Sea of Stars

[Scraper]

Sea of Stars was just released on both Xbox and PS platforms yesterday. As a bonus it's available on both via their subscription services. It's billed as a 16 bit era JRPG. I downloaded it on the PS5 and got about 3 hours in so far.

At this point the game seems decent. Graphics wise it is a sprite based top down RPG and looks like a really good looking 16-bit RPG (Think 3ds or PSP level graphics) with all the bells and whistles. The world and characters have a unique look to them. The game world itself is fairly linear, but each different area has plenty of hidden things to uncover if you explore. The story seems ok but so far it's nothing to write home about (especially compared to the 2d Legends of Heroes games). Sea of Stars' story is definitely a throw back to the 90s and early 2000s in terms of complexity.

The thing that really elevates this game for me though and will probably keep me playing to the end is the battle system. The game is traditional turn based but they do a good job balancing regular attacks, magic and skills. The battles are fairly strategic for this style of game.

I'll comment more as I get deeper into the game.

[Skinypupy]

I'll pick this up eventually. No big hurry since I got burned on the last overhyped "OMG amazing throwback to 16-bit JRPG!" game that fell completely flat with me (Chained Echoes).

[disarm]

I've been keeping an eye on this mainly because it's made by the same people who did an excellent job on The Messenger, a side-scrolling action throwback to the NES Ninja Gaiden. That game showed me that they really know how to push nostalgia buttons while also providing interesting updates to old ideas. I'm not sure when I'll get around to playing Sea of Stars, but it's definitely on my list to check out at some point.

[Scraper]

I put in about another 3 hours on this one and I think all of the professional reviewers putting this game in the 8 to 9 range are way over rating it. It's not a bad game but it's certainly no 8 to 9. My guess is they are doing it out of nostalgia, they're desperate to play a decent old school JRPG and probably haven't played any of the newer ones that are actually good and have deep storylines.

With that said it's still good enough that I'll keep playing it until Starfield comes out. I don't really want to start anything else and then abandon it for months at a time while I play Starfield.

[Skinypupy]

I put in about another 3 hours on this one and I think all of the professional reviewers putting this game in the 8 to 9 range are way over rating it. It's not a bad game but it's certainly no 8 to 9. My guess is they are doing it out of nostalgia, they're desperate to play a decent old school JRPG and probably haven't played any of the newer ones that are actually good and have deep storylines.

With that said it's still good enough that I'll keep playing it until Starfield comes out. I don't really want to start anything else and then abandon it for months at a time while I play Starfield.

Thanks, saved me the $$.

I’ve been thinking about just picking up Chrono Trigger and giving that another go, as I’ve actually never finished it. Sounds like that might be the better option.

[wonderpug]

I'm looking forward to trying this eventually, but releasing alongside Starfield is pretty bad timing. Hopefully it’s still free on game pass by the time I get around to it.

[Skinypupy]

This is free on PS+, so I guess I’ll give it a shot.

[Skinypupy]

Played the first 3 hours of this last night and really enjoyed it.

Might just be timing (I just wrapped up a massive, epic RPG with BG3), but I found it to be really delightful so far. Looks fantastic (I love the perspective tricks they do with the 16-bit visuals), the story is interesting, the writing is well done and often very funny, the music is fantastic, and the combat is a blast.

We'll see if it holds up, but I'm very impressed with the early game.

[Jaymann]

I shall defer to this earlier thread. I am loving it so far: the exploration, the pacing, the music. It is a bit on a rail so far but I'm sure it will open up. I turned on 100% hp after each battle so I don't have to worry about food or camping. I was backtracking to find a save spot when I found enemies re-spawn - perfect for building up. This game is great for watching football since you can always pause, even during combat.

[Jaymann]

I'm deep into it now and have handled some boss battles. Just realized you can swap out party members during battle - nice.

[Jaymann]

I finished the game with my typical strategy of out leveling the bastards. I did cheat on one "secret" boss after losing twice so I could get the best weapons in the game. After the credits it lets you save just before the final boss fight to check out side content. A solid 7/8 combo attacks.

[pr0ner]

I finished the game with my typical strategy of out leveling the bastards. I did cheat on one "secret" boss after losing twice so I could get the best weapons in the game. After the credits it lets you save just before the final boss fight to check out side content. A solid 7/8 combo attacks.

Did you get the "best" ending?

[Jaymann]

I finished the game with my typical strategy of out leveling the bastards. I did cheat on one "secret" boss after losing twice so I could get the best weapons in the game. After the credits it lets you save just before the final boss fight to check out side content. A solid 7/8 combo attacks.

Did you get the "best" ending?

I have no idea, and I didn't look it up.

[RM2]

I am playing this now and having fun with it.

[pr0ner]

I finished the game with my typical strategy of out leveling the bastards. I did cheat on one "secret" boss after losing twice so I could get the best weapons in the game. After the credits it lets you save just before the final boss fight to check out side content. A solid 7/8 combo attacks.

Did you get the "best" ending?

I have no idea, and I didn't look it up.

Spoiler:

If you didn't fight the Fleshmancer, you didn't get the "best" (aka true) ending.