Sea of Stars Review - RPG Excellence
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
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Sea of Stars has lived up to the hype and then some. The masterful turn-based combat system that's almost entirely reliant on skill, the endlessly enchanting presentation that gives the world an unparalleled vibrancy, the enthralling soundtrack that never fails to move you, and the emotional story strengthened by an endearing cast merge to make this an unforgettable RPG of the decade.
Even the few critiques I had, namely the not-as-strong handling of the two protagonists in the early hours, do little to impede the evident care poured into this title that has been communicated so well. Regardless of your love for classic RPGs or those that pay tribute to those eras, every general fan of the genre should play Sea of Stars.
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This year feels like a magnum opus for gaming. Soo many solid releases.
2001 has finally got some real competition for greatness gaming year.
@@ShadyPlatinum777never forget
What releases were you thinking? Any I should add to the backlog?
to speak for OP, Tears of the Kingdom and Baldur's Gate 3 are universally praised while jrpgs are in a renaissance right now: this game, Chained Echoes, Final Fantasy 16 and Octopath 2 have been stellar while a host of solid titles are right behind them or upcoming: Fire Emblem Engage, Atelier Ryza 3, Trails to Reverie. Then we've got a bunch of remakes and sequels dropping in the next few months: Baten Kaitos 1 and 2, Star Ocean 2 remake, Persona 3 remake, Persona 5 tactics, Super Mario RPG remake...and those are the ones I know off the top of my head.@@unruh31
Top 5 recommendations?
Been eagerly expecting this one, and you guys are the kings of reviewing indie RPGs, so that 9.5 hits hard! Can’t believe it’s being given away for free on both PS Plus and Gamepass!
Ikr?! I'll probably still buy a physical copy of it once it's available. The question will be PS5 or Switch, or both lol.
@@Xoulrath_pS5…just bc of trophies. Switch has portability tho… 🤔
@@josephjoy2245 so basically both, haha! 🤷♂️🤣
It’s not given away for free, it’s a paid subscription service. I’m glad to have access to this from release. If it’s good I’ll buy a physical copy to keep, as it may drop off the online library.
@@damienater I'm pretty sure that we are all aware that it isn't given away for nothing. But for all intents and purposes, it is "free." But hey thanks for the pedantic nonsense post. It wouldn't be UA-cam without it.
Sounds really amazing. There has been a lot of great retro games released lately, but I feel like only few manage to carve an identity of their own - Sea of Stars definitely caught my attention since the reveal really.
fear and hunger
this year really a years of bangers for gaming.
I loved the demo! I believe hard copies are coming out next year❤
I'm like 5 hours in and have been playing back n forth between my Rog Ally and Xbox. Combat system can be annoying with the reflecting but other than that I think it's a pretty solid game specially for playing on hand held 🎮🤙🏿
If you played the switch demo, you know this was going to be something truly special.
Or a let down like I expected to each their own
@@thesmitty467 Yeah, I found it to just be another one of those western games that nail one aspect of japanese game design, while utterly failing at others
@@infasisaren't we difficult
@@infasis literally fails everything in my eyes
Combat, graphics, story, characters, animations, skills, customization, leveling up, exploration…. The games just boring and easy with a tedious and boring combat system
@@thesmitty467 No, I know what you mean. While it's clear they have some talent on their team, the whole thing just looks and feels like a western game, trying to imitate and "fix" JRPGs.
It's cool they got some Yasunori Mitsuda songs, but, personally, I'd still just rather spend my time or money on a Japanese game that fits more to my sensibilities.
Great review guys enjoyed this! Mark
I've never been into JRPGs, I always struggle getting into them. But I've been keeping an eye on this game for the past year or so after playing The Messenger and liking it, so I gave it a shot when it launched and I immediately got hooked, the pixel art, the combat, the story are all brilliant, not to mention the sheer joy of exploring this world. I love how easy to pick up it is, and how it keeps you engaged without getting frustrating or overwhelming, there's no bullshit random encounters, and the game never forces you to grind levels just to progress. It's easily in my top 5 this year.
Well said. Feel the exact same way. The story in particular is what got me. Once the flesh mancer shows up things get sooo emotional.
Wow was expecting high scores but what a great year for us turn-based fans and this coming from a small team is even more impressive, this team knows what they're doing and exactly what kind of game we want.
Trails Into Reverie, WrestleQuest, Baldur's Gate, and Sea of Stars came out within weeks of each other.
And next year we're beginning with Infinite Wealth.
