 186
  3. Negative: 44 out of 186

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  1. Skydog
    Sep 4, 2023
    5
    The good:
    - retro combat obviously influenced by Chrono Trigger and actually I'd say somewhat the older Final Fantasy games. Probably the best pro of the game.
    - Art style is really cool and actually makes it look modern Bad: - tons of spelling errors, nonsense word usage, and just bad writing overall. I've never witnessed such bad writing in my life in a game honestly. - The    The good:
    - retro combat obviously influenced by Chrono Trigger and actually I'd say somewhat the older Final Fantasy games. Probably the best pro of the game.
    - Art style is really cool and actually makes it look modern

    Bad:
    - tons of spelling errors, nonsense word usage, and just bad writing overall. I've never witnessed such bad writing in my life in a game honestly.

    - The characters aren't really likeable at all. I could have cared less if they all fell off the boat (later on) and drowned truthfully lol.

    - A lot of backtracking to platinum the game. When the game itself is very average. Which makes me refuse to do so.

    A very average game overall. Don't get the 9/10s at all.    … Expand
  2. mpop
    Sep 6, 2023
    7
    For me I really am not enjoyint the story, but I do want to coment on the combat system. I think the devs have some GREAT ideas on the combat system. and while I did not enjoy the story, I really hope the devs do another game with a diffent story, and iterate on the combat system, as I feel the combat system has GREAT potental on moving the turn based combat system ideas ahead.
  3. neonvega
    Sep 2, 2023
    5
    OK GAME.... 5.7

    its an alright game for sure but its very barebones in content , the story is hardly engaging , combat options are very limited , leveling up takes a ton of time to do and stats are randomly generated that you have to choose on top of that your limited to 1 option each time I can see why OG rpg gamers will like it but it doesn't do anything special that games on the    OK GAME.... 5.7

    its an alright game for sure but its very barebones in content , the story is hardly engaging , combat options are very limited , leveling up takes a ton of time to do and stats are randomly generated that you have to choose on top of that your limited to 1 option each time

    I can see why OG rpg gamers will like it but it doesn't do anything special that games on the google playstore app doesnt do for FREE and they want 31.00 USD for this? Luckily I was able to play it for 9$ and at times I feel like thats somewhat of a waste for what it offers ; its ambitious I give it that but there's literally a hundred games on the mobile store app that do this and then some for free so im not sure why they are gaslighting this game like its the next best thing since slice bread; its an average JRPG at best with a predictable story with Neo-Geo graphics good for a weekend rental NOT 31$ USD    … Expand
  4. jadge
    Sep 6, 2023
    10
    Kicks ass. Best implementation of action elements in JRPG combat since Mario & Luigi. Your brain will literally grow in size from all the moves you'll want to learn timings for.
  5. Parannoids
    Sep 10, 2023
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. the game was excellent, receiving top marks for me, until I got to the reconstruction of Brisk, my game freezes and I can't do anything else. I already cleared the cache, recreated my video game database, uninstalled the game and reinstalled it. nothing resolved. For me, a game that I can no longer play deserves a ZERO rating… Expand
  6. Abraham15
    Aug 31, 2023
    0
    Despite this game was very awaited I have to say is not what I expected... I think press have inflated the points on this game. I have been waiting for two hours now and everything I have to say is the main story is a bit of plain "nothing"
  7. Zeon1982
    Aug 31, 2023
    4
    This game doesn't compare to the classic RPGs it claims to be inspired by, not even close.
  8. Wunpleum
    Sep 5, 2023
    10
    Old school rpg that I used to loved. This game reminds me a lot of Golden Sun and that is one of the best JRPG for me. The gameplay is great, turn-based with some style that you can get addicted with. Soundtracks really brought me back when I was a kid. But the greatest part is its story. The story takes you to another level. I really love the story and all of the characters in this game.
  9. cosmicelegy
    Sep 5, 2023
    10
    A game that continues to find new ways to impress even after you've beat it the first time. People's nostalgia glasses are stuck to their face and they have a hard time liking anything new. There's multiple 0/10 reviews that mention they never made it past the first few hours. Seriously. Play the game before you review it.
  10. pirs_san
    Sep 5, 2023
    10
    Qu elle plaisir ce jeux!!! ça nous renvoie a l'époque des Golden sun final fantasy 3 et consorts ça ma renvoyé en enfance merci pour ce bijoux
  11. juankamilomarin
    Aug 30, 2023
    10
    The game is great!!!! The pixel art is superb, music is really nice, the story is engaging, the battle system feels modern but also captures the essence of old school games. I highly recommend it to old school RPG enthusiasts
  12. Dash_Bannon
    Sep 2, 2023
    4
    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 youthe 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 but 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 accessories only swap them out so if your short an accessory to swap out or want another party member to use it you cant; and accessories and amulets are very missable with areas becoming non-accessible 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 Collapse    … Expand
  13. ICER1981
    Sep 1, 2023
    0
    This game would have been fun in the 90's, it is not the kind a game I expect in 2023.
  14. ParanoydAndroyd
    Sep 2, 2023
    10
    My goodness what a game! If you're a fan of RPG's/JRPG's and turn-based combat then this game is for you! Music is intoxicating, combat is simple and fun with some great little tweaks here and there to add to the fun factor, characters are all likeable, story is great, the art style is absolutely on point! PS5 version is solid AF, and my brother is playing on Switch and it still looksMy goodness what a game! If you're a fan of RPG's/JRPG's and turn-based combat then this game is for you! Music is intoxicating, combat is simple and fun with some great little tweaks here and there to add to the fun factor, characters are all likeable, story is great, the art style is absolutely on point! PS5 version is solid AF, and my brother is playing on Switch and it still looks great there too! Get this game!… Expand
  15. Atreus69
    Sep 5, 2023
    2
    Ni sé que le ven con esos gráficos de cartón,gracias al plus que lo he podido jugar por qué no vale ni 10 euros.Se tiene que premiar el esfuerzo y con esos gráficos de los 80 no se puede jugar en el 2023
  16. slv17000
    Sep 3, 2023
    9
    A game from an independent studio, just the way we'd like to see more often, sadly, often not given the spotlight it deserves. A game like we love, with stunning artistic direction and a magnificent soundtrack. The story is beautiful and gripping, and the game can be completed in just under 40 hours. A masterpiece from start to finish.
  17. Mogmog000
    Sep 3, 2023
    0
    Enemies are hard and the tempo of combat is slow.
    The map is monotonous and has little freedom.
    Characters are not attractive.
  18. EndingUpAlone
    Sep 3, 2023
    0
    Fantastic game with an amazing story and a great sense of adventure. The only reason I think it's a 9/10 instead of 10/10 because the puzzles need to be more challenging.
  19. Banz5555
    Aug 30, 2023
    10
    A fantastic game with a very good soundtrack and with wonderful pixel graphic.
  20. WithFieryTruth
    Sep 8, 2023
    4
    One of the biggest disappointments or 2023.
    It has beautiful pixel art and a nice soundtrack, but that's pretty much all it has going for it. The awful combat system singlehandedly ruined the whole experience for me by turning the game into a tedious slogfest. To make things somewhat easier to follow, I'm going to break it up into parts.
    1. Combat animations are extraordinarily slow,    One of the biggest disappointments or 2023.
    It has beautiful pixel art and a nice soundtrack, but that's pretty much all it has going for it. The awful combat system singlehandedly ruined the whole experience for me by turning the game into a tedious slogfest. To make things somewhat easier to follow, I'm going to break it up into parts.

