During the latest Nintendo Direct, a demo for the highly anticipated game Sea of Stars was shadow dropped onto the Nintendo eShop. Sea of Stars is a turn-based RPG inspired by many similar 2D JPRGS that came before it.
I went into this demo not knowing much about this game at all. I knew it was related to another game by the same developer called The Messenger, but didn’t realize it was supposed to occur in the same world. I finished the demo in about an hour of game time, taking short breaks in between sessions. Playing as Valere “the Moongirl,” Zale “the Sunboy”, and Garl “the Warrior-Cook,” the demo guides you through a short section of the overall game’s story. I’ll summarize a few aspects of the demo and give you my thoughts.
Demos are difficult to review because they only get a small amount of time to convince you that this game would be something you’d want to buy and play. This game is fun, there is no doubting that, but I don’t think the demo was a great representation of the full game. The main gameplay in the demo is the fun turn-based combat with some light platforming and puzzle solving. Hands down, the combat was the best part of this game; it was engaging and marvelously beautiful as you performed action-based commands for your party. The platforming and puzzle-solving were okay but nothing earth-shattering or really that exciting. It’s nice to have something to break up the battles, but I’m hoping the puzzles in the final game are more unique and thought out.
Sea of Stars looks amazing. From the second I launched this game, I was in constant awe of how beautiful this 2D game looks. The art aesthetic is incredible to look at, paired with the impressive dynamic lighting system, which is not usually common in a 2D game, making everything look so alive and not just painted in the background. The music and sound effects are pretty good as well. The soundtrack was good enough that I didn’t find it annoying, but I likely won’t remember it tomorrow.
For a game that is coming out in August of 2023, I think it already looks quite polished and ready for release. If they can expand on the combat that was already presented in the demo, I think I’d be hooked on this game for a long time. Any RPG that allows me to grind and grow my party is a winner for me.
Even if you’re slightly interested in this game, the demo was worth a short playthrough. I highly look forward to Sea of Stars when it releases later this year. Let us know in the comments what you think of Sea of Stars!
All images were provided from the developer asset kit.
