Sea of Stars – Review

Even though it is a brand new game, Sea of Stars will come off as old-school because of its striking similarities with the classic RPG Chrono Trigger. While it does not have the same level of world-traveling and time-hopping as its inspiration, but it still has enough twists and turns that will keep you occupied for at least 30 hours. The stories are character-driven and quite rich and they come with twists and add weight to the story. Its combat options may not have a lot of depth, but if you have some nostalgic cravings, then the game is right up your alley.

The story

In the opening scenes, you will be introduced to the story about two decent teen protagonists, who become overtalkative occasionally. They decide to save the world by going to the neighboring island in order to get rid of the big bad. Luckily, saving the world is never as straightforward or easy and this is when the story starts taking shape.

You will come to realize the brilliance of the game when you see the twists and turns that take you in an entirely different direction from its actual ending. The best part of the story is that it highlights the importance of every individual. There is not a lot of frontloading involved and it is impressive how the game manages to introduce its magic, villains and the stakes in an organic manner.

Level design

One of the areas where Sea of Stars has done an outstanding job is level design. The map is divided into different islands and they are connected to different zones, but there is no combat between them. However, once you enter a zone, you will have a number of puzzles and combat encounters that will fill up the space between boss battles and larger moments in the story.

You will go up against a robot queen who can transform into a massive handgun, or fight against a world-eating, giant Kraken. The good thing about these challenges is that they feel quite well-balanced. You will also find considerable variety. In one zone, you have to explore a clockwork castle and battle a big boss by partnering with its immortal residents. In another, you will tumble down cascading waterfalls that are adorned by beautiful flowers and plants.

As for the puzzles, they do require some thought because they are a tad tricky, but nothing too impossible. The day and night mechanics have also been used in Sea of Stars and it is quite cool.

The combat

The solstice warrior powers of the protagonists have also been represented in combat and it is quite impressive. Valere can use the moon’s ice magic, while Zale uses the fire magic of the sun. When facing some of the big bosses, these two are often the only ones who can do some damage with their spells and attacks. Initially, this might be frustrating, but it makes sense later on.

Every member has also been granted a unique ultimate move and this adds to the appeal. You can also make adjustments to the flow of combat. But, you will find that the combat system of the game does not go any deeper than this.