Sea of Stars

 Xbox Series X
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 103 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 77 out of 103
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 103
  3. Negative: 19 out of 103

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Mrshrooms
    Sep 2, 2023
    5
    This game is about as mid as it gets, combat system is bland. Hours into the game and I'm still spamming the same move set. Story is difficult to follow and boring. Play octopath traveller instead
  2. Atreus69
    Sep 3, 2023
    5
    Juego muy bonito gráficamente aunque sea tipo16 bits.Después de 2 horas no me ha enganchado el combate por turnos,para gustos ,pero no me ha gustado.
  3. jazzam
    Sep 7, 2023
    7
    This is a great looking game with good mechanics, falls a bit short on story and was a sturggle to try and complete. Ultimately I did not finish the game yet, will be hard to pick it back up but I love the art style and mechanics. I recommend trying on gamepass, seems to run a bit better there than PS5 (newer build?). If you like the story then this will be an excellent game for anyThis is a great looking game with good mechanics, falls a bit short on story and was a sturggle to try and complete. Ultimately I did not finish the game yet, will be hard to pick it back up but I love the art style and mechanics. I recommend trying on gamepass, seems to run a bit better there than PS5 (newer build?). If you like the story then this will be an excellent game for any traditional JRPG fans!… Expand
  4. Krober
    Sep 5, 2023
    1
    Boring as hell. After 12 hours of playing can't stand it anymore. Dull characters, long fights and gameplay without progression. You are just doing the same from the start to the end. I'd better replay chrono cross.
  5. ZeoN
    Aug 31, 2023
    6
    Una de mis decepciones de este año. No me parece mal juego, pero lo veo y siento muy plano en casi todos los aspectos
  6. Odradek
    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.    … Expand
  7. Vomitpoop
    Sep 7, 2023
    0
    The Xbox version isn’t good and the game is included for free with PS Plus. Why play this on Xbox?
  8. Grigoriano
    Sep 7, 2023
    10
    Juegazo, recuerda a juegos del genero como Octopath Traveler, si te gusto este, que encantara este.
  9. Corpsedog
    Sep 3, 2023
    10
    Review below.

    Don't BOTHER with the wasteful negative reviews. They are simply not a valid critique but an effort in seething at oneself instead and blaming the game. Ordadek, you seriously didn't save your game after FIFTEEN HOURS and you rage in your own review and blame the game for what clearly shows is merely a reflection of your own short sightedness to do the simplest of    Review below.

    Don't BOTHER with the wasteful negative reviews. They are simply not a valid critique but an effort in seething at oneself instead and blaming the game.
    Ordadek, you seriously didn't save your game after FIFTEEN HOURS and you rage in your own review and blame the game for what clearly shows is merely a reflection of your own short sightedness to do the simplest of requirements in any RPG.
    One guy is just mad enough to 0 the whole thing because he had loading issues and then shills PS5 as the better console.
    Yet another guy scratches the surface and walks away without realizing the scope of the game at all and judges it without any real experience for the best of the game.
    Come on, people.

    Onto the review:
    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    … Expand
  10. Jrosa56
    Aug 31, 2023
    10
    This game is absolutely fantastic! Beautiful ! And runs amazing on my Series X
  11. Drakarth
    Aug 30, 2023
    10
    Quel plaisir ce jeu. A faire sans hésitations si on est friand de ces jeux, pour les autres laissez vous happer par la magie, vous serez pas déçus.
  12. jdvb123
    Aug 30, 2023
    10
    Uma experiência maravilhosa! Faz jus a clássicos como Chrono Trigger e Mario RPG.
  13. lucasbarroca
    Sep 4, 2023
    10
    Um belíssimo RPG de turnos. Tem tudo que um bom RPG precisa. Uma boa história, bons personagens, jogabilidade de turnos, um universo lindo e uma ótima trilha sonora. Uma obra prima para os amantes de jogos retrô.
  14. seanhenson7
    Sep 2, 2023
    10
    Amazing soundtrack and art style with a very fun combat system, all the while the world keeps you engaged through great story and dialogue. Thoroughly enjoyable game!
  15. Efiak
    Sep 3, 2023
    8
    It's really good experience and the sound tracks are so good. Specially graphics helps a lot
  16. Lifeandhack
    Sep 8, 2023
    9
    This is a great game! The art is beautiful, the gameplay is fun and challenging! For now this is my GOTY this year
  17. Straid
    Sep 10, 2023
    10
    Absolutely fantastic old-school RPG.
    Does the SMRPG and Illusion of Gaia thing well.
    Props to Sabotage!
    Can't wait for that DLC.
  18. xSTiCKFiGAx
    Sep 7, 2023
    10
    Almost the perfect little game. Not a fan of turn based combat but the interactive combat makes this game worth playing. Looking forward to their next project.
  19. DarkxHeero
    Sep 8, 2023
    8
    Jogo incrivel ! a história dos protagonistas principais, eu particularmente acho sem graça, se fossem pessoas normais como o resto da party, faria muito mais sentido e seria bem melhor.
  20. Jhursk
    Sep 10, 2023
    9
    Awesome Awesome Awesome! I've missed fun old school rpgs from the 90's and sea of stars hit the nail on the head perfectly. The music has a fun beat to it. The battle system is easy and fun to use. The story is pretty darm good. I hope sabatoge make another one or other games in this style.
  21. DAVIDRB
    Sep 6, 2023
    10
    Une incroyable aventure qui m’a réconcilié avec les JRPG au tour par tour à l’ancienne ! La direction artistique est magnifique et la bande son est incroyable ! Bravo au studio qui n’est pas tombé dans le pièges de nous pondre une copie de milliers de jeu !!
  22. Travisgrr
    Sep 5, 2023
    9
    I never play RPGs like this, but I decided to give it a try since it was available on Xbox game pass. This is one of the greatest RPGs I've played in a while. The story is very captivating too.
  23. Mauronomas
    Sep 11, 2023
    9
    El juego es exquisito por varias razones:

