Sea of Stars - Easy Allies Review

Sea of Stars is a work of incredible craftsmanship that takes inspiration from classic RPGs and uses modern capabilities to make something memorable and new.
Written by Daniel Bloodworth
Video Edited by Don Casanova
Reviewed on Xbox Series X
Available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S
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#EasyAllies #Gaming #SeaOfStars

[@ChrisLT]

Cleaning up the world before the final dungeon. And I gotta say, this is an all-timer for me. Right up there with the 90's glory days of this style.

[@aaronanderson16]

I found out after it’s best to just do the final dungeon then clean things up. Lol I know it seems backwards but since there is two endings it makes sense to clean it up before the second ending

[@nintendude794]

I’m already cleaning up before final boss as well. Should I divert course? I already feel like I killed my momentum.

[@ChrisLT]

@@nintendude794 Just finish the game. Normal ending worked a lot better for me. Loved it. True ending wasn't worth it for me since I wasn't a fan of their narrative choices. When I replay this in the future, I'm sticking with the normal ending.

[@Ridnarhtim]

Just finished this game, and it really is phenomenal.

[@Exarian]

Sea of Stars looks like what I wish a lot of that "HD-2D" aesthetic looked more like.

[@maynardburger]

I love the main game graphics. All the portrait art and stuff and whatnot is a big miss for me, though. I dont understand how that happened.

[@NostalgiaFix81]

I’m almost done with the game and already want a sequel. It’s rare to find a video game that’s designed with the sole purpose of just wanting the player to have fun and experience excellent visuals and music along the way. It reminds us of why we started playing video games without reminding us of the growing pains associated with early gaming mechanics. A true gem.

[@lukas-po8yn]

If you want a sequel you could play the messanger. Its the game sabotage made before sea of stars, and sea of stars is actually a prequel to it. Its also really good.

[@chrisisjoking]

Awesome review! I knew I’d enjoy Sea of Stars going in, but at some point in my playthrough I realized that I absolutely love this game. You can tell there was so much heart put into Sea of Stars and that soundtrack is SO good. I highly recommend to anyone on the fence. I had such an amazing experience that I decided to try Sabotage’s previous game, The Messenger afterwards (which is also a lot of fun).

[@abrack_]

Love this game! Great review. I hope Blood learned the proper Sunball timing eventually lol.

[@marki4452]

I couldn't stop noticing that 🤣

[@kosmosyche]

😆yep, same

[@Maxbeedo2]

Took me about 30 hrs to beat and 50 hrs to platinum without using a guide, so it's not a huge commitment compared to most RPGs. While I quite liked it, I found I liked it even more as a companion to Chained Echoes, both for their similarities and their differences. Sea of Stars is mostly lighthearted, with surprisingly friendly characters (and enemies), and pretty simple to learn and play, whereas Chained Echoes is a bit darker with more characters and systems to learn (although not that much more). I highly recommend both. They both managed to take good design lessons from Chrono Trigger and experiment with new mechanics and are in my top 5 games over the last year.

[@PhoTC]

27 hours to beat, 35 for the full 1k completion (because I didn't let any stone go unturned during the first playthrough, so I didn't have to backtrack much, mostly for Wheels). Enjoyed every damn bit.

[@shmackatrotsky5394]

I feel that, at least for me, 20 to 40 hours to complete a game's main story is the goldilocks sweet spot (at least for narrative single player type games).

[@malachi-bm4zl]

In a year full of amazing AAA games, I think I can safely say Sea of Stars is my GOTY. Such an incredible experience, and that soundtrack goes so hard. I platinumed the game a few days ago and it was totally worth it for that true ending, and the bonus secret at the very end.

[@vgdominator]

My GOTY as well! The secret at the end made all my efforts feel like such a heartfelt experience

[@devin_the_dude_3]

Same here! Finished 2 days ago. I was immediately looking for a similar fix. I'm thinking chained echoes.

[@chrisisjoking]

An excellent choice. Chained Echoes is another fantastic game for sure.

[@malachi-bm4zl]

@@devin_the_dude_3 I actually just downloaded chained echoes yesterday lol. I finally built my PC last weekend and got game pass, and Chained Echoes is on there! I'll be starting it soon, Brad has hyped it up so much I'm sure we won't be disappointed

[@malachi-bm4zl]

@@chrisisjoking I'm very excited to check out Chained Echoes. I'll be starting it soon!