    1. Combat animations are extraordinarily slow, with long wind-up times even for basic skills. Since there's no way to turn animations off or increase the combat speed, a ton of time is wasted in each battle just watching the same animations over and over and over again.

    2. Another element of combat in this game is a timing system where you deal extra damage or lower the damage you take by pushing a button whenever an attack is about to hit. It sounds like it would add depth to the combat and make it more fun, but it feels like they've also deliberately made the fights slower just to make the window of opportunity for the timed inputs somewhat easier to hit. This obviously means that the whole combat, which is slow enough already, gets even slower.

    3. Many enemies are completely immune or heavily resistant to damage, and you'll need to hit them with regular attacks to make them drop orbs that you can then absorb and use on the next turn to actually deal damage.
    The system seems kinda interesting on paper, but what it really means is that you're wasting time and turns on dealing little to no damage, prolonging the battles even further. You can also only attack once for every time you absorb orbs, so you're forced to waste half of your turns just to make new orbs appear so that you can deal actual damage with a single attack on the following turn.

    4. Bosses have way too much HP. It doesn't really add to the difficulty in any meaningful way, so it just serves as yet another timesink, further adding to the tediousness of the gameplay.
    To top it off, some bosses (and regular enemies) can even heal themselves, making the fights longer and even more boring than they already were.

    5. When enemies are charging skills/spells, they get temporary weaknesses which you can exploit to cancel their turn if you hit them with the right attack. Problem is, they're usually just casting for 1-2 turns, while the weaknesses you need to hit are more than that. What this means is that even if you actually take the time to use attacks that they're temporarily weak against, it's impossible to cancel their attack since it'd take more turns to hit all different weak points than it takes for them to finish the cast.

    6. You can only ever have three party members participate in battle, even if there are others present. That only applies to you, though. Both regular enemies and bosses will often fight you in groups of 4-5, but you'll never be able to utilize your full party against them. I would've understood if the rest of the characters were busy elsewhere or hanging out back at a base, but they're literally right there in the same scene with you, and yet they're not participating in the battle despite the enemy outnumbering you.

