The Sea of Stars reviews have dropped, and there's a consensus: the retro-styled turn-based JRPG is great! Like I figured, this is a must-play game. I can't wait to get into it...but wait I must. I'm still enthralled with Tears of the Kingdom and have so much more to savor in it. That said, the positive reviews and scores make Sea of Stars hard to resist. One thing that really helps me is that the physical version doesn't release until next year.
I was already planning to play SoS based solely on its key features:
- HD-2D-like pixel-art style
- Turn-based combat
- 90s JRPG inspiration
- Sun and moon elemental play mechanics
As if those points were not enough for me to risk plunking down $60 for the game, Metacritic's overall score helped seal the deal with a score of 89. That's very good and is based on 27 positive critic reviews, including one from RPGFan that rated SoS a 95 out of 100.
Caitlin Argyros wrote highly of all aspects of the game: visuals, music, combat, world traversal, and story. I liked some of these compelling details too. Talking about gameplay elements:
"And then there’s the ability to change the time of day, which opens up even more possibilities, such as giant mushrooms that unfurl into bouncing platforms at night or prisms that reflect sunlight to melt ice blocking your path."
And about combat, which has multiple layered aspects to it:
"Combat revolves around the Locks system, wherein enemies charging special moves display a series of locks to break through by using certain attack types. Breaking these locks reduces the power of the charged move, and if you manage to break all of them, the move is canceled."
So, yeah, SoS impresses me already. I'm especially intrigued by how Sabotage Studios has developed its own take on the modern pixel-art style (HD-2D) pioneered by Square Enix. And the Locks battle system, so far, sounds similar to the Break system in Octopath Traveler, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Topping things off, I listened to "The Making of Sea of Stars" at The Escapist. In it, the creative director said (at 15:35) "...there's no grinding in the game at all..."
So a classic turn-based JRPG. No random encounters. No grinding. Take my money.