[@tracefetherman]

Im playing through this right now, and LOVING it.

[@Dracobyte]

I like that this game is getting even more recognition!

[@jorgeramos4994]

Glad you reviewed it allies! Loving this game so far

[@BissoZ]

Love the game so far. 1 thing I think they should have done is scatter more secret chests. One of the most rewarding thing that I remember in games like Chrono Trigger was to walk behind a wall only to reveal a secret passage with a treasure. The game makes sure that you are not missing any treasures as they contain items you can't really afford to skip. But I wish there would be those occasionnal secret chests that just are good enough for you to be happy you found them.

[@BOTCHED]

Great review Blood, been enjoying this game quite a bit.

[@ubersoldat91]

The art and animations look so good. I can't wait to dig into the soundtrack

[@ericb8689]

This game is fantastic. Got the plat, and already want to play it again.

[@HitsuruKun]

I already completed this master piece!!! This years is one of the best of recent times, and this game is among the great ones!!! Until this day, Sea of Star is my GoTY, and I loved Mk1, SF6, RE4, Zelda TotK, Metroid Prime, such amazing games, but this one, bring me the chills!!! What a great time to be a player!!! Great Review Guys!!

[@Cole-ft4rr]

Nice review as always. I just started this game tonight!

[@Shadowmyst1]

This is an excellent rpg and definitely one of the best that lives up to when the classic rpg's came out way back when. I am so hoping that this level of depth to continue on and more of the like get released in the future.

[@nickromero7140]

Oh, there will be. Eiyuden Chronicles Hundred heroes comes out in early 2024. That's a spiritual successor to suikoden!

[@rossedwardmiller]

Everyone is hyped on bg3’s incredible depth and variety. But I am not a d&d guy, I’m a jrpg guy. I can’t wait to play this.

[@michaelschneider1365]

newbie to this but like the demo of star ocean second r. should I get this and octopath travel 2.

[@TheGameGrinder]

Sea of Stars was amazing! I'm glad to have had the chance to play this gem. After so many years, finally something close to the prestige of Chrono Trigger. I'm also so glad I was able to be a Kickstarter backer for it.

[@Fat4all]

Im roughly 30 hours into the game and bumping up against the end, and while the presentation/music/gameplay have all been stellar, I am just REALLY not jiving with the story (or the writing in general). Characters are paper thin, and the humor can be severely hit-or-miss for me. I still think it’s a wonderful game to play, but man has that been the biggest let down for me so far. Maybe that will change for me in these last few hours if I’m lucky.

[@halfling_barista]

Outstanding. Hope to play this one day.

[@__dane__]

I’ve been excited for this and seeing that 9 at the end makes things even better

[@metalmilitia89]

A strong recommendation. After playing this one, check out Chained Echoes if you want a deeper RPG mechanics

[@ifstatementifstatement2704]

Those sound effects too. Sweet!

[@sxdbxys]

my personal goty ✨

[@VegasAceVII]

Loved the game. Anyone curious what happened with the character development or rush endings?

[@Solh0und]

Been playing it on and off and been enjoying it each time i picked it up to play. Will definitely buy a copy when anticipated game releases slow down..

[@davismorganmusic]

I loved this game. My biggest complaint was the lack of difficulty in the end game. Without spoilers, two party members have a combo move, and ultimate attack, and a special between then that trivializes most of the boss battles

[@zeosummers3984]

it wouldn't be so bad if there was a tradeoff but it's just better than every other super move.

[@thatvideogamesshow]

Can't wait to jump into this!

[@theoakty9242]

Game is so good finished it 2 days ago and want to start it again. Its really amazing

[@coltonriley3466]

This game was amazing! Loved it and need more!

[@JJG1666]

Excited for the physical release

[@SurferKroky]

15 hours In so far. Absolutely loving it ! After a slow but charming start it’s really getting going now , the art and music are just 11/10

[@MrYoungHegelian]

Just a slight correction. You can finish the Main campaign in around 25 hours. I did it in 22 with all the relics turned on to make the game easier. So to those Not going for the platinum trophy it's not that long, if you go for the platinum it's gonna be 40 hours. Also there is a section very early on with enemy Ants that will frustrate you and they are the most broken enemies in the game I almost uninstalled the game but I'm glad I persevered, after those encounters I turned on all the relics.

[@Anthony-ku2bb]

I can tell that a lot of love went into this game from the developers. It's definitely a great game and worth playing it.