In a year when FF went action based, too! Personally, I feel it’s an OK game but a poor FF.
games like SOS, Persona, Chained echoes, OP2 etc help soften the blow and show that this type of combat is still as popular as ever.
Yes we want games with slow and shallow combat
2023 is a great year for games if you play a lot of type of games from great platformers to great Rpgs and Point and Click games, to puzzle games, to Shmups and Metroidvanias. This year's is just great
Yea in september there will be many good games if they release on their quoted date
I disagree. Bg3 was the only not disappointing release so far this year
@@zlarez4485 I don't think you play games
@@zlarez4485said no gamer ever.
@@rafresendenrafresenden.1644 I do and I have played them long enough so see many modern games being inferior to older games. Pretty graphic but shallow gameplay is the industry standard, aside of releasing buggy and unfinished products.
At the beginning, the beautiful pixel graphics really captivated me. Unfortunately, that's the only really positive thing and it can't hide the many weaknesses (and it becomes more and more obvious with longer playing time):
Worst of all is the combat system. I can't run from battles, I can't block or just skip a turn. RPGs could do that 30 years ago - epic fail. Also, enemies come at you way too often and many magical enemies have multi-target spells, which then inevitably leads to frequent deaths.
Not to mention the pale character design, the various spelling mistakes and the fact that you can only move at a snail's pace on the map.
Classic case of "style over substance" - I should have bought Chained Echoes instead. And if you equate this game with masterpieces like Chrono Trigger, I can't (and won't) help you.
Rating: 5,5/10- you don't really have to have it.
Eagerly waiting for Sea of Stars to release tomorrow, thanks for the review!!
I'm not even a fan of turn based RPGs but I've been looking forward to Sea of Stars coming out and with such a high rating by Noisy Pixel I can't wait to play it.
The physical version should be a big deal when it drops. Each of the big three will have a physical for this game. I'm wondering if they will be releasing a collectors or Limited Edition for the masses that they have yet to announce. This is clearly a masterclass in how you do a game of this sort. The environments are so beautiful, they really took the time to make your surroundings feel special. Thanks Noisy, I'm so happy this game turned out so well.
have you heard when the physical will be released?
@@shadowyshutterbug there hasn’t been a defined date yet. It’s supposed to be early next year and there hasn’t been any update on when pre-orders will start. I wish the physical release was much sooner than it is that’s for sure.
There's chained echoes and now this, I'm excited for this!
Yeah, both masterpieces.
Indeed!
Looking forward to trying this tomorrow
I'm waiting for the physical release! Almost done withe Octopath Travelers II
Where are all these amazing games coming from? As a gaming enthusiast I'm loving 2023! :)
9.5 is huge for the genre, Now I need to try it
I would rate it 9.6 .
Your description of the characters is giving me big Lunar vibes, which means I need to grab this immediately.
The graphics were giving me lunar vibes. Did you end up getting it? liking it?
Hey man....excellent breakdown of the game in all facets. Appreciate your meticulous work. This game gives me such an old school but refreshingly new vibe and i haven't even touched it yet lol. I can't wait to play this masterpiece!! Much love yall
More hyped for this than starfield thats just me 😂
well, looks like your intuition was right.
All i can say is the combat system is extremely repetitive and the puzzles feel more like a chore than clever most of the time. Aside of the beautiful graphics and the good soundtrack i will never understand what is the praise behind this mid game.
Im a proud backer of this game. Cannot wait!
I was initially skeptical about this game as well.
After playing the demo when it came out, That vertical slice completely sold me on the game.
I love you guys. I've been wanting to write for your team for a while but don't know how to apply 😅
I just replayed The Messenger and they actually foreshadow Sea of Stars a bit in the underwater area where you have to get a moon and sun to plug into a door. It's in the sea, has to do with the sky, and the entities that speak to you when you get the music note talk kind of hint at who they were long ago.
This and Star Ocean ssr are my favorite for this year.....
You could say the Zale and Valere are... adepts. They'd fit pretty well into one of my favorite JRPG series of all time.
I have room for one 16 bit nostalgia game this fall. Should I play Sea of Stars or Chained Echoes?
That score, wow man, you really loved this game.
Definitely excited for this one.
As an Another Eden fan, this is looking good. Thanks for the great review!
So happy it's comes free with ps+ day 1 ! Looking foward to start this tomorrow ! 😌
great video guys. well done. excited for this game.
Can’t wait for the physical
Noisy pixel,how long is the gane campaign?
