Sea of Stars

Sea of Stars is the new benchmark for turn-based RPGs, with sublime combat, a cast of charming characters and a soundtrack that's an all-timer.

90%Game Brain Score

story, music

grinding, stability

90% User Score Based on 7,799 reviews

Critic Score 90%Based on 7 reviews

Platforms

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About

Sea of Stars is a single player and multiplayer tactical role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Sabotage Studio and was released on August 28, 2023. It received positive reviews from both critics and players.

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.

+22

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90%

Audience ScoreBased on 7,799 reviews

story1.8k positive mentions

grinding254 negative mentions

Beautiful pixel art and animations with impressive lighting effects, creating an immersive and nostalgic world.
Engaging turn-based combat system incorporating timing mechanics and elemental lockbreaking that keeps battles dynamic and strategic.
Rich soundtrack, including contributions from Yasunori Mitsuda, that effectively enhances atmosphere and emotional beats.
Well-crafted level design and exploration featuring varied environments, rewarding secrets, puzzles, and side quests.
Accessible gameplay with adjustable difficulty settings and relic modifiers, plus cooperative multiplayer support.
Heartfelt story with strong themes of friendship, sacrifice, and destiny, complemented by memorable characters and surprising plot twists.
Free expansion DLC adding substantial content, increased difficulty, and further character development.

Some perceive the story as slow-paced, overly simplistic or rushed towards the end, with bland main protagonists lacking depth.
Combat can become repetitive over time due to limited skills per character and drawn-out battles.
Certain gameplay elements like puzzles and exploration become tedious or formulaic, with backtracking required for completion.
Mixed opinions on dialogue quality and writing style, with some describing it as immature or cringy.
True ending locked behind extensive collectibles, creating annoyance for completionists.
Lack of meaningful character progression or customization leading to a shallow RPG experience for some.
Timing mechanics for attacks and blocks lack clear visual/audio cues, making them frustrating at times.

