The challenge level of video games has been evolving since they became a hit in the arcades. Classic machines like Pac-Man or Double Dragon didn’t have difficulty levels to toggle. Players just slipped in a coin or two when they needed more lives. The dawn of the home console market created difficulty levels such as Easy, Normal, and Hard.
While that is still the most common method that developers use, there has been a new movement with indie developers involving assist options in games. Sea of Stars doesn’t have assist features in the home menu exactly but players can acquire items called Relics which act like them. Of the many in Sea of Stars, these are some of the most useful.
8 Salient Sails
A good chunk of the game is spent on foot which is natural in most RPGs. The first vehicle characters will acquire in the game is a ghostly pirate ship called The Vespertine. This ship allows players to sail to new islands and beyond but it’s kind of slow. Salient Sails gives The Vespertine a 20% boost in speed sort of like the extra sail power Nintendo put into The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker’s Wii U remaster. Another good Relic in Sea of Stars to add onto this is called Falcon-eyed Parrot, which will point out treasure players missed on islands while sailing around.
7 Gold Tooth
This game is forward-thinking in many ways like Chrono Trigger, but some mechanics are bafflingly behind the times. For example, defeating enemies will not give players money. Players will instead have to sell ingredients that they will find for cooking or they can sell rare gems which are few and far between. Getting gold, in other words, can be a grind, but thankfully there is a Relic to alleviate some headaches. Gold Tooth will reduce all shop prices by 10% which is not a huge discount but everything counts.
6 Mithreel Rod
Like a lot of RPGs, Sea of Stars has a fishing mechanic attached to it. It’s one of the best ways to earn money especially if players don’t plan on cooking any fish dishes. Eventually, players will meet a fisherman who will reward them with three Relics to help with this mini-game.
Mithreel Rod, Bearing Reel, and Stereofilament will all help in varying ways such as allowing players to reel in faster and give the line more health. There’s no one Relic in this bunch that is better than the other as far as fishing goes, so it is a three-way tie.
5 Truestrike Pendant
There are a lot of similarities to this game and Chrono Trigger but it also has some new ideas too. For example, when enemies are about to cast a big spell, players can cancel it out by hitting the correct weaknesses. This is a process called Locking and enemies get defensive in this state. Truestrike Pendant is a Relic that negates this boost and allows players to attack enemies normally. It’s another ability/feature that is going to help out those who struggle more with turn-based RPGs.
4 Amulet Of Storytelling
Amulet of Storytelling has a double effect to it on the whole party. Every playable character will get an increase to their HP by 100% which should allow players to relax a bit more during the turn-based battles. The other bonus is that characters will be healed fully after battle which will save on using healing skills or items after an encounter. Unfortunately, this does not apply to MP which would have been even better. A Relic to heal MP or one that would have maxed out Combos would have been killer too.
3 Guardian Aura
Guardian Aura reduces incoming hits by 30% in battle. This applies to characters standing still and it also applies to timed blocks. There is a counter to this Relic called Dubious Dare which will make enemies absorb more damage.
Since there are no difficulty modes in the game, it’s nice to see the developers give some Relics to the hardcore RPG fanatics too. The only odd thing about the whole Relic process is that a lot of them are hidden, but to Sea of Stars’s credit, it is relatively balanced without any Relics turned on.
2 Sixth Sense
Sea of Stars learns from the best and Chrono Trigger isn’t the only SNES gem highlighted. Combat is time-based just like in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. If players time their attack or block perfectly, they can increase or reduce damage in battle. Sometimes it can be hard to judge when to do either especially when trying to block against enemy attacks. That’s why a Relic like Sixth Sense can be a lifesaver. It has a 35% chance to automatically block an enemy’s attack but players can still do it manually as well.
1 Tome Of Knowledge
This game puts a fun little twist on leveling up. The group levels up as a whole but characters still evolve individually. For example, going from level six to level seven with increase the stats for Garl and Zale separately. They will also get a bonus stat they can increase such as health or attack power which is a lot like Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Tome of Knowledge is a must-have Relic because it can increase the amount of experience points earned in battle by 20% which will be a good way to reduce the grind in Sea of Stars.
Sea of Stars was released on August 29, 2023, and is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.