[@mattlandry]

I heard a lot of complaints about this game but I just finished it today and it I love it so much! It reminded me of God of war how it keeps me going just because of how interesting the entire presentation is.

[@mariocc3472]

That's the magic of finding your own tastes, regardless of what others say. I played the demo as well and loved it. The art and music are flawless. And the combat feels strategic, even if a bit simple (which isn't really a negative trait).

[@waywardlaser]

6:32 HEY I KNOW THAT GUY

[@florsch6781]

This looks really good. Gives me light Secret of Mana vibes even and the music reminds me of Lufia. Jirard the constructionist? How awesome is that? 😄

[@metalmilitia89]

Check out the intro of Jirard’s video about this game.

[@florsch6781]

I will 😀 @@metalmilitia89

[@tigriscallidus4477]

Great review, so its like Chained Echoes, nice!

[@malarie11]

THanks for the good reviews!

[@NeoErik28]

Garl is literally the best of them

[@toxicdj2103]

Loving every minute of this game

[@Falroth]

Only correction I'd say is... this is NOT a 40 hr game. 30 would be stretching it if you went for completion

[@EasyAllies]

People are always going to finish at different paces. I was going off the in-game clock, which was well past 40 hours. -Bloodworth

[@Falroth]

@@EasyAllies Fair. But still.... where did you spend that time? 😄

[@EasyAllies]

Honestly, now that I think about it, probably Wheels. -Bloodworth

[@Falroth]

@@EasyAllies thats a lot of Wheels 🤣

[@EasyAllies]

ha ha, yeah, I'm sure I didn't put 10 hours into Wheels. -Bloodworth

[@OtterloopB]

I'd give it an 8. The characters, and especially the combat, really needs more depth. And, I'll just say it... Garl's just an "okay" character. The problem is, the game tries SO HARD to make him seem like he's "the bestest boi ever" and he's not... He's just okay. Still, the story does get better as it goes along, and the art direction is undeniably outstanding. A solid 8... but not a 10/10 "Game of the Year!" as some outlets are making it out to be.

[@AlexJames840]

Blood, did you never let Zarl’s flame ball release at it’s biggest point? In the review you’re always waiting too long and the ball gets smaller and less powerful!

[@zeosummers3984]

I give this game a 6/10, the visuals are fantastic and some music tracks good but everything else falls flat. It really has the first game vibe out of a trilogy where it needs much more polish. It doesn't really pick up at all in any of the other categories and the backtracking is annoying. It just feels slow, to the point when bosses either feel like they are ramping up and dies or should have died ages ago because they are not fighting back. people are giving this game 9-10s and i don't know how. they are only complimenting the visuals and music and nostalgia. i wouldn't dare recommend this game to anyone for the full package.

[@DD-jn2fg]

Fun game, just finished it this morning. Would recommend, if you're into these kinds of games.

[@omercora]

Definitely getting this

[@TheFishBowl27]

I completed this today and whilst a beautiful homage to classic RPGs it’s for me a game you give a child as an introduction to the the genre. For me it’s a great middle tier game and far too easy. I rarely saved because I never died once, I even went into battles underprepared and never blocked to make it harder. Not a classic but worth playing

[@leeharley2470]

I’m in the middle of CHRONO Trigger at the moment but this is next! Going to get me a physical copy!

[@fuzzytaco206]

Can't wait for my physical copy to come in from playasia

[@elastichedgehog6339]

A truly phenomenal game despite its flaws.

[@Chalchiuitlyollotl]

Why does your voice sound so familiar? Anyway great game and review!

[@EasyAllies]

Brandon Jones has been voicing our reviews for roughly 20 years. He was a founder of both GameTrailers and Easy Allies. Welcome! -Bloodworth

[@wjr341]

Got to play this through gamepass. I did not know about it existence seeing i only pay for gamepass 2-3 times a year to catch up with Xbox. I was underwhelmed with Starfield. But happy to invest thr month so far in Sea of Stars.

[@oriecameron]

I’m about 20 hrs in and overall I would say the game has been great. One thing could have been better though and that’s the overall combat abilities/skills offered to you throughout the game, feels abit lack lustre.

[@quietbatperson]

Story was a little sparse at first and I have my criticisms about the two lead characters and how they aren't exactly fleshed out very much early on, but the further I'm getting into it the more I'm enjoying this. And it's 'free' on PSPlus so It's been well worth the time so far.

