Sea of Stars (A modern take on the golden age of RPGs)

Developer: Sabotage Studio

Sea of Stars is a game that lives up to the developer’s Kickstarter promise years later.

A recent indie darling that I hadn’t dug my teeth into until now. A breath of fresh air that feels nostalgic in both visuals and gameplay, but without all the outdated mechanics, such as grinding and severe padding.

Neither a criminally short romp nor an over-bloated drag, that’s what most RPGs are nowadays (well, all games fall under those categories in today’s gaming).

It features an impressive variety of over-the-top animations that elevate all the enemy encounters and boss battles. This captivating, charming story pulls at the heartstrings with its lovable cast of heroes.

The active turn-based battle system kept me engaged in every battle, trying to give the most damage and nullify the most I could; the outstanding attention to animation really helped with this.

The 25-hour adventure never overstayed its welcome and left me fully satisfied with the story’s conclusion. Sea of Stars is a dime in a dozen Kickstarter success story. That’s worthy of all its critical and commercial success, and would stand toe to toe with the golden age RPGS of the nineties. The upcoming DLC is now one of my most anticipated games of 2025.