I’m going to try holding out for the physical release, but man, I am sooooo tempted to just double dip and by the digital while I wait 😭
I love this game, I'm enjoying it more than the other big rpg of the year being BG3. It's like a love child of Chrono Trigger and Lunar Silver Star Story and I have no issue with that at all :)
I think I’ll play this game and Chained Echoes at some point, but it might take a while due to time restriction. They both look amazing though, which would you recommend most? I can’t decide which one to start with
Golden Sun? looks a lot of inspiration from it. or is it just me?
Game pass and PlayStation plus COME THROUGH yesssssssss. Can’t wait to play this tommoz.
9.5 wow, Tx for the review.
These guys would truly make the best Pokémon game
Haven't even heard of this until now. It's right up my alley!
For me it was between this or Blasphemous II, i pick Blasphemous II. I can't wait to play this next year. I'm done buying games for the year, it's been crazy. But from what I played of the demo, I KNOW i will love this game when i finally play it.
Can't wait to get a physical copy
They actually got Yasunori Mitsuda to do the OST? That's all I needed to hear!
He did 10 guest tracks.
No. Eric W. Brown is the composer. Same guy from the messenger. Matsuda did do some guest tracks though. It's a shame he got it wrong in the video. 😢
You can definitely tell some love went into this game. The music the artstyle rgt. But the whole counter double attack opening is way to short for a game of this type and the combat is to simple and gets tedious fast.
Cant believe i m saying this but i ll agree with ign's 8 /10 for this one. 9.5 is completely ridiculous and irresponsible score
Played the demo. Going to buy this before I get Armored Core VI!
This looks pretty neat. Might get it when it's under $10
Thanks for covering
this is an awesome review
To be honest, having somewhat of a blank slate protagonist is exactly what the games from the SNES golden age did, too. It's not like Crono from CT or Will from Illusion of Gaia had incredibly deep backstories or flamboyant personalities. And Link, well, that dude just needed a sword and a princess on the horizon.
I really, really enjoyed Chained Echoes. I went into the demo for this and it was okay - but since it’s on PS+, I’ll check it out.
Great review, man
9.5 is pushing it now yall
daaaamn what a score! been waiting yrs for this
As a matter of fact, same score given to Chained Echoes (9.5).
I paid for the backers kit I got the ps4 collectors edition last night sabatoge send me a code for the ps4 and ps5 version But does anyone know when they are going to start sending out the backers kits in the mail
i agree with ign with, so little customization and character progression/attacks is a really letdown
Really glad it turned out amazing. I thought the messenger was fantastic as well. The devs are on a roll
I've been hyped to play Sea of Stars for months now but unfortunately it just came out at the wrong time for me. Baldur's Gate 3 is going to take all of my gaming time for the foreseeable future. I will still buy Sea of Stars though because I want to support the devs and I love indie games.
Honestly didn't think I'd live to see the day this came out. Always looked impressive on the banner ads on Facebook and just assumed it'd be another vaporware game.
They also developed The Messenger, which had a stellar soundtrack.
Yes, both games are in the same universe.
Can they patch in the text log eventually?
im playing Pikmin 4 now but when I finish it I need to buy this. I get paid Thursday too I am very tempted to just pull the trigger as $35 is a great deal if this game is as good as it looks
im also a sucker for this art style and genre. a 9.5 from this channel makes me wanna buy it now I think I'll have to do it I want it lol
Graphics: Amazing pixel art and animation, though many npcs stand still with no animation, which bothered me a bit. Otherwise beautiful. 9/10
Exploration: While linear and filled with simple puzzles (with a few exceptions) it’s still satisfying to explore the different areas. The music is pretty good too. 7/10
Combat: There’s so much enemy variety that you’ll have plenty of different action command timings to learn and keep you occupied during battles. Same goes for the character abilities too, which are very satisfying to execute. Boss fights are all very creative and unique as well, with great animations to top it off! The only complaint I had is that it was a little too simple, but I suppose whether or not you enjoy intricacy in games is just a matter of taste. 8/10
Story: whether or not you enjoy the story/lore is up to you. I’d give it a 7/10
Overall, a solid 8/10. Whether not you’re experienced with rpgs, or just a casual gamer, I think this game is definitely worth playing (especially if you’ve beaten the messenger).
@@williamraboine2462 damn I need a strong story a 7 doesn't sound so promising. But an 8 overall is good enough imo. I'm working on Chained Echoes since it was in my backlog now but when I finish it I'll buy Sea of Stars it's the next game I'm getting when I buy a new one
What a beautiful looking game. I can’t wait to play this.
