Sea of Stars
PlayStation 4
Nostalgia Factor:
This game completely popped up out of nowhere for me. I was scrolling through a list of games to check out on PS Plus Premium, when I saw this. I opened it up and watched a preview video. I was immediately charmed by the graphics and presentation of the game. I wanted to check it out, but I had never heard anything about it. Was it any good?
I immediately did a Google search for the game and saw that it was brand new. Most early reviews for the game were positive, comparing it 16-bit classics like Chrono Trigger. Sold. No need to read any further. I made up my mind then and there to check this game out.
What, me, playing and reviewing a brand new game? Impossible! But here we are. This is probably the only time I'll play a brand new game, for free. Normally I'm someone who is willing to wait it out for years looking for that cheap sale. No need to with this game!
Story:
I haven't really read too many reviews of the game to know the stance that the general public has taken on its story. So I don't know if this statement is controversial or not. But I'll get it out of the way first: this game's story is the weakest thing about it. The game itself is fun and addicting with beautiful graphics and great music. But the story? It is kind of a confusing, Kingdom Hearts-esque mess.
It starts off promising enough. You play as Valere and Zale, two young kids who are in training to be Solstice Warriors. The game has a lot of lore to it, and many key things are left unexplained. Where is this taking place? Who are the Solstice Warriors? What are these creatures they are being trained to fight against?
Things are slowly explained as the game goes on. Valere and Zale quickly grow up in the game's opening hour as they go through training. When they get out of training, they are sent on their first mission. They are joined by childhood friend Garl, who was left without an eye when he was attacked by a creature while venturing into a forbidden area with Valere and Zale when they were kids.
At first I didn't really trust Garl. I thought he'd show up holding a grudge because of the eye, and because his friends abandoned him to attend to their training. But those thoughts were quickly squashed. Garl is the friendliest, most happy go lucky character I think I've ever seen in an RPG. His attitude is infectious, and he really grew on me quickly.
The game takes you all across this game's world as you travel around, fighting Dwellers and helping the citizens of the planet. In the early goings of the game, while things are a bit more simple, the story is much easier to follow. It isn't until the game dives into the Fleshmancer, the Alchemist, the Sea of Stars, all these other things that it quickly goes off the rails. Seriously, the entire second half of this game, I had NO idea what was going on. Everything is so over the top and nonsensical. I always liken it to Kingdom Hearts when games get all wild like this. I made that comparison with Death Stranding, too. When are these game makers going to learn that simpler is better?
At some point I ended up playing because of the combat and the gameplay. I had no idea what was going on with the storyline anymore, and it saddened me. I remember one mission has you baking a giant loaf of bread in a volcano in order to make peace with a big dragon/demon entity. Shortly after that, things take a turn from fantasy to sci-fi when you visit another world using the Sea of Stars. Another big villain awaits that you must defeat.
Valere and Zale are about as generic of protagonists as you can get. They are all about doing the right thing and having honor and blah blah blah. The side characters are much more interesting. Garl and Serai really carry the main party, as far as their personalities go. I won't spoil too much, but when a major character in the party dies, things REALLY go off the rails. I won't even pretend to know what was going on for the last few hours of the game.
Long story short: if you can make sense of this game's story, you'll probably like it a lot more than I did. I think it does not hold a candle to Chrono Trigger or most of the classic Final Fantasy games I have played. It is serviceable and it takes you all across the interesting world of the game, but it is absolutely nothing I'll remember in the long run.
Gameplay:
This is where Sea of Stars shines: its gameplay. It is very easy to pick up and play, especially for classic JRPG veterans. Combat is turn-based (hallelujah!) but employs a timing based attack/defense system, similar to what you'd see in Paper Mario. If you hit the x button just as your character is landing an attack, it does extra damage. If you hit x as you are being hit, you can block the attack and take less damage.
Gone are random encounters. You can see enemies on the game map and decide if you want to fight them or not. Some, you can't sneak past so you have to fight them. But I enjoyed this. You really get to explore your surroundings thoroughly. A pet peeve of mine with random encounters is how it can take FOREVER to explore an area because you are constantly getting attacked. That doesn't happen here.
The whole game moves along at a brisk pace. Save points are plentiful, as are campfires where you can rest up to restore your HP and MP. You can also use these campfires to cook meals, which act as healing items in your inventory. Normally I don't like crafting systems in games, but everything is super easy and self-explanatory here.
The game does a great job at auto saving. You won't explore a whole dungeon, only to die in a freak encounter, and then have to do the whole thing over again. The game saves quite often, and when you come back, you come back with full health. Rarely did I find myself dying and then having to play through areas that I'd already beaten before. There are a few areas in the game where this happens, but you're never set back more than 3 or 4 minutes.
Combat is surprisingly tough. You are going to die a lot in this game, but due to its user friendly nature, you are always able to come right back and try the fight again. There are some spots where you have to grind, but luckily battles are more fun than tedious. Compare this to Grandia, where I was just having an awful time with the grinding and the load times - and the fun factor difference is night and day. In fact, I am currently in the middle of a Legacy of Legaia playthrough. That game has the same issues as Grandia. I started Sea of Stars and beat the entire game, and I still haven't come back to that other game yet. Sea of Stars completely usurps these older, slow moving games in so many ways.
I don't have much to complain about when it comes to this title's gameplay. It is fun and addicting and kept me coming back for more. I liked the combat and the gameplay way, and I mean WAY more than its story. If I had to nitpick, it would be the repetitive nature of some of the battles. It seems like you're just doing the same thing over and over most of the time.
Graphics:
This is a truly great looking game. I love the pixel art style. It is a great homage to the 16-bit era of gaming. But it looks even better. The colors, the detailed landscapes, the smooth animation... it all just looks really, really good. Anyone who grew up in the 90s playing this type of game will be able to appreciate this game's look.
I'd love to see more games come out with this style. Imagine a Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, or even a Xenogears remake that looks like this. Or a new Final Fantasy game. Take my money! It is such untapped potential. Why aren't these games being made?
Sound:
This game has a very good soundtrack. Right away I knew I was going to like the music during the upbeat and adventurous theme that plays during the segment when you are kids. The battle music is memorable. The victory music too. And the little tune that plays when you take a nap. Love it.
Music during story segments is subdued and atmospheric. Sound effects are nice as well. Just overall very well done all across the board as far as the game's audio goes.
Overall:
If only this game had a better story, it could have been one of the greatest RPGs ever made. The graphics are great. The music is great. The gameplay is fun and addicting. The game is challenging, but very user friendly at the same time. It moves along at a brisk pace. All the trappings are there for an all-time great game.
BUT. I didn't care what was going on. Like, ever. At any point during this game. The highlight of the game for me is early on, when you visit the island where all the people are stuck, and can never leave. That was interesting. Reminded me of a fairy tale, almost. But overall it amounts to a side quest in the grand scheme of things. I still don't know what the point of this game's story is, or what the heck was going on half the time. I think there was a point where I lost interest and just started skimming over what the characters were saying. Once I caught myself doing that, that's when I knew for sure I was not invested in what was going on.
I can say with great certainty that Sea of Stars is a very good game. I wish I could refer to it as a great game, but I can't. I wanted to love it so much! I still recommend it to anyone interested in the genre. As I said, it is a very good game. But if you are hoping for an all-time classic, this game just manages to miss the mark.
THE GRADE:
B+
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