izigame.me

I have several issues with Sea of Stars but most of them can be boiled down to a lack of polish in the writing, alongside the combat feeling shallow and monotonous.
The writing is not compelling or interesting enough for how much text the game has. I am not a writer and I couldn’t write a story to save my life, but I do know what I like in fiction and this game is not nearly ambitious or creative enough to make any of the characters or setting interesting. The game is led by duo protagonists Valere/Zale who are practically indistinguishable from one another, apart from one being a man and the other a woman. They lack a clear and distinctive identity. They do not disagree or challenge each other on anything that happens during the story. They somehow feel less personable and engrossing than the average silent protagonist despite having actual words to say. You could argue they are brave and selfless. But stoicism does not make for an interesting character by itself, especially when you have *two* leads.
Your childhood friend Garl is a little more interesting, but not by much. Garl is overwhelmingly positive and cheerful to a fault, but he at least resembles something close to a personalty. I get a feeling of his character based on how he reacts and speaks. Sadly, the rest of the cast do not fair much better than this. Serai and the other companions are too emotionless and never felt like people. I couldn't tell you a significant or defining character trait between the last three companions.
Boring writing in text heavy games can only go so far, especially if the characters are not endearing.
Unfortunately, the game never managed to engage with me on a narrative level. The writing is very dry and matter of fact. There's no wit, style or originality in the script.
A generic good vs evil story might've been acceptable if the characters were interesting. The story line in almost any Dragon Quest is simple and can be briefly surmised as 'an otherworldly evil is trying to ruin everything the main character holds dear', but it works because the games spend time developing side characters and giving the main crew personal vendettas. The characters are charming and I develop an interest in seeing them succeed despite how humble the plot is.
It's enjoyable watching the characters bounce off each other in games like DQ or FF but this dynamic never happens in Sea of Stars. The campfire segments seem perfectly suited for some banter between the characters, but they never amount to anything either. All of this isn't great but even RPGs with weak stories can work if the gameplay is fun. Well, about that...
Gameplay in Sea of Stars is fine but feels undercooked. The combat is identical to the Mario & Luigi RPGs where you press a button in time with an attack to increase damage output, or press it to reduce incoming damage during the enemies turn. I will be up front and admit that I am not a massive fan of this type of turn-based combat, but I can tolerate it.
The issue with Sea of Stars is a lack of skill variety and complexity that goes beyond my personal gripes with with this type of combat. Each playable character only ever gets three moves plus one ultimate ability that acts as a limit break. It just isn’t enough for a game this long, you’ll see the same two or three moves over and over again. It’s a novelty that gets old quickly and by the time you’ve unlocked your first ultimate ability, you’ve seen the limits of the combat system. If you play the demo and you think the combat could keep you engaged after 20 hours; then by all means give the game a try. Everyone has a different tolerance for repetition. But after several hours I was bored of seeing the same exact abilities.
The second issue was the break mechanic. Each enemy has a set of locks that can be broken to stop them from using high-damage special moves. In each lock is an icon like a green skull, crescent or sword etc. to indicate what the lock can be broken with, when you use the corresponding skill it will break one lock and when all locks are broken the enemy can no longer use the special move they were planning on the turn count. Basically, you get a few turns to stop them from using high damage abilities. This is a cool concept but the balance is off.
For most of the early game breaking is numerically impossible far too often, either because the enemy dies too quickly or you have too few turns to break 3 or more locks. I was commonly finding enemies with 4 locks and would only have one or two turns to break them. This frustration just makes the mechanic unsatisfying and adds a small amount of tedium to early game encounters, as you watch the enemy cast an 8 second spell that does a third of your party's HP.
Not being able to play efficiently because of skill is one thing, not being able to do so because the deck is stacked against you is another. Not being able to meaningfully connect with a core mechanic of the game just makes the combat feel like Sea of Stars is missing tweaks or quality assurance.
The game also has a combo meter for other special moves that does not cost MP. They sometimes even have multiple damage modifiers, like being able to break crescent and hammer at the same time which saves you an extra turn. The problem is that many of the level 1 combos are too weak and impractical. And in the instance you’ve built up enough meter to do a more complicated combo that may break someone, the fight is basically over. Outside of boss fights I never felt like I was engaging with the games mechanics, which is a real shame.
The level up system is also really boring. When you level up the game has a stat allocation system where you get to pick between several different upgrades. I initially thought this would let me develop the characters in a way I see fit, like maybe I can focus on MP and magic damage for Zale while focusing on HP and physical attack for Valere. Sadly, that was not to be the case. You’re effectively choosing what you’d like to prioritise at that moment because you’ll have access to all of these stat upgrades eventually. You’re not choosing HP over any other stat permanently, you are ignoring others for immediate benefit.
3+ DEF or 2+ ATTACK is not going to radically change how you play the game. It’s not an interesting way to conceptualise a character getting stronger. Incremental stat changes are not as exciting as new skills or combos. I think the game should’ve ditched this system and replaced it with something more exciting.
I get that this game is heavily inspired by a time when levelling up was nothing but a stat upgrade with the odd new skill here and there. But you don’t have to take the most boring elements from games that came out 30 years ago. The best derivative works take what was successful from the past whilst also choosing to avoid parts that don't work as well. If you’re going to give the player a choice, make that choice feel meaningful.
Sabotage Studio spent a lot of effort and talent on recreating the aesthetic of an old school SNES RPG. The sound, feel and look of the game is undeniably excellent. The towns are large and beg you to explore for secrets and items. The game is challenging at times but it never feels like you *need* to level grind to continue playing if you get stuck, which was a great choice. The music is reminiscent of a bygone era but it does nail the SNES vibe without sounding too derivative or unoriginal, outside of a few small exceptions.
How Sea of Stars compares to Chrono Trigger, Golden Sun, Final Fantasy or any other RPG is irrelevant to me because I enjoy and appreciate those games on their own merits, rather than hoping a new game will be the same exact thing. Sea of Stars even on its own terms fails to be a captivating experience.