5:30 delaying the enemy's turn with Serai helps.
played the demo, couldn't stand the combat system. 90s rpgs still reign supreme. ppl have the ultimate template and still do worse
I was underwhelmed
Slow pacing
Annoying chore like Combat
Slow combat animations
Terrible back tracking
Enemy scaling
I left the game feeling let down
🥲
Do relics disable achievements?
Thank God. I trust yalls ratings over anyone else. Already preordered on switch but ill probably get in on ps5 and gift it to a couple of friends. Least i could do for a studio taking their time making a piece of art
Hopefully the game sells well seeing as alot of big titles are rolling out now. Atleast they got the bag from sony and xbox already though
How long is the game? Ibreally dancy playing this but not sure if i have the time if its a really long game.
30-40h
To me pixel art games have always been tricky. And few feel top tier enough to deserve a spot along side greats like Chrono Trigger. I feel that due to the lack of limitations, developers are always a bit lax with this. However Hyper Light Drifter was something else entirely. And to me Sea of Stars has felt as a worthy second game in line of the bar set by that game. Am I the only one that thinks so?
This is the kind of game i want on steamdeck
Been playing it on my Rog Ally it's pretty solid on handheld 🤙🏿🎮
I am so thankful this one didn't bomb I was so looking forward to it
Are these random battle encounters?
Looks good
I agree with 9.5/10. The only thing I don't enjoy in the game is the Wheels minigame. Only tried it once and seemed like it was luck based, not skill based. Lame.
I wonder what that price tag is gona look like o.O I guess there's some hiccups seeing as it didn't drop today on Steam. Then again theres 2 hours left in the night ^^
That is way to high 9.5, Breath of the Wild is 9.5 do you eat edibles before the review
Honestly the demo left me bored
Yep that’s because you couldn’t go any further in *Sea Of Stars.* Understandable.
Interestingly it seems to have a lot of the same sorts of pros and cons as Chained Echoes
Chained echoes bugs were a a huge turn off i hope this doesnt suffer the same fate
Going to be a bit agonizing waiting for the physical haha
It's great Xbox and ps get this basically free 😂 I'm going to new Zealand tonight on my Xbox
Haven't enjoyed an RPG as much since the old FFs.
The world map reminded me of breath of fire 3. Hopefully it's just as good
Is it better than CrossCode?
Absolutely not imo.
This game looks incredible visually but the combat is shallow and slow. Characters have between 5-7 skills each 😕
ugh I hate timing mechanics in jrpgs
Skill issue
Another reviewer failing to understand blank slate mains in gaming. The main is you reviewer. Zale and Valere didn't lose their best friend Garl. YOU did. The emotion hits harder when the main is a character that doesn't have too much personality. This way you imprint yourself onto Valere and or Zale. This way you don't watch folks lose friends. YOU lost friends. This is by design and isn't a negative. Stop acting like it is please.
Sorry lol. Every other part of this review is pretty dope. But that part griped me haha
A ookemon game like this. Imagine that
Sea of Stars, Chained Echoes, Crosscode or Balan Wonderworld? Leaning towards Balan tbh
I was looking forward to the game. But the lvling system destroys the game for me. What’s the point if I can’t grind as my heart content. The game regulates the gained exp depending on your lvl. I’ll pass that one. Same bad system as in cosmic star heroin.
Great price too. Only 50 bucks!
Only thing that turns me off are those character portraits, looks lame. Other than that the game looks great, gonna try this on game pass.
you should see my portrait if you wanna see lame.
😂@@NoisyPixelNews
I had same thought main character portraits needs improving, surely they could make the main characters more interesting/detailed. Also the main cover art is kind of… underwhelming.
How essential is this active defense system? I hate turn based games that try to enforce this kind of system. Can I ignore it or will the game become unplayable than?
I'm with you on this aspect of turn-based gaming. If I wanted action, then I'd play action. From what I played of the demo, both on Switch and PS5, it felt pretty damn necessary, despite the tutorial telling you that it isn't. Whether or not that remains true for the final version remains to be seen. If you've got Gamepass or PS+ Premium, then at least you can check it out for "free."
@@Xoulrath_ OK, thanks. I guess I will wait until I need the gamepass for something else before I play it. If starfield turns out nicely, I will be busy in the next weeks anyways
I played 1 hour, the soundtrack is so horrendous that I had to turn off the music in the game....
Awesome news
Nice