    Honestly, I find it baffling that this game has been under development for 5 years, and at no point in time did anyone on the development team consider that "Okay, the combat could probably use some improvements or customization options."
    There are so many things they could have done to improve the situation, yet they didn't, and now we're stuck with this atrocity.

    Combat aside, my biggest issues with the game are probably these:

    1. The story is littered with clichées and lacks a real conclusion (even in the true ending). To avoid spoiling anything, I'll just say that there are a whole bunch of plot points that are never addressed or concluded, and important characters that just disappear without you ever encountering them again.

    2. The text speed is extremely slow and there's no way to increase it.

    3. The dialogue/narration has some serious lack of punctuation, making me think the developer didn't even bother having someone proofread it.

    4. No (or very few) autosaves. I lost a lot of progress once because the game crashed when I'd forgotten to make a manual save for quite some time.

    5. One of the worst minigames in the history of gaming. It's completely reliant on luck, so you'll have to replay the same matches again and again until you're finally lucky enough to get decent rolls. There's also no way to quit a match once you've started it, so if you accidentally start the wrong one or notice early on that there's no way you're winning, you'll still have to sit through the whole thing until you're able to retry.

    I'm going to end this review with a simple recommendation:
    If you're looking for a modern game with a retro JRPG feeling, go play Chained Echoes instead.    … Expand
  21. Eerokina
    Sep 7, 2023
    3
    Nice game, probably 8/10, but 6 hours ng+ rush for last trophy is boring and stupid, devs are using cheap methods to increase playtime
  22. Enyrae
    Aug 31, 2023
    1
    Let's buy last generation consoles to play games with Super Nintendo graphics and still mimicking old classics! This is almost dystopic, for what evolution?!

    What everyone expected at this point was not to have the magic of old games with stories, characters, world maps and brilliant soundtracks, but with modern graphics????
  23. erjak
    Aug 31, 2023
    9
    Sea of stars is a great, polished title for people who remember classic JRPGs such as Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy VI.

    Sea of ​​Stars draws heavily from the rich heritage of turn-based RPGs, while maintaining its character and improving the formula with modern solutions. The plot, despite some clichéness, keeps you in suspense and makes you want to keep playing to know its ending,    Sea of stars is a great, polished title for people who remember classic JRPGs such as Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy VI.

    Sea of ​​Stars draws heavily from the rich heritage of turn-based RPGs, while maintaining its character and improving the formula with modern solutions.

    The plot, despite some clichéness, keeps you in suspense and makes you want to keep playing to know its ending, although it must be noted that many characters (including the main ones) lack depth and a deeper dive into their motives and attitude to the surrounding world and accompanying characters. .

    Combat is dynamic and demanding, but at the same time simple and does not overwhelm the player with a hundred statuses and skills that only unnecessarily complicate the fun.

