Platform(s): PC (version reviewed), Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Genre: 90s-style Japanese Role-Playing Game recreated for modern sensibilities

Sabotage Studio’s game-making mission is to modernize retro games for the current generation while maintaining what makes these experiences special in the first place. The Canadian-based company’s first effort The Messenger was a lovely mish-mash of 2D ninja game platforming and search action antics, though a bit long and repetitive in the tooth with the latter mixture.

So it’s only fitting that its next gaming entry nails its target genre with flying colours: the 90s Japanese role-playing game. Sea of Stars is essentially a throwback to that style of game, but created without the pitfalls of old-school game mechanics. This ensures a butter-smooth experience for anyone interested.

Star Burns

Sea of Stars’ story is about two Children of the Solstice -Valere and Zale- as they’re destined to fight off the monsters created by the evil alchemist known as the Fleshmancer. After a in media res bit, the game takes you through their short childhood years segment, but cuts straight to the meat of the action where they know Solstice magic -Moon and Solar- and are on their quest to an island for a major demon battle meant to take place during an eclipse. Of course, not everything goes as planned with these sorts of tales as the duo come across loads of obstacles big and really big, with many twists and turns we don’t wish to spoil.

Luckily, the duo gets some assistance in the form of their childhood friend Garl the Warrior Cook and Serai the Portal Assassin, all key to the plot. The game’s story comes with so many surprises, twists, and turns. Just when you thought it’s almost over, along comes a plot swerve which you may see coming, but it’s handled really well and keeps the excitement going. Then another one comes in once you go past a giant door in a water world kind of area. And then another.

Sea of Stars isn’t overwhelming you with its swerves; it gradually builds up momentum and then hits you when you’re along for the ride. What I’m getting at is that the game’s 25+ hour pacing is handled very well. Nothing in the game’s long journey feels like wasted time, with characters getting their screen time, spotlight, and moments of introspection. My favourite moments involve certain antagonists in the second half of the game who are clearly making bad decisions, but only because it’s their gateway to some form of freedom. It’s only for a few moments, but it does paint them in a different light, which I appreciate. Another stellar moment involves a character’s last wish and the major quest that entails, splitting the party ala Final Fantasy VI to an extent.

And the characters! You’ve seen these archetypes before, but they’re charming as all hell, at least once the first few hours have passed. You’ll love Garl and his “can do” attitude, Serai and her gradual storyline, the pirate group led by Captain Klee’Shai, and many more I can’t bring up because I do not want to ruin the many surprises Sea of Star yields. They’re not super-unique, but they’re written well and are loveable, especially if you take the time to do their character quests. The fact that the game is billed as a prequel to Sabotage’s last game The Messenger also rings true; I’ll leave it to that. I’ll just say that this callback aspect is handled well and flows seamlessly to the standalone plot of Sea of Stars. Sabotage did a great job captivating me with its simple-yet-escalating premise.

As for the conflicts the game throws at you? Battles are sorted in a turn-based format. You come across enemies on-screen, and then you hit them with your regular attacks or special moves. Pressing a button at the right time of the attack/spell animation will yield more damage and better effects. Conversely, blocking enemy attacks at the right time reduces the damage taken. You also gain access to combos: build enough combo pips indicated on the left screen and you can have two characters perform hard-hitting tag-team moves using various elements. Heroes here even have Ultimate moves, though these unlock fairly late in the game when boss fights get tough.

These fights do get challenging and can dish out party-wiping damage, but they do tie in with the game’s special Lock system. Every major enemy special will have two to more icons/Locks popping up close to their name, along with the turn number. If the turn number goes to 0, they unleash their big attack. However, you can stop this (or reduce the damage it deals) by clearing the Locks using specific attacks. See the sword and staff icon on an enemy? Use one sword strike and one staff strike from your party to cancel that move. The big giant demon ape has 6 icons with Moon symbols? Use Valere’s Moon spells to reduce its effects before it hits on the 3rd turn. And there’s less inventory management needed; you can just get your mana back for spells by hitting enemies with your normal attacks. Live Mana also drops on the floor from normal attacks you dish out; you can absorb them to power up your spells or infuse your normal attacks with the character’s element, either for exploiting weaknesses or dishing out more damage. You will need to use this a lot as some enemies are immune to regular attacks; either that, or just have too many hit points.

