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.
UPDATE -- Check out our Sea of Stars feature
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.
Sea of Stars will launch for PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC. As of right now, there doesn’t seem to be a planned launch for Xbox Series X.
Sea of Stars story
Sea of Stars is set thousands of years before the events of The Messenger. It’s focused on two heroes, Zale and Valerie, who use the power of the sun and moon, respectively, to fight against The Fleshmancer, an alchemist. Together they team up with four other adventurers that you’ll be able to control.
Here are some of the fun character descriptions:
Valere — The Moongirl: Born on the Winter Solstice, Valere shows curiosity and balance. Gifted with Lunar Magic, she can absorb Eclipse Orbs in her moonstaff to dish out massive damage. Trained in the martial ways of the monk, she walks the path of the Guardian Goddess Luana. The Elder Mist sees great potential in her, believing she might one day be the one to “create paths on water.”
Zale — The Sunboy: Born on the Summer Solstice, Zale is optimistic and bold. He wields a sunblade, which can absorb Eclipse Orbs whenever his attacks need an extra kick. As a blade-dancer, he walks the path of the Guardian God Solen. According to the Elder Mist’s prophecy, Zale needs to “stare at the night inside of him” to find his light and achieve his full potential.
Garl — The Warrior-Cook: Garl was born a regular kid devoid of any special powers. Along with his training as a cook, his innately strong constitution makes him a capable defensive fighter, giving him the tools to support his two best friends in their Solstice Warrior duties. The Elder Mist saw something peculiar in the stars about him, as it seemed his heart just may be warm enough to “soothe a long tormented soul.”
I love these descriptions because it’s already building upon the lore of this universe. Unfortunately, we only have descriptions of three of the six characters so far, but as soon as they become available, they will be updated here.
We don’t know a whole lot about the overarching narrative of Sea of Stars, apart from the fact we’re here to kick an alchemist’s butt. We got a sneak peak at a little cult in one of the trailers, but that’s about it. From what we know so far, the game will explore themes of adventure and friendship.
Sea of Stars gameplay
A Sea of Stars demo is available right now if you want to get a taste of the gameplay for yourself, but shocking surprise — it’s a turn-based roleplaying game. If you’re a fan of Illusion of Gaia, Breath of Fire, or Chrono Trigger, this game takes some serious inspiration from the aforementioned titles.
What immediately drew me to Sea of Stars, apart from its gorgeous artstyle and astronomical themes, was the fluidity of its gameplay. It’s as stiff or rigid as most turn-based RPGs would be, and that’s because you can time attacks and press buttons to reduce incoming attacks. You’re an active participant in the combat as opposed to a pick-and-choose observer.
I dig how interactive the environments are — you can sail, swim, and climb. It’s not a simple side scroller, which most RPGs tend to be. Also, things like cooking, fishing, and minigames have been confirmed already. There’s nothing I love more than little activities in an RPG to immerse me in its world.
I am dying to get my hands on Sea of Stars, although I haven’t played the demo yet because I hate being teased. I want the whole thing already, damn it!
Sea of Stars trailers
There’s a few trailers so far as well as a demo, so we have a pretty good sense about the game, the style of play, and the art style. Sabotage also posts a lot of behind the scenes and clips on its YouTube channel.
Sea of Stars PC requirements
Sea of Stars has a Steam entry as well as some minimum spec requirements, but they aren’t impressive, so you can practically run this game on a potato.
Sea of Stars requires you to have a minimum of Windows 7 (yes, really), an Intel Core i7-4700HQ 2.40 Ghz CPU, 8GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GTX 860M GPU.
Some of the best cheap gaming laptops sport a fresh Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU, but all of them support better components than the required above, so don’t worry about running Sea of Stars.
Outlook
RPGs are my favorite genre of video game, and Sea of Stars is already scratching that cosmic-fantasy, turn-based itch I’ve longed for since playing games like Final Fantasy and Live A Live.
I love seeing fresh takes on the turn-based RPG formula because while they may be addictive at their core, all of them need a much needed tune up. I think Sea of Stars can be just that.
Sea of Stars launches on Aug. 29, 2023 (my daughter will be one year old by then — I cry), stay tuned for our review!