    I recommend it, not only to those who remember the classics from 20 years ago, but also simply to fans of solid RPGs. You will not be disappointed.    … Expand
  24. Nikolasleo
    Sep 1, 2023
    10
    I just finished the game, it’s a masterpiece the plot twists and the gameplay are just perfect. I really recommend this game to anyone, you don’t need to be an rpg fan, to enjoy the game!
  25. SsgtTyo
    Aug 31, 2023
    9
    This game is truly a blast from the past but molded for a modern world. The fighting is simple and the interactive elements keep it exciting. Each fight is strategic and feels important to the growth of your characters. Graphically this game is not quite as innovative as the first Octopath was when it came out, but it’s still a beautiful game. I would have liked to see voice actingThis game is truly a blast from the past but molded for a modern world. The fighting is simple and the interactive elements keep it exciting. Each fight is strategic and feels important to the growth of your characters. Graphically this game is not quite as innovative as the first Octopath was when it came out, but it’s still a beautiful game. I would have liked to see voice acting throughout and maybe some more options for magic but that’s just an opinion and would have only “sweetened the pot”. This game deserves a hard 9/10 and I definitely recommend checking it out, especially if you have one of the big streaming services.… Expand
  26. Pupo
    Sep 2, 2023
    8
    Amazing game so far, it really feels like a 90s RPG era, the soundtrack is ok, but graphics are great.
  27. resh_aykut
    Sep 6, 2023
    9
    Tüm sonları görmüş ve oyunu %100'lemiş biri olarak rahatlıkla söyleyebilirim ki Persona 5 Royale'dan bu yana oynadığım en güzel JRpg'lerden biriydi Sea of Stars. Retro yapısı, karakterleri hikayesi, oynanışı, dünyayı keşfetme yapısı çok güzel dizayn edilmiş. Müzikleri de çok keyifli. Yasunori Mitsuda'nın projede yer alması özellikle daha da meraklandırmıştı beni. Karakterlerle yapılanTüm sonları görmüş ve oyunu %100'lemiş biri olarak rahatlıkla söyleyebilirim ki Persona 5 Royale'dan bu yana oynadığım en güzel JRpg'lerden biriydi Sea of Stars. Retro yapısı, karakterleri hikayesi, oynanışı, dünyayı keşfetme yapısı çok güzel dizayn edilmiş. Müzikleri de çok keyifli. Yasunori Mitsuda'nın projede yer alması özellikle daha da meraklandırmıştı beni. Karakterlerle yapılan kombolar, bazı fırlatılabilen skilleri tuşa basarak deflect yapabilmek en beğendiğim dövüş mekaniği oldu. Ardından ilerledikçe çokça çeşitleniyor dövüşler. Puzzle'ları da çok eğlenceliydi. Yaklaşık 30 saatte ana hikaye 40 saatte alternatif son, 50. Saate ulaştığımda neredeyse her şeyi toplamıştım. Alternatif son çok güzeldi mutlaka ulaşın derim. Jrpg oyunlardan hoşlanıp bir nostalji arıyorsanız oyunun grafik yapısı zaten bu yönde. Oldukça keyif alırsınız bir şans verin derim. Tek eksisi türkçe desteğinin olmaması. İngilizcesi ağır değil kesinlikle fakat Türkçe yakışırmış.… Expand
  28. Stilva
    Sep 2, 2023
    10
    Amazing soundtrack, wonderful retro style graphics inspired from the 90's, great characters and story! A true masterpiece!
  29. soserhap
    Sep 1, 2023
    10
    The art is beautiful and the music is awesome puts you in the right mood for every places. As for the story, I find it compelling and I love the interactions the characters have with each other especially Garl. Not to undermine the other characters but he is the best. I love that they added a little bit of humor in texts and broke the fourth wall sometimes, less often than in The MessengerThe art is beautiful and the music is awesome puts you in the right mood for every places. As for the story, I find it compelling and I love the interactions the characters have with each other especially Garl. Not to undermine the other characters but he is the best. I love that they added a little bit of humor in texts and broke the fourth wall sometimes, less often than in The Messenger but the story is more serious so it's understandable.

    Bosses are more tanky than challenging but their design is incredible. I find the monsters on the map more challenging than the bosses because you have a lot of locks to handle, so the strategy is more intense than handling only one or two big monster. With the block/crit system when pressing an input at the right time, the battle is always engaging. Even though they say it's a bonus, sometimes it helps a lot and can greatly change the course of the battle if you miss. So beware if you don't like engaging fighting like this. Personally, I found it less boring than a regular turn-base because I'm always focused on the game instead of playing and doing something else at the same time.

    Overall I think it's a great game, probably one of the best RPG if not the best that I've played. But I must say I'm not the hardcore fan of RPG so my repertoire is not that big. Congrats to Sabotage for making a great game again, eager to see the next one already!    … Expand
  30. Aszach
    Sep 8, 2023
    8
    20 hours in the game, man this was a surprise and a hidden gem in regards to classic JRPG like genra.

    At first, I just played this game just to have some game to play before Starfield, but holly molly in a short period of time I got hook, The story is interesting I haven't finished everything so I can't comment on that (and currently on hold due to Starfield taking so much of my time),    20 hours in the game, man this was a surprise and a hidden gem in regards to classic JRPG like genra.

    At first, I just played this game just to have some game to play before Starfield, but holly molly in a short period of time I got hook, The story is interesting I haven't finished everything so I can't comment on that (and currently on hold due to Starfield taking so much of my time), Characters so far are a hit or miss, the main characters are rather bland but Garl definitely stands out from the rest.

    Combat is what made this game great, an added element in a Turn-based JRPG like game where you can block attacks, can interract with some abilities such as the boomerang which was awesome, or even get an extra hit on your attack.

    Overall the game so far is very good, and if you're a old fan of the JRPG with turnbase combat then this one is a must play!    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

17
#17 Best PlayStation 5 Game of 2023
22
#22 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2023

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 17, 2024
    100
    The game world looks fairy-tale beautiful and at the same time sufficiently adult and dark. The traversal of the world is then supplemented by small environmental puzzles. It's more of a diversion, nothing that would fundamentally break the game and cause one to get stuck on annoying puzzles while playing. The number of secondary activities is not overwhelming, which is very beneficial to the game's pace. [Issue#331]
  2. PLAY
    Nov 23, 2023
    80
    While it’s not without its flaws, Sea Of Stars is a tremendous love letter to JRPGs and a huge achievement for a studio as small as Sabotage. [Issue#33, p.80]
  3. Edge Magazine
    Oct 5, 2023
    70
    A fine effort, then, but a new Chrono Trigger it is not - and directly inviting such a comparison only highlights the areas in which it falls short. [Issue#390, p.133]
See all critic reviews »