    1) inteligente en su propuesta - rescatando las mejores mecánicas de los clásicos noventeros del género, es capaz de tener identidad propia. 2) la dificultad y curva de aprendizaje ascendente es adecuada y equilibrada, lo que resulta lo suficientemente desafiante para el jugador. 3) personajes carismáticos. 4) una historia rápida y bien escrita    El juego es exquisito por varias razones:

    1) inteligente en su propuesta - rescatando las mejores mecánicas de los clásicos noventeros del género, es capaz de tener identidad propia.

    2) la dificultad y curva de aprendizaje ascendente es adecuada y equilibrada, lo que resulta lo suficientemente desafiante para el jugador.

    3) personajes carismáticos.

    4) una historia rápida y bien escrita - el trabajo de guion es muy bueno. Creo que es de los pocos apartados que pudieron mejorar. Me hubiese gustado ver más momentos atrevidos. Giros de trama o sucesos impactantes, que los tiene, pero no abundan. Sin embargo, transmite bellos mensajes sobre la amistad y la lealtad. 5) logra destacar en un mar de lanzamientos gigantes: y eso es tremendamente destacable. Un juego indie que me ha enamorado tanto como otros lanzamientos que son AAA. Sin duda, para uno como jugador, es importante recordar un juego cuando pasen los años. He terminado tantos títulos de los que se me olvida el nombre porque no son trascentes. Pero con Sea of Stars es diferente. Se me quedó grabado en la memoria y corazón solo por buenas razones.    … Expand
  24. Myanez
    Sep 6, 2023
    9
    Muy entretenido, y divertido, nada mas importa, historia interesante, un RPG que te lleva al pasado por su apartado grafico parecido a los 16bit pero con diversidad de mecanicas que no hace que sea un simple rpg por turnos, tiene mas de lo que se ve a primera vista, altamente recomendable, es un juegazo, jueguenlo y decidan por ustedes mismos.
  25. EpicSteak
    Aug 31, 2023
    10
    This game is amazing ! Physical version early 2024 will be a day one gift, period.
  26. HenriqueDLM
    Sep 7, 2023
    9
    A game where you go through a time machine to remember how games like this were so successful. A magic that you can feel throughout history, with a lot of affection and love this game was made. It does nothing to make you have a good and long experience.
  27. alejandromx91
    Sep 12, 2023
    0
    Odio los juegos de turnos, pero es un muy bajo precio a pagar para poder vivir una de las mejores historias del mundo de los videojuegos jamas creada, si este juego fuera AAA estaría peleando por el GOTY sin ninguna duda.
  28. Heatgamernopro
    Sep 10, 2023
    10
    The game just clicked for me. I really enjoyed the characters and the story. The ost was very good. I liked that combat focused more on timing and combos to cancel enemy attacks rather than just have new skills for the sake of having more skills to do the same thing. Even the mini game wheels was a lot of fun. Very enjoyable lore, I hope to see it continue in future games.
  29. DarkShadowEmi
    Aug 30, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I've been following this game since the Kickstarter, it completely exceeded expectations.

    It has a huge amount of animations compared to old jrpgs (movement, traversal, feelings, and more) , the scenary is one of the most beautiful I've seen in pixel art.

    The characters are instantly loveable, relatable and have great depth to each story and background.

    The combat system is easy enough to understand but hard enough to have some challenges, lucky for less experienced players you get many options to "lower the difficulty" that will help you overcome any shortcomings.

    The spells/skills/magic looks , well, magically amazing , every move matters as you can make combos or skills hit harder with a mechanic taken inspiration from Mario RPG/paper games.
    And at the same time take less damage when enemies are attacking you.

    Surprisingly enough it has some "cutscenes" anime style (kind of) , they look very good although they are usually short.

    The overworked just get more and more beautiful the more you travel , and soon enough after getting the ability to sail , there is so much beauty to explore.

