Sea of Stars was one of my most highly anticipated games of 2023. I’d been following the development journey after seeing its Kickstarter back in 2020. After becoming enamored with Sabotage Studio’s previous game, The Messenger, I knew they had the skills to deliver an amazing game, even if it was a vastly different experience than what we’d seen before. So you might be wondering, why then is this review so late after the game’s release if it was something I was that excited for? To answer honestly: because I didn’t want my experience with it to end.

I guess that’s their take on the stork story we tell our kids about where babies come from.

To say that Sea of Stars is something completely different than The Messenger, is both true and false. Yes, Sea of Stars is a totally different style of game, being a turned-based RPG rather than an action platformer, but that’s not to say there aren’t certain similarities. In fact, Sea of Stars is actually a prequel to the Messenger, something I was unaware of at first. However, fans of The Messenger will notice tons of easter eggs scattered throughout Sea of Stars. There’s even an entire area, Autumn Hills, that’s almost the exact same layout, and even features the same soundtrack and boss battle!

These are fun little surprises for players who are fans of Sabotage Studio’s first game, but don’t worry if you’ve never played The Messenger. Despite the easter eggs and references, Sea of Stars is very much its own game, and not having played The Messenger will not affect your enjoyment or understanding of Sea of Stars in any way.

This exact same shot of the mountain in the distance as you climb a cliff can be found in The Messenger.

Sea of Stars centers around two siblings, Valere and Zale, who are known as the Children of Solstice. Valere wields the power of the moon, while Zale wields the power of the sun. When combined, they can perform Eclipse Magic, which is the only force that can possibly put an end to the evil Fleshmancer, an immortal alchemist who creates powerful abominations and unleashes them upon the world. It has been prophesied that two Children of Solstice will one day put an end once and for all to the Fleshmancer, but while many before them have tried, none have succeeded. Will Valere and Zale finally be the fated pair to stop the Fleshmancer for good?

While the main focus is around Valere and Zale, there are plenty of other characters who will share the spotlight during the adventure. The traveling party will eventually hold up to six companions, but in order to avoid spoilers, I won’t be discussing them specifically in this review. The one companion I can talk about is Garl, the Warrior Cook, who is Valere and Zale’s best friend from childhood. Even though they’re charged with the monumental task of stopping the Fleshmancer, and can only do so because of their special powers, Garl finds himself a part of their team due to his own unique power: the power of unwavering friendship!

Good old Garl. Never change!

I know what you might be thinking; that sounds disgustingly saccharine. Believe me, I get it. But before you roll your eyes too far back into your skull, let me just say that his character is shockingly well done. Instead of being a hackneyed, cloying character, Garl is genuinely sweet and heartfelt. One might argue that in a way, he’s the heart of the whole game. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Valere and Zale are somewhat bland as characters (more than likely because you can take turns playing as either one), but Garl seems to be in a class of his own when it comes to the fully fleshed out members of the party. I was honestly surprised by how much I came to adore a character that on paper should have annoyed the hell out of me. Kudos to the writers for subverting that expectation!

The writing as a whole in Sea of Stars is excellent. The story starts off as your run-of-the-mill “good guys with special powers must stop a big baddie from destroying the world”, to something a bit different. Don’t get me wrong, the premise on its most basic level is still that, but there are twists and turns along the way that give more depth and complexity to the overall narrative. Valere and Zale’s companions, as well as numerous NPCs, are also really well written. Some have tragic backstories that will have you sympathizing with them, while others have fourth wall-breaking meta humor.

Yolande calls it like she sees it.

There’s a bit of everything to be found in Sea of Stars, and the one thing it certainly isn’t lacking is charm. Everything about this game is endearing, from its characters to its art design. Sea of Stars features an absolutely stunning pixel art style, that has some fantastic character and enemy designs, as well as expressive and easily readable animations. There are a huge assortment of environments to traverse, with each island having its own, very distinct look. Revisiting areas in the late game sections doesn’t feel like a slog, it feels like rediscovering old friends.

As I’ve already mentioned, Sea of Stars is a retro-inspired, turn-based RPG. However, there a few gameplay mechanics that set it apart from most others in the genre. For starters, it features timed attack and defense elements. This means that if you time pressing your attack button or block button right as the animation connects to either the enemy or your character, you’ll either gain an increase in your attack damage or decrease the amount of damage you take. It’s basically the same gameplay mechanic as Mario RPG.

