Sea of Stars, a Chrono Trigger-inspired JRPG and one of my most anticipated releases of 2023, has added Xbox to its August launch plans.
We've been covering Sea of Stars since its highly successful Kickstarter reveal back in 2020, and we haven't let it slip from our radar since. Just last month it set an August 29 release date for Switch, PC, PS4, and PS5, and now developer Sabotage has announced that it'll launch at the same time on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. The studio went above and beyond by revealing the news in a brief animation that could pass for a cutscene straight from the game:
Take it from X'tol.Sea of Stars is adding Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One to its launch roster for August 29th! pic.twitter.com/yT5PERh6PkMarch 15, 2023
"Since the very beginning, we were secretly hoping to be able to cover all current and previous generation consoles," reads a separate announcement on Kickstarter. "With production being a world of curve balls, we had to leave the messaging at 'PC and Consoles' to avoid having to walk some things back. With the big unknowns now in the rear view, we are delighted to finally confirm the addition of Xbox to the party!"
In case this is the first you're hearing of Sea of Stars, it's a "retro-inspired" JRPG with a turn-based combat system that incorporates strategic timed attacks and a "lock system" to stop enemies from charging up powerful moves. The developers also say the game avoids common JRPG annoyances like mandatory level grinding, random encounters, and jarring transitions to new areas and battlefields.
Sea of Stars is beautiful, too, its SNES-style pixel art clearly inspired by its forbearers but still appearing distinct and fresh. The dynamic lighting effects are stunning throughout the game's world-shaping day-night cycle, and I love that it includes activities like fishing, cooking, tavern hangouts, and even an in-game tabletop RPG to make the world feel alive. If it lives up to Sabotage's reputation, it could be one of the best JRPGs we've had in a while.
Here's how we ranked the best SNES games ever made, and don't worry, Chrono Trigger made the list.