    The story kicks off pretty fast but you'll encounter enough twist to spice the adventure , the feeling of care for the characters (I'll protect Garl with my life!) and overall a very good crafted story all along.

    Can't recommend this enough for people who like JRPGs , it has everything you might be looking for , AND more.

    For the Xbox Series X it runs perfectly without any issue , I can even close the game to quick resume mid fight , take the console to a friend's house and it will still be mid fight opening quick resume , simply amazing feature from Microsoft and it works very well with Sea of Stars.    … Expand
  30. Marcos326
    Sep 1, 2023
    8
    I didn't live in the 90s or even played the most appreciated turn base RPGs.

    But after 34 hours of "non stop" Sea of Stars I can say the game does some things really well and others really bad. Story is great just a 9.5, graphics is a 9 because it just looks great, but gameplay is a 7.5, turn base RPGs have their flaws but for me sea of star is just above playeble, I Know compared to    I didn't live in the 90s or even played the most appreciated turn base RPGs.

    But after 34 hours of "non stop" Sea of Stars I can say the game does some things really well and others really bad.

    Story is great just a 9.5, graphics is a 9 because it just looks great, but gameplay is a 7.5, turn base RPGs have their flaws but for me sea of star is just above playeble, I Know compared to older games it's miles ahead, but I'm very used to play action adventure games, and I usually avoid turn base RPGs because I used to find them very slow, I love to play Pokemon games but only when able to use fast forward on emulators to keep gameplay more engaging.

    Hope to see in the future, a biggers focus on gameplay, maybe a DLC or a continuation, it's really hard for me to buy games, but if I ever see a "sea of star II" outside gamepass but with a 70-90 rating on metacritic I will definitely buy it if not on gamepass because I really liked the experience I had.    … Expand
  31. Cauan72662
    Sep 1, 2023
    10
    Very good. The game is beautiful, has a good story, beautiful scenarios, good dialogues, good combat. Great game.
  32. Kev0ut
    Sep 5, 2023
    10
    Amazing game ! Totally refreshing, magnificent story and ambiance. I didn't like this kind of game since loooong time.
  33. Olivier31
    Sep 3, 2023
    10
    Superbe fantastique.. j'adore ce jeux
  34. Ipa88
    Sep 4, 2023
    10
    Fantastic Game. 10/10

    Una pasada. Es un juego hecho con mucho cariño y lleno de detalles.
  35. MarkosPaul0
    Sep 6, 2023
    10
    Beautiful and perfect game!!! Gameplay, scenery, music, all components of this game are wonderful, congratulations on this masterpiece.
  36. DiegoNoruko
    Sep 7, 2023
    9
    Juegazo que me hace recordar a los juegos que jugaba cargado de nostalgia,
    mejorando el sistema de combate haciendolo algo interactivo aunque sea por turnos bastante diferente a lo usual

    Buena historia
  37. brutalsnooki
    Sep 8, 2023
    10
    Brilliant rpg from a indie dev. If you like old school rpgs you’ll love this.
    Devs like this need way more support.
    Hopefully more brilliant games like this to come from them.
  38. Samukyt1
    Sep 8, 2023
    10
    The game is simply incredible, with pixel art that would be the envy of many games, with a good turn-based system that doesn't get boring, it has a great replay factor, summing up the game, it's perfect.
  39. LibryBox
    Sep 9, 2023
    8
    Cool game. I spent a couple of evenings in it, but I probably won't pass. This genre is not to my taste, but it inspired nostalgia for SEGA and GAMEBOY games.
  40. Playstationsuck
    Sep 11, 2023
    10
    Xbox version is very good and great looking definitely recommend for anyone
  41. santinho
    Sep 12, 2023
    9
    Good and old RPG style, battle system with turns adding some new elements. Good history

Awards & Rankings

9
#9 Best Xbox Series X Game of 2023
21
#21 Most Discussed Xbox Series X Game of 2023

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. TheXboxHub
    Jan 16, 2024
    100
    Sea of Stars manages to modernise a dated formula by raising the bar for all future 2D RPGs. It’s a whopping slice of nostalgia pie with a beautiful art style and engaging gameplay.
    Read full review
  2. Easy Allies
    Sep 24, 2023
    90
    Put it all together and Sea of Stars is a work of incredible craftsmanship that captures the essence of the classics that inspired it without feeling like a mere copycat. It’s easy to feel the love that went into every inch of making it, and it simply gets better as it goes. Not only that, but in a year with so many massive games with complex systems and inventories to manage, Sea of Stars feels genuinely refreshing, like a splash of cool water on your face.
    Read full review
  3. Generación Xbox
    Sep 17, 2023
    96
    Sea of Stars is a masterpiece of a beloved genre, the JRPG. Honoring the most important old school games and offering us a new and enjoyable experience, whether or not you are a lover of this iconic style, it is one of the best games of 2023.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »