Fans of classic JRPGs have a lot to look forward to in the remaining months of 2023, and the indie title Sea of Stars from developer Sabotage Studios looks to be a standout in the genre. Even when compared to some of this year's AAA JRPGs like Final Fantasy 16 and Fire Emblem Engage, Sea of Stars has enough unique charm and nostalgic flair to entice fans of retro adventures to check it out. However, there are several aspects of this indie JRPG that potential players will want to be aware of before diving into the game later this month.

Retro revivals that pay homage to iconic games of the past have become a popular trend among indie developers, and it's clear Sea of Stars is inspired by classic games like Chrono Trigger and The Legend of Dragoon from the golden age of JRPGs. However, despite this retro aesthetic, Sea of Stars has the advantage of modern affordances in game design which allow it to compete with the likes of this year's biggest titles. The combination of the game's retro look and modern mechanics has the potential to make Sea of Stars one of the year's best experiences.

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Sea of Stars Looks Like a Perfect Pairing of Modern and Retro JRPGs

Sea of Stars wears its Chrono Trigger inspiration on its sleeve with its turn-based combat design that features mechanics like multi-character combo attacks and a lack of random encounters or separate battle screens. Despite its top-down perspective, the game does not limit players to grid-based movement and allows them to traverse its world as freely as they wish. Along with the typical JRPG adventure, players will also be able to engage in a myriad of side activities like fishing, cooking, sailing, and even a tabletop game within a game known as "Wheels" that sounds reminiscent of The Witcher 3's Gwent.

A key part of any RPG is its story and characters, and Sea of Stars promises to deliver an epic, heartfelt, and at times silly adventure for players. Players will get to see Valere and Zale, two Children of the Solstice able to perform Eclipse Magic, along with the Warrior-Cook Garl among other yet unrevealed characters on a quest to defeat the evil alchemist known as the Fleshmancer. With this premise in mind, it sounds like Sea of Stars will offer players a classic JRPG story full of the action, intrigue, and fantasy fans of the genre have come to expect.

While the retro-inspired pixel art visuals are an appealing aspect of Sea of Stars for many fans of classic JRPGs, the game also combines its visuals with aspects of modern games by featuring dynamic lighting. Sea of Stars features a living world complete with a day and night cycle and weather effects that can change the game's lighting using real-time rendering. With the manipulation of the sun and moon being an important element to Sea of Stars both plot-wise and mechanically, the addition of dynamic lighting shows how the meeting of retro and modern can elevate a game to the next level.

To further add to Sea of Stars' Chrono Trigger inspiration, the game features the legendary Yasunori Mitsuda of Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 fame as a guest composer. The stars seem to be aligning for Sea of Stars to be another hit in Sabotage Studios' portfolio of retro-inspired games. Players looking forward to Sea of Stars can check out the developer's previous action-platformer title The Messenger or the Sea of Stars demo to get a feel for what they can expect from the game ahead of its launch, which includes a day-and-date release on PS Plus and Xbox Game Pass.

Sea of Stars releases on August 29 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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