story
5,101 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
59%
5%
"Sea of Stars" features a story that starts slowly with some pacing and writing issues, particularly with underdeveloped main characters and occasional plot holes, but it gradually becomes more engaging with unexpected twists and emotional moments. The narrative is a heartfelt yet somewhat conventional JRPG tale centered around friendship and destiny, enriched by strong world-building and charming side quests, although the resolution and true ending have divided opinions due to required completionist tasks. Overall, while the story may not reach the depth or complexity of classic titles it homage, its combination of warmth, humor, and meaningful moments contributes significantly to the game's nostalgic appeal.
- “The story is rich without being overbearing, and the characters have genuine warmth and depth.”
- “From the story (which really catches you off guard constantly; definitely try at all costs to avoid spoilers for the story), to the beautiful pixel art graphics, to the fun and engaging gameplay, this game truly ticks all my boxes for a game I would play over and over again through the years!”
- “It features highly interactive gameplay, something that turn-based games tend to lack, and rich interwoven story arcs which make it all the more compelling.”
- “The story completely fell apart once this happened. The protagonists are treated as plot devices, one specific party member is shilled for the entire story and gets more focus than the actual protagonists; multiple villains are left forgotten and shoved out of the plot for seemingly no reason.”
- “Sea of stars was the most 2D linear RPG I've played so far, making me feel railroaded throughout a story so poorly written I felt it completely missed the mark for me. Aside from the story, I felt the gameplay was uninspiring.”
- “The story is a little lacking, very one-dimensional and sometimes a really big slog to get through. The characters are too one-dimensional and the story is a bog standard 'we must defeat the ancient evil' shtick.”
music
2,533 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
39%
2%
The music in Sea of Stars is widely praised as exceptional, featuring a rich, nostalgic soundtrack inspired by classic SNES-era JRPGs and enhanced by contributions from legendary composer Yasunori Mitsuda. The score is immersive, varied with day/night and bardcore versions, and elevates the game's atmosphere, combat, and story, often being cited as a standout element that deeply resonates with players. While a few find some tracks repetitive or less memorable, the majority view the music as a masterpiece that complements the beautiful pixel art and engaging gameplay.
- “The soundtrack is phenomenal—emotional, memorable, and perfectly tuned to every moment—elevating the entire experience.”
- “Let's talk about music, because holy crap this game has some of, if not the best music I've ever heard in a game. It's a masterclass in musical design. Every song rules! Every song, every note, every sound that comes from this game is musical euphoria.”
- “The soundtrack, featuring contributions from legendary composer Yasunori Mitsuda, is equally impressive, soaring, nostalgic, and perfectly attuned to the game’s emotional beats.”
- “The pacing is a bit slow, the music isn't the best, and the narrative has a few too many questions that it's clear we won't have answers to for quite some time.”
- “The [b]art style[/b] is generic pixelated art; the [b]soundtrack[/b] is completely forgettable, lacking the character themes so iconic in Chrono Trigger (I'm sure anyone who has played that game remembers Frog's theme and Magus' theme, for example).”
- “The music is really really annoying.”
gameplay
2,263 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
54%
5%
Sea of Stars offers a turn-based RPG gameplay blending classic inspirations like Chrono Trigger and Mario RPG with innovative mechanics such as timed hits, breakable enemy locks, combo systems, and character swapping. While the combat is engaging, strategic, and accessible—with options to customize difficulty via relics—many players note a lack of depth, skill variety, and progression leading to repetitiveness over time. Exploration and puzzle elements add some freshness, but overall, the gameplay remains charming yet simplistic, best suited for fans of nostalgic JRPGs seeking a polished and visually stunning experience rather than deep mechanical complexity.
- “The combat mechanics keep you engaged and interesting for all parties in the co-op, and it is surprisingly difficult.”
- “Sea of stars features a turn based combat system with mechanics similar to mario rpg and even chrono trigger.”
- “The gameplay is fun, the music is fantastic and brings out more meaning in the areas you traverse, I love the characters, and the story is fantastic.”
- “This is not the case here, the combat mechanics that are introduced at the beginning of the game are the same ones you have hours later, I can't point to any meaningful progression.”
- “This is compounded and made infinitely worse by two things: the fact that there's no such thing as a 'flee' button in this game while enemies simultaneously have complex mechanics and a lot of health eventually makes combat a completely tedious slog - and the fact that any meaningful new combat abilities are very few and far between, makes level progress feel like garbage and combat feel extremely samey.”
- “Unfortunately, the gameplay is repetitive and poorly executed - a sort of mishmash of Octopath Traveler's break system, the timed button presses for team attacks of any given Mario RPG, and a general lack of any meaningful options.”
graphics
1,487 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
39%
1%
The graphics in "Sea of Stars" are widely praised for their stunning, vibrant pixel art that beautifully blends retro 16-bit aesthetics with modern lighting and animation effects, creating a visually captivating and nostalgic experience. The detailed environments, character designs, and fluid animations receive consistent acclaim for enhancing immersion and charm. Many reviewers highlight the visuals as the game's standout feature, often describing them as some of the best pixel art in the genre, effectively capturing the essence of classic JRPGs while adding fresh, polished touches.
- “The artwork, animations, and music are the very definition of timeless, and it's abundantly clear that the devs put a lot of love and effort into making something truly special.”
- “The pixel art is some of the best I have ever seen, and many of the bosses are extremely well designed in terms of aesthetics, adding to the epic feeling the world tries to convey.”