Because of this, and also how streamlined it is, battles are fun, intuitive, brain-stimulating, and challenging. Fighting isn’t brainless here; you need to actually think and plan accordingly so that you can deal with bosses while mitigating damage on your own. And best of all? You don’t have to grind because every encounter can be taken down at your current level if you follow the main quest without taking side quest breaks.

Sea of Stars is designed as such so that you don’t have to waste time leveling up to progress the plot, which is more than I can say for most games that emulate this style of retro gameplay. And whoever implemented the idea to give Valere the Moonerang spell that lets you continuously hit enemies as long as you time your deflects ala Pong: give that person a medal for “Best JRPG Spell Of 2023 You Will Spam”.

Sea of Stars wears its Chrono Trigger-inspired sleeves loud and proud, yet at the same time it introduces a ton of new mechanics and has its own identity that it’s an insult to call it a copycat of that 1995 SNES splendour. These include the ability to climb ledges and drop from them to take shortcuts, swim in deep waters, and use overworld tools like grappling hooks and wind blasts to cross wide gaps or make platforms. You can make health items in the form of food via campfires; as long as you’re foraging for resources and fishing in the game’s many fishing spots, you won’t run out of curatives to cook. Every dungeon in the game has The Legend of Zelda-like puzzles that are just the right amount of creative and brain-taxing. These include turning the day into night to make light beams shine onto panels and pushing blocks to specific locations to make tiny blocks of platforms form in areas you need to cross. If you’re looking for powerful gear, Solstice Shrines are available for your unlocking and searching. While the game’s main quest is packed, the side content and optional enemies to battle are also worth checking out.

And for anyone still finding the game tough? You can buy Relics that not only give your characters additional abilities and buffs, but also make the game easier. Conversely, there are Relics that bump up the game’s challenge level. So if you rather have an old-school Final Fantasy IV Japanese edition levels of difficult, the floor’s all yours.

Ride On Shooting Star

There’s no other way to put this: Sea Of Stars is sublime from start to finish. It’s a love letter to the best era of JRPGs -the late 90s to 2000s- made to look like the past but comes with a lot of newfangled modern-day features to duplicate the spirit and joy it emanates. And despite its obvious inspiration, it stands tall and proud on its own two feet, sword in one hand and Solar/Moon powers to blast away all doubt of JRPGs existing in proper and fun form in 2023. Though if there’s one nitpick, the New Game+ mode could use a fast-forward button especially if you’re going through the same dialogue all over again. But still, the fact that the game offers a New Game+ is remarkable enough.

For anyone complaining about the lack of a true JRPG with bells and whistles: buy Sea of Stars. Sabotage Studios did an amazing job in blending both the old and new while still dishing out a memorable indie gaming experience, made with love for the genre while also fixing its glaring flaws.

Speaking as someone who declares Chrono Trigger as one of the best JRPGs of all time, this title really feels like a spiritual successor that just improves everything while maintaining its timeless aesthetics. This is as good as it gets; a gaming vision fully realized and detailed, a title that deserves the “modern classic” moniker. At least until Atlus and the Shin Megami Tensei team make magic next year (or the year after).

Pros

• Packed to the brim with an epic story & worldbuilding.
• Fun turn-based combat that’s fun and seamless, with a nifty Lock system.
• No padding pacing-wise in dungeon design & creative puzzles.
• Amazing pixel art, with a memorable 16-bit-style soundtrack.
• Moonerang inputs in combat are cathartic.

Cons

• Some minor text & grammar errors.
• It eventually ends.

Final Score: 100/100

Review copy provided by the developer.