[@martylockyer8921]

Garl is the Goat

[@miguelmota5980]

Good... but that ending though. Too much is left unfinished.

[@Jessee1991]

Everybody been raving over this soundtrack though

[@recht_voor_zijn_raap5506]

Sea of Stars is easily one of the best games this year. If you even remotely like FF6, Golden Sun or Chrono Trigger.. Do NOT skip this one!

[@TiredTyler23]

The last 1/4 of the game is jaw dropping. Really wish the true ending requirements were more reasonable but it’s a phenomenal game regardless.

[@PhoTC]

They were reasonable enough for me, without the parrot perhaps less so, but only a couple items were truly hidden imo.

[@R4VUS]

every video review of this game showing off their moon boomerang combos

[@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342]

I'm a pretty broey gamer. I like blasting aliens in halo. Slaying monsters in elden ring. I like killing other humans who suck. I'm a live action gamer. So this turn based stuff never really did it for me. Call me dumb or impatient. Maybe you got a point lol. I did like the puzzle stuff though that felt rewarding and fun. But this games story... Especially surrounding the wonderful character of Garl... I love that man and I'm going to be more like him for the rest of my life.

[@mattjones9535]

Fantastic game. Not usually a turn based RPG fan but I played this constantly over 25 hours and finished. Incredible story and gameplay

[@Chadouille]

man I love this game! i'm at the water level! How far am I? I don't want it to be over!

[@KeziaTv]

Such an amazing game

[@leon6257]

i did 2 full playthoughs ,the games combat gets abit repetitive for sure. other than that fantastic game ,1st playthrough is great.

[@archetypalhero7408]

They said golden sun. Thats all I need.

[@stepanhakobyan]

Thanks Blood.

[@nintendude794]

Chrawno Trigger? What’s that?

[@dylanfavorite6383]

Live this game

[@oakenmethod]

My review would have been much the same as this one...but no love given for Mitsuda??! BLASPHEMY!!

[@szeltovivarsydroxan9944]

Just dropping a related gem, please do yourself a favor and play Evoland 2 . It is absolutely phenomenal (skip Evoland 1, since it's more or less a tech demo, and is unrelated).

[@steveguyman]

my GOTY so far. incredible.

[@wx_wolverine6309]

this game was amazing!

[@jeremyvisser3877]

Interesting, I was very high on this until this review. Things they are praising I do not like, like whole party progression, and simplifying the whole RPG of it, minigames galore. I was hoping this would be a deep meaty Classical RPG. Oh well glad it's doing well, need more games in this style anyway.

[@OilersHD97]

Game is amazing

[@wjr341]

I love the game but Garl is my least favorite character tbh jaja

[@Vicioussama]

Jirard

[@metalmilitia89]

Everyone needs to get the true ending

[@Terron29]

Im in the minority in not liking sea of stars all that much. It was good dont get me wrong but other than its absolutely stunning graphics and animations it left me wanting. I beat it at about the 25 hour mark and honestly it felt like I was playing a lot longer than that. I forced myself through the last 10 hours to prevent it hitting my backlog. The story and characters did little for me bar a few very enjoyable parts like the council meeting. Music was only ok imo except for the excellent boss theme. Combat started off fun but quickly wore thin for me as I realised it would be mostly these same few abilities I would be casting for the majority of the game. Older jrpgs were hardly super deep combat wise either but at least they were often quite snappy (pre ps1) while combat in this often dragged I feel. Combat did get a bit better toward the end but at that point I had checked out. Overall I am happy I backed the game and delighted so many love it but it left me feeling quite.......luke warm. Bring on eiyuden chronicles and quartet next :)

[@zeosummers3984]

i'll join on that, outside of visuals and a few tracks everything was feeling artificial. Even battles were formulaic, basically telling you what actions to do every turn to win. I never felt i was the one playing the game and making choices, much like the 2 main characters who names are forgettable.

[@Bulldozer4000]

Major props to Bloodworth and Don on this one, one of the most well-crafted reviews I've seen in a long while!

[@EasyAllies]

Thank you! -Bloodworth

[@MaxaMillion711]

Once this is available to get physically, I’m in!

[@emandude]

GOTY contender for the soundtrack alone

[@KnightOfNight3405]

Why are all your reviews is late?

[@EasyAllies]

Far from all of our reviews are late. Most go up pretty close to release if not before. But we're also not afraid of putting together a review a bit later, since