Game Developer reports that Sea of Stars has reached 5 million players.

Thanks Couchpotato!

A DLC for the indie hit Sea of Stars has been announced:

Sea of Stars DLC

Back in November the team gathered for Sabobo Summit where the DLC for Sea of Stars was pitched, along with the vision for "Game 3"

Work is going well with the mysterious and wacky DLC which has officially graduated from pre-production!

Malevolent spectacle awaits...

Mortismal Gaming reviewed the J-RPG Sea of Stars:

Sea of Stars - Review After 100%

RPGamer reviewed Sea of Stars:

Sea of Stars Review

Classic inspired retro RPGs can often feel like cheap imitations. New ideas are added to the formula, but its ultimately never enough to feel unique. Sabotage Studio uses this inspiration as a foundation for Sea of Stars and it fortunately quickly rounds into form as a unique and modern take on the genre. It’s an extremely refined RPG with a tightly-packed story full of heart and charm. While it doesn’t quite reach the heights of classic RPGs like Chrono Trigger, it doesn’t need to, Sea of Stars has its own identity that allows it to stand out in a crowd.

While its retro RPGs inspirations are prevalent early on, Sea of Stars’ story feels uniquely its own, especially in the way that it’s told. After choosing which character leads the story (which has no effect on how the story is played out), the player is brought to a room called the Great Archives and introduced to The Archivist. In this messy room full of scattered books, The Archivist begins to lay the foundation for the adventure that is about to unfold for the Solstice Warriors Zale and Valere. Solstice Warriors wield powerful eclipse magic; Zale, is a blade dancer who uses the power of the sun, while Valere is a monk who utilizes the power of the moon. These warriors will travel the world to take down an evil alchemist threatening to end the world called The Fleshmancer.

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Sea of Stars is a perfectly balanced modern RPG with a beautiful world to explore. The game’s story is full of heart and charismatic characters that push it forward in emotional and meaningful ways. There is a plethora of amazing music and sounds that contribute to its classic vibe, and some great minigames. Its retro RPG inspirations are used only as a foundation; it comes into its own through clever storytelling ideas and vivid world interactions. Although it never quite reaches the heights of the classic RPGs it takes inspiration from, Sea of Stars stands out as a superb, modern turn-based RPG due to its incredible polish and refinement.

Score: 4/5

The J-RPG Sea of Stars is getting a lot of positive reviews - Ladies Gamers checked it out, too:

Sea of Stars Review

The team at Sabotage Studio’s RPG Sea of Stars developers have said that classics like Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana heavily inspire Sea of Stars. That is pretty apparent while playing this homage to the 16-bit era of video games.

The opening scenes present a story about two Children of the Solstice, Zale and Valere, and their charismatic best friend and talented chef, Gael (my favourite character).

Zale and Valere have the power of the sun and moon to perform Eclipse Magic. Eclipse Magic is the only force capable of fighting off the monstrous evil alchemist, The Fleshmancer and his minions, the powerful monsters called Dwellers.

The trio set off to save the world and kill the big bad. Of course, things don’t go to plan, as is often the case in RPGs. The storyline has plenty of twists and turns to amuse you and keep you interested, with an endearing cast of characters you meet along the way and plenty of humour in the story.

However, I did feel the beginning of the game was a tad slow to start and in introducing the storyline, characters and personalities. But it’s one to stick with as it finds its flow after the first few hours and is rewarding.

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Sea of Stars constantly finds ways to keep the story and characters interesting and surprise you with creative and fun plot twists. With over thirty hours of enjoyable gameplay, Sea of Stars might be just what you are looking for if you are a fan of RPGs. It’s definitely a Two thumbs up score from me for this gem of a game!

Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up  

RPG Site has reviewed Sea of Stars:

Sea of Stars Review

Revisiting an old favorite is about more than just watching the same movie or reading the same book again. Some people replay the same game or watch the same series on an annual basis, while others may want to refamiliarize themself with a long-lost friend they haven't seen in a while. There’s something romantic about revisiting snapshots of our own history through the lens of what helped define us in those times, and what continues to stick with us many years later. While pop culture and media are teeming with reboots, sequels, remakes, and the like, it’s rare when something new comes along and evokes those feelings of familiarity. Plenty of games bill themselves as being inspired by the SNES classics, but Sea of Stars stands out because it doesn’t just understand how those games look and are played, but also how they feel.

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That's part of the reason Sea of Stars is such a success. It leans on the past without being shackled to it, taking elements from the classics while adding technical flourishes to liven up the proceedings. It doesn't simply try to copy the classics or provide a facsimile of a retro experience. Instead, it recreates the experience of feeling those games, allowing us to revisit what it felt like to perceive the spectacle and grandeur for the first time. By those measures, Sea of Stars might be inspired by the classics, but it feels in league with them, too.

Score: 9/10

Happy Console Gamer reviewed the retro RPG Sea of Stars:

SEA OF STARS REVIEW - Happy Console Gamer

The story rich RPG Sea of Stars has been released:

Sea of Stars

Sea of Stars is a turn-based RPG inspired by the classics. A prequel story set in The Messenger’s universe, it tells the story of two Children of the Solstice who will combine the powers of the sun and moon to perform Eclipse Magic, the only force capable of fending off the monstrous creations of the evil alchemist known as The Fleshmancer. 

Promising the Sabotage touch in every system, Sea of Stars aims to modernize the classic RPG in terms of turn-based combat, storytelling, exploration and interactions with the environment, while still offering a hearty slice of nostalgia and good old, simple fun.