- “Every detail, from the pixel-perfect art style to the emotional soundtrack, feels lovingly handcrafted to capture that nostalgic magic while still offering something fresh and uniquely its own.”
- “There's a moment about 75% of the way through the game when visuals and enemies shift dramatically and my response was 'oh, good' not 'I'm excited to explore this new place'.”
- “Overall this game feels like they've gone all in on the visuals but everything else is pretty flawed.”
- “The critical attack/defense timings would help alleviate that tedium if they were visually communicated better, but instead it feels like it's largely guesswork to find the timing and then memorization of that timing or attack animation, since the critical is often detached from when the visuals occur onscreen, which leads to frustration as you're effectively penalized for not having encyclopedic memory of questionable QTE timings, despite it being a turn-based game.”
emotional
403 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
98%
2%
Sea of Stars delivers a heartfelt, nostalgic JRPG experience filled with wholesome characters, touching friendships, and emotional storytelling that often moved players to tears. Its beautifully crafted pixel art, evocative soundtrack, and well-paced narrative combine to create a warm, immersive journey that both honors classic titles and offers fresh emotional depth. While some found the main characters underdeveloped and parts of the story clichéd or rushed, the overall emotional impact and genuine moments of joy, sorrow, and connection resonate strongly with many players.
- “The storyline, combat, and music combined to create a masterpiece that made me cry at least once, and I'd say this game is flawless in its emotional impact.”
- “The emotional core of this game, including heartfelt friend bonds and impactful storytelling, made me cry multiple times and deeply invested me in the characters throughout the adventure.”
- “Every aspect, from pixel-perfect art to an emotional soundtrack and warm narrative, is lovingly crafted to capture nostalgic magic while delivering fresh, heartfelt experiences.”
- “You will struggle just finishing this game due to the boring storyline, characters, and repetitive combat.”
- “Boring story, no character development, and a myriad of battle-related mechanics that actively harm each other—in the end, the game is simply not fun.”
- “If you don't mind a boring story, I would pick it up, but if you're looking for a good story, I would pass.”
grinding
292 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
2%
87%
Most reviewers agree that Sea of Stars requires little to no grinding, with combat progression carefully balanced to discourage leveling outside the story's natural flow. While some find the timing-based battle mechanics initially engaging, many describe combat as becoming tedious, repetitive, and prolonged, especially due to long animations and limited new abilities. Additionally, certain side quests and backtracking, particularly those tied to the true ending, are noted as tedious, impacting the overall pacing despite the game's avoidance of traditional grinding.
- “At the same time there's no grinding and even an in-game mid-late item to tell you which spots still have something required for a 100% completion - enormous props for respecting the player's time.”
- “No grinding or random battles so it's a pretty streamlined experience.”
- “The game requires little to no grinding as you go which allows the player to focus on the story and side content without feeling bogged down by tedious level grinding.”
- “I guess I'm just bad or else I needed to grind more levels before reaching that point, but forced grinding in order to progress is really not fun.”
- “The combat is tedious, as normal attacks do paltry damage and you're thrust into playing overly long 'tap the button and don't mess up' sequences.”
- “I ended up playing for almost 7 more hours of just grinding through the story, hating every minute of it, and then had to bug some of my friends just to get some achievements.”
humor
222 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
98%
2%
The game's humor is generally praised for its charm, wit, and clever references to RPG tropes, delivering many genuinely funny and heartfelt moments that enhance the storytelling and character interactions. However, some find the frequent meta-humor and fourth-wall-breaking jokes overdone or cringe-worthy, occasionally disrupting immersion and feeling forced. Overall, the humor complements the game's nostalgic and emotional tone, though its style may not resonate equally with all players.
- “This is such a great game, the art is wonderful, the character and story writing is excellent and the humor is great!”
- “The dialogue was a joy to read, with funny banter and emotional moments as well.”
- “The storytelling is chocked full of emotion, upbeat silly humor, and vivid environments full of colorful and witty characters backed by a rock-solid soundtrack that will throw you back into the days of 90s retro RPGs such as Shining Force & Phantasy Star.”
- “Characters are just not funny, no matter how hard they tried to.”
- “That pirate with the constant 4th wall breaks is not funny; it's cringe.”
- “This character breaks the 4th wall constantly in the most painfully unfunny ways, sometimes even insulting its own game.”
character development
151 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
56%
11%
Character development in the game is widely seen as lacking, especially for the two main protagonists who are often described as one-dimensional and overshadowed by more interesting side characters. While the game excels in character design, visuals, soundtrack, and world-building, many reviewers feel that the story and character growth are shallow, missed opportunities, or unevenly distributed, with some characters receiving meaningful development while others remain static. Overall, character development is viewed as a significant weak point amidst otherwise strong artistic and gameplay elements.
- “Excellent story JRPG with great character development and overall story writing.”
- “What really shines is the character development and the story progression.”
- “I also think character development was shallow in our heroes and that side characters had a lot more personality.”
- “The solstice warriors themselves (the two characters featuring on most promotion art) are devoid of any character development or agency; the game is actually about their travel companion, who’s a “mary sue”-type character and as such is depicted as being perfect, the one who solves all the conflicts, and who gets all of the attention.”
