The Messenger from Canadian developer Sabotage Studio was one of the best indie Metroidvanias of the past few years, and now the same team is working on the promising retro RPG Sea of Stars. Kickstarted back in 2020, Sea of Stars takes inspiration from games like Chrono Trigger and perhaps Golden Sun, with a bright, vibrant world, action-infused combat, and music by the legendary Yasunori Mitsuda. During Nitnendo’s most recent Indie World presentation it was confirmed the game is coming to Switch (in addition to PC) and a late 2022 launch window was nailed down. Check out the trailer for yourself, below.
Looks promising! Need to know more? Here are Seas of Stars’ key features:
- A story rich adventure - Dozens of original characters and story arcs will take you on a captivating journey. Sometimes epic, sometimes silly, and other times emotional, Sea of Stars does its RPG duty of exploring classic themes of adventure and friendship, while also being chock-full of the unexpected twists and events you’d expect from a Sabotage production.
- A world you can touch - There are many ways to hang out in the world of Sea of Stars if you feel the need for a change of pace in your adventures. Sailing, cooking, fishing, stopping by a tavern to listen to a song or play the infamous tabletop game known as Wheels… every system has been designed to deliver an experience that pays respect to retro classics, while rethinking in some areas to offer a smooth and modernized experience.
- Engaging Turn-Based Combat - Pressing the action button in sync with the animations increases damage output while reducing incoming damage. Along with timed hits, combat features multi-character combo attacks, boosting, and a strategic « locks » system offering options to play with different damage types in order to hinder enemies while they are channeling powerful attacks or spells, all in an immersive take on the genre; no random encounters, no transitions to separate battlefields, and no grinding.
- Dynamic Lighting - Lighting is 100% rendered dynamically, meaning things such as day and night cycles, weather effects, eclipses or blood moons all happen seamlessly, recoloring the world and faithfully rendering shadows. As fully fledged Solstice Warriors you will eventually get full control over the sun and moon, so whether you just want to chill in your favorite area in the ambiance of your choice, need to solve a complex puzzle related to lighting, or there is a magic door that only opens at midnight, the control will be yours, all in real time.
- Unshackled Traversal - Swim, climb, vault, jump off or hoist up ledges as you traverse seamlessly through the world with a navigation system based on platformer expertise that breaks free from the classic bound-to-the-grid tileset movement.
Sea of Stars sails onto PC and Switch holiday of 2022.