Not all enemies are vulnerable to physical attacks. Some can only be damaged through magic.

Next, there’s the lock system. Enemies in Sea of Stars have things they are weak to (solstice powers, blade attacks, blunt attacks, poison, etc.), and often times will create a series of locks that you and your team will have to break in order to stop their next big attack. In order to break the locks, you’ll need to attack the enemy with the corresponding weakness. This is relatively simple with most regular enemies, but boss battles can have high amounts of locks, sometimes up to ten at a time. This is when you’ll need to strategize on the best way to maximize your various damage types in the least amount of turns, especially with the late game bosses.

The Dweller of Torment is no match for Serai’s Ultimate Attack!

It’s not all up to Valere and Zale, though. A big part of the strategy comes down to knowing how to utilize each character’s strengths and attack types in the most effective way. Throughout each battle you can freely swap out between characters in your party, each with their own specific strengths. This is crucial when deciding who and which attacks to use when trying to break an enemy’s locks.

You’ll also be able to use special Combo Attacks once you’ve filled up the Combo Meter. This allows two of any of your party members to pair up for an extra strong attack that deals damage specific to their individual skill sets. For example, using a Combo Attack involving Valere and Zale (Solstice Strike) will allow them to use their moon and sun powers at the same time against an enemy. Meanwhile, Solar Rain is a combo attack between Zale and Garl, where Zale uses his sun power in conjunction with Garl’s pot lid to send solar energy flying into the air to rain down upon multiple foes. Combo Attacks can easily turn the tide of a battle, so using them against weakened enemies or when against large groups is a smart move.

You can eventually perform an Ultimate Attack once the meter fills all the way from performing enough Special Attacks.

It’s not all fighting, though. There’s plenty of other things to do and discover in Sea of Stars, such as Wheels, a table game that can be found in taverns in nearly every island. When camping at a campfire, Garl will teach you how to cook, with each recipe granting various health and mana benefits. Additional recipes can be found in various locations all over the map, and are worth discovering to find the best possible healing options for your party. You can also go fishing at almost every island and collect the meat to use when cooking. Collecting every type of fish from every fishing location will reward you with an achievement and a special prize.

Wheels takes a little figuring out, but it’s really fun once you learn the rules.

Solstice Shrines can be found throughout the map later in the game, which present unique challenges for our heroes. Finding and completing all the Solstice Shrines will award you with the best weapons in the game. Then there are Rainbow Conches, which can be found hidden all over every landscape in the game, and some are even awarded as prizes for games like the aforementioned Wheels, or even for helping NPCs with their various troubles. Collecting enough of these will result in better gear, special rings or amulets, amongst other things. Collecting the Rainbow Conches isn’t mandatory, but it does provide some very strong items that are extremely useful later in the game.

It’s worth mentioning that there are technically two endings to Sea of Stars. No, there’s not big decision that will determine which ending you get. What I mean is there’s the regular ending that you get by completing the game as normal, as well as the “True Ending” you can get after beating the base game. To do so, you’ll have to complete a number of tasks, such as completing all the Solstice Shrines and finding all the Rainbow Conches, and doing so will grant you the True Ending.

Mirna will reward you for finding Rainbow Conches throughout the world.

I will say that the standard ending is gratifying enough to satisfy most players, so putting in the extra effort to get the True Ending isn’t necessary. However, I will say that I wholeheartedly believe that striving to get the True Ending is absolutely worth your time, if you have it to spare. Without going into any spoilers, I’ll just say that it fully wraps up the events of the game in a much more final and uplifting way than the standard ending.

Regardless of whether or not you decide to get the True Ending, the journey through Sea of Stars is definitely one that I highly encourage everyone to take. It’s a compelling enough retro-inspired, turn-based RPG to ensnare even the most seasoned veterans of the genre, while still being light and accessible enough for newcomers to find appealing. This is one of those games that comes along every once in a great while, and I can’t recommend it enough to absolutely everyone. Whether or not you’re well versed in the genre, you should absolutely hop onboard and get ready to sail the Sea of Stars. If not for yourself, do it for Garl.

Sea of Stars is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.

Reviewed on Xbox Series S.