- “The 2 main characters are insanely stale and have no character development at all, making it hard to care for them.”
- “The story, writing and character development.... they are so shallow it still irritates me as there were so many missed opportunities to do something entertaining, dramatic, or meaningful with the characters and their interactions.”
atmosphere
91 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
49%
3%
Reviews consistently praise the game's atmosphere as richly immersive, charming, and emotionally engaging, enhanced by gorgeous pixel art, varied environments, and a memorable, atmospheric soundtrack often compared to classics like Chrono Trigger. The world-building, music, and visual style create a cozy yet sometimes eerie ambiance that draws players deeply into the story and exploration. While some note occasional mismatches in music or a linear progression that slightly diminishes atmosphere, overall it stands out as a key strength that elevates the entire experience.
- “It actively pulls you deeper into the world and helps sell the atmosphere in a way that few games manage to do so well.”
- “The atmosphere and world building in this game is absolutely phenomenal.”
- “The hauntingly beautiful score enhances the game's atmosphere and emotion, immersing you even deeper into the story.”
- “The Messenger has a very unserious atmosphere.”
- “I came to realize that this game does certain things that make the game slowly erode the atmosphere it developed, all while keeping the player on a linear track.”
- “You don't really have much to investigate or learn because things are just told to you through janky dialogue, NPCs other than the main ones don't add anything to the atmosphere or lore, objects are mostly not interactive and when they are they don't add anything to the game or the story.”
replayability
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
67%
9%
Replayability for this game is generally rated as moderate, with some players appreciating features like New Game+ and optional challenges that add extra content and strategic variety. However, many reviews highlight a lack of meaningful branching paths, character variety, and noticeable story changes, which limit long-term engagement and make subsequent playthroughs feel repetitive. Overall, while the gameplay and presentation are well-received, the replay value is considered average to low, though it may improve with future content updates.
- “It’s a highly replayable system that is well touted for a reason.”
- “The wheels (a kind of strategy gambling mini game) are fun and the opponent different strategy makes it replayable.”
- “There’s an emphasis on exploration and environmental puzzles, adding depth and replayability to the game.”
- “It does however lack depth in a lot of the systems which lets it down, especially in terms of replayability.”
- “Despite its charm, the lack of meaningful branching paths or choices limits its replay value.”
- “It has absolutely zero replay value; if you beat it, that's pretty much the same experience you'll have with it the next time you pick it up.”
optimization
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
54%
14%
The game generally offers smooth and polished performance with minimal bugs, running well on platforms like PC and Steam Deck. However, some users report occasional stuttering, lag, and optimization issues, especially in later game sections or specific battles, leading to frustration for certain players. Overall, optimization is solid but could benefit from further refinement to ensure consistent performance across all systems.
- “Perfect performance, no bugs, glitches, lag, or crashes.”
- “Technical performance is smooth overall, with minimal bugs or glitches, and the developers’ attention to detail is evident in the polished presentation and well-crafted user interface.”
- “Great soundtrack, fun combat, gorgeous sprites, and silky smooth performance.”
- “The game was stuttering way too much for me, so I refunded and played it through my partner's computer instead in co-op.”
- “Performance is absolutely terrible.”
- “My PC runs modern games fine, so why is this pixel art indie title so poorly optimized?”
stability
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
5%
62%
The game's stability is generally praised for being polished, smooth, and largely bug-free, providing a seamless experience on multiple devices including PC and Steam Deck. However, some users report occasional freezes, crashes, and minor glitches, particularly during loading screens or late-game segments, which can occasionally disrupt gameplay. Overall, despite these issues, the technical performance is strong and the developers' commitment to quality is evident.
- “Overall, such a great polished experience, bug free, everything just worked.”
- “I haven't encountered any bugs myself, and I can see the developers have been very committed to giving us a bug free experience.”
- “Still, it's a lovable game and these details are easy to overlook thanks to a pretty, polished, bug free experience, excellent storytelling, great music, and fun overall.”
- “Had a ton of issues with freezes and crashes, so much so I couldn't continue.”
- “Almost every loading screen my game freezes.”
- “At first, the game was disappointing because of some issues with freezes.”
monetization
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
27%
53%
The game Sea of Stars is praised for its absence of microtransactions and hidden costs, offering a complete and affordable experience without pay-to-win mechanics. This stands out positively amid an industry trend dominated by games-as-a-service and heavy monetization. Players appreciate it as a labor of love from indie developers rather than a cash grab.
- “No microtransactions: in an era of microtransactions and pay-to-win mechanics, Sea of Stars stands out as a complete gaming experience.”
- “There are no hidden costs or in-game purchases to detract from the enjoyment of the game.”
- “In an age of games as a service, microtransactions and developers that keep churning out the same repetitive games every year, it's comforting to see that there are still people out there that truly love what they do.”
- “- Filled with microtransactions”
- “In an age of games as a service, microtransactions and developers that keep churning out the same crappy games every year, it's comforting to see that there are still people out there that truly love what they do.”
- “Loaded with references and brilliant meta-humor, it stands as an example of how the secret to game development is not hundred million dollar budgets, terrible crunch, microtransactions, or day one patches to make a game half-complete.”