IGN reviewed the upcoming adventure RPG Sea of Stars:

Sea of Stars Review

Sea of Stars is an excellent tribute RPG that channels the best parts of its ‘90s-era forebears like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 6, and even Star Ocean: The Second Story. Because of that, it’s fair to say that its world, graphical style, and mechanics aren’t wholly original, but there are enough interesting twists in its 30-hour story to make for a rich and enjoyable experience of its own merit.
This isn’t just nostalgia fodder. That said, its twitchy combat can be difficult to get a handle on, and once you do, it only stays interesting for so long before its limited customization options make it start to feel just a little repetitive. That’s made up for by a strong soundtrack, an approachable and endearing story, and a wide number of fun zones and boss fights that make this a trip worth taking.

Laptop Mag checked out the J-RPG Sea of Stars, which will be released in August:

Sea of Stars: Everything we know so far

Here’s everything we know about Sea of Stars

I am in love with Sea of Stars. From the incredibly colorful artstyle to the creative RPG mechanics, everything I’ve seen so far has hyped me up for this game.

I recently learned that Sea of Stars is not only made by the same developers of The Messenger, but it also takes place within the same universe, occurring thousands of years before the events of the latter game. I haven’t played The Messenger, but now it’s a must.

Here’s everything we know so far about Sea of Stars, from the release date and story to the gameplay and trailers.

Sea of Stars release date
Sea of Stars was first announced on March 19, 2020 as a Kickstarter project. A few years and  several delays later, Sea of Stars is slated to launch on Aug. 29, 2023.

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Mugen Lord checked out the upcoming retro J-RPG Sea of Stars:

Sea of Stars maybe the RPG to scratch my Chrono Trigger itch.

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Sea of Stars will be released in 2022:

Sea of Stars

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Sea of Stars is a turn-based RPG inspired by the classics. It tells the story of two Children of the Solstice who will combine the powers of the sun and moon to perform Eclipse Magic, the only force capable of fending off the monstrous creations of the evil alchemist known as The Fleshmancer.

The RPG Sea of Stars has already been funded on Kickstarter:

Funded in under 7 hours! + Stretch Goals Reveal

What’s the most cliche’d way to start this? By saying wow? Because, wow!

We were confident about the target, and had a whole lot of cool things planned to keep the momentum going over the next two weeks. Yet here we are, completely unprepared, and caught off guard by an overwhelmingly positive response! Thank you so much for your support, it certainly warms our hearts in these trying times <3

As we realize that crying and laughing at the same time can be sustained for *checks clock* 6 hours straight, we find ourselves having to reveal stretch goals way ahead of schedule. We had a lot of pretty cool ideas : getting a Legendary JRPG Composer™ to contribute a couple of tracks, adding fully animated 2D cinematic cutscenes to the game for especially special story beats, a free DLC, even shooting a behind the scenes documentary over the next two years as we go through this dream of a production!

Let’s start with lower stakes and see how far we can all take this.

First stretch goal, a free content update: Single Player +

Based on some of the comments we’ve been receiving so far, a lot of people feel inclined to traverse the world with a friend.

It is not a fully-fledged co-op mode, however, meaning the main character is always the one to control the camera, enter and exit zones, or trigger important events.

Single Player + lets a second player drop in and out at will, so that the two heroes can roam the world together, swimming, climbing , and jumping all over the place. The + player even controls their own character during combat!

Not good enough? We agree! Single Player + would also come with a few optional puzzles that require two players to complete for the best experience, eventually unlocking the “Halls of Cooperation”, a short bonus dungeon best experienced with a friend. 

If the stretch goal is reached, our team will start working on the free Single Player + update as soon as the game releases!

Once again, thanks for the support! <3

Sea of Stars is a JRPG set in The Messenger universe seeking funding on Kickstarter.

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Sea of Stars is a turn-based RPG inspired by the classics. A prequel story set in The Messenger’s universe, it tells the story of two Children of the Solstice who will combine the powers of the sun and moon to perform Eclipse Magic, the only force capable of fending off the monstrous creations of the evil alchemist known as The Fleshmancer. 

Promising the Sabotage touch in every system, Sea of Stars aims to modernize the classic RPG in terms of turn-based combat, storytelling, exploration and interactions with the environment, while still offering a hearty slice of nostalgia and good old, simple fun.

Coming to PC and Consoles in 2022.

 Key ingredients :

•  Engaging turn-based combat. Combat gameplay includes active player input during attack animations (timed hits), multi-character combo attacks, boosting, and strategic defense options to hinder enemies while they are channeling powerful attacks or spells. For a more immersive experience, there are no random encounters or transitions to separate battlefields, and no grinding. Both navigation and combat happen in the same environment.
•  Unshackled traversal. Swim, climb, vault, jump off or hoist up ledges as you run through the world with a navigation system based on platformer expertise that breaks free from the classic bound-to-the-grid tile-based movement.
•  Prequel story set in The Messenger’s universe. Dozens of original characters and story arcs will take you on a captivating journey. Sometimes epic, sometimes silly, and other times emotional, Sea of Stars does its RPG duty of exploring classic themes of adventure and friendship, while also being chock-full of the unexpected twists and events you’ve come to expect from a Sabotage production.
•  Full-on dynamic lighting our custom-made render pipeline allows the creation of a breathtaking world coming to life by pushing the limits of 2D pixel-art games.
•  The Sabotage treatment on the turn-based RPG genre. Every system has been deeply analyzed to create an experience that pays respect to retro classics, while reworking some elements in order to offer a modernized experience free of irritants and overly lengthy sequences.