Sea of Stars

Sea of Stars is a 2023 role-playing video game by Sabotage Studio. The game was released for Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S and is set thousands of years before Sabotage Studio's previous game The Messenger (2018). In the game, players take control of two heroes named Valere and Zale, who use the power of the sun and moon to fight against an alchemist. Sea of Stars features puzzle-solving and turn-based combat, with the player able to control up to six characters. The game was well received critically and commercially.

Gameplay
Sea of Stars is a retro-styled role-playing video game centred on two heroes named Valere and Zale, who use the power of the moon and sun respectively to fight against the creations of an evil alchemist. Gameplay includes elements of puzzle-solving and turn-based combat, with players able to control up to six player characters. Sea of Stars is set in the same universe as The Messenger.

Plot
Valere and Zale are Solstice Warriors, adventurers who have control over Eclipse Magic. Their power is the only magic able to harm the Dwellers, otherworldly monsters created by a god-like alchemist called the Fleshmancer. During their travels, they are assisted by their childhood friend, a warrior-cook named Garl. The trio is joined by an assassin named Seraï, and they attack the Dweller of Woe alongside the other Solstice Warriors: Headmaster Moraine, Erlina, and Brugaves. After defeating the Dweller, Erlina and Brugaves betray the group and summon a cult serving the Fleshmancer. The acolytes use the monster's remains to revive the powerful Dweller of Strife. After reaching safety, Moraine tells Valere and Zale to confront the Dweller at the cult's stronghold on Mesa Island.

To disable the protective shield surrounding Mesa Island, the party journeys to a tower submerged in the ocean. Inside, they discover that the structure is home to an alchemist named Resh'an, who requests that they retrieve his magical hourglass. It is later revealed that Resh'an is the Fleshmancer's rival and former associate, who helped him create the elixir of life. Although the potion made them immortal, the Fleshmancer gradually became envious of the mortality given to other creatures, causing him to become cynical and misanthropic. After the Fleshmancer created the Dwellers to spread chaos, Resh'an began training the first Solstice Warriors, sparking a conflict between the alchemists spanning countless parallel universes. The conflict continues in each universe until the Dwellers grow into apocalyptic beings called World Eaters, or the Solstice Warriors gain enough power to become guardian gods.

The party retrieves the hourglass, and Resh'an agrees to fight by their side, but warns them that he cannot engage the Dweller. The party disables the shield, and Valere, Zale, Garl, and Seraï battle the Dweller of Strife. On the verge of losing, Seraï attacks the Dweller with the hourglass in desperation, and its power attracts the attention of the Fleshmancer. The alchemist dismisses the Dweller, acolytes, and Brugaves to his lair, appoints Erlina as his lieutenant, and mortally wounds Garl before leaving. Resh'an uses his power to temporarily extend Garl's lifespan, and the warrior-cook spends his remaining time helping the party perform a favor for the powerful sky giants. After Garl's death, the giants permit the party to cross between worlds in order to pursue the Fleshmancer.

The party arrives at a technologically advanced planet, which Seraï reveals is her home; She had traveled between worlds to recruit Solstice Warriors who could liberate her people from the Fleshmancer. The party fights through the planet alongside B'st, an ancient spirit given a new body by Resh'an, and they confront the Fleshmancer at his lair. The alchemist reveals that he has transformed Erlina into a demonic creature named Elysan'darëlle, and orders her to attack. The party defeats Elysan'darëlle and prepares to battle the Fleshmancer, but Resh'an convinces him into accepting defeat, and both alchemists depart. Learning that a World Eater is approaching, Valere and Zale gain enough power to become guardian gods, and they leave their friends to protect the universe.

If the player completes a set of specific sidequests, an alternative ending is unlocked. The party locates a device left by Resh'an called the Cronophage, which they use to prevent Garl's death by traveling to the past. They replace him with B'st, who assumes his form just before he is struck by the Fleshmancer and the transformed B'st impersonates Garl during all the events that followed up to the present to prevent a time paradox. During the confrontation with the Fleshmancer, Garl provokes him into battling the party instead of Elysan'darëlle, and they force him to retreat. Elysan'darëlle appears in another world, reunited with a transformed Brugaves. Valere and Zale ascend into guardian gods, and return once a year to meet Garl on his birthday.

Development and release
Sea of Stars was announced on March 19, 2020, as a project on Kickstarter. Sabotage Studio, the game's developer, intended to develop a role-playing game that was more ambitious than The Messenger. Creative director Thierry Boulanger said that Sabotage wanted to expand and tell a new story in the same game world, using a new genre unlike the metroidvania style of the first game. He wanted to include "higher stakes" with six characters and exploration that differed from the linear nature of The Messenger. Boulanger cited Chrono Trigger, Super Mario RPG, and the Paper Mario series as influences. The game was scored by Eric W. Brown, who previously composed for The Messenger under the alias "Rainbowdragoneyes", with ten tracks written by Chrono Trigger composer Yasunori Mitsuda. The game was made using the Unity engine.

Sea of Stars was released for Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on August 29, 2023. It was the first game to release simultaneously on Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus via its Extra tier. The game featured internet personality Jirard "The Completionist" Khalil as a non-playable character in the game. However, following charity fraud allegations against Khalil in November 2023, Boulanger announced on Discord that his appearance would be removed.

Reception
The PC, Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 versions of Sea of Stars received "generally favorable" reviews,  while the Switch version received "universal acclaim" on Metacritic. Many critics noted the game's inspiration from games such as Chrono Trigger,  Super Mario RPG,   and Golden Sun. Most critics concluded that the game successfully modernized and innovated on the genre's formula, though some notable reviews considered it lacking innovation compared to past games.

The Guardian compared it to a "lost, late classic of the Super Nintendo era". They praised the modernized JRPG gameplay systems, visual style, soundtrack, environments, and homages to past games. They concluded that "Sea of Stars is no shallow mirror of RPGs past. Its depth and sparkle make it a modern classic in its own right." Eurogamer concluded their review by stating that "Sea of Stars' well-considered inspirations are shot through with smart, modern sensibilities, creating a more-than-welcome addition to the contemporary throwback RPG club." Game Informer directed particular praise towards the game's modernization of various older JRPG mechanics, which "leads to a smooth, consistently thrilling adventure with fun combat, all in a gorgeous and inviting world." IGN praised the game's visuals, soundtrack, and gameplay, but viewed the game as more derivative than innovative in relation to the genre.

Sales
Sea of Stars sold 100,000 copies in 24 hours and over 250,000 in its first week. The game had been played by more than five million people by March 2024.

Accolades
The game was an honorable mention for Game of the Year, Best Design, and Best Visual Art at the 2024 Game Developers Choice Awards, and won the award for "Game, Original Role Playing" at the NAVGTR Awards, whereas its other nomination was for "Gameplay Design, New IP".