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90%Critics’ scoreBased on 7 critic reviews

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19h Median play time

128h Average play time

7-44h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 58 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Sea of Stars is a tactical role playing game with fantasy theme.

Sea of Stars is available on PC, Steam Deck, Windows, Xbox Game Pass and others.

On average players spend around 128 hours playing Sea of Stars.

Sea of Stars was released on August 28, 2023.

Sea of Stars was developed by Sabotage Studio.

Sea of Stars has received positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked Sea of Stars for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Sea of Stars is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Octopath Traveler, Chained Echoes, Cosmic Star Heroine, Rise of the Third Power, 8-Bit Adventures 2 and others.

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Games Like Sea of Stars

Octopath Traveler

Chained Echoes

Cosmic Star Heroine

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Sea of Stars is out now on mobile for throwback JRPG action

Sea Of Stars Launches On Mobile Devices Today

Sea of Stars shows off new mobile gameplay ahead of launch next week

Sea of Stars brings classic JRPG action with modern conveniences to mobile

Hit Indie RPG Sea Of Stars Is Just $25 At Amazon

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Sea of Stars

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Buy Sea of Stars

Sea of Stars Steam Account

Sea of Stars

Sea of Stars (PC) - Steam Gift - GLOBAL

Sea of Stars

Videos

Games Like Sea of Stars

Octopath Traveler

Chained Echoes

Cosmic Star Heroine

Rise of the Third Power

8-Bit Adventures 2

Sea of Stars is out now on mobile for throwback JRPG action

Sea Of Stars Launches On Mobile Devices Today

Sea of Stars shows off new mobile gameplay ahead of launch next week

Sea of Stars brings classic JRPG action with modern conveniences to mobile

Hit Indie RPG Sea Of Stars Is Just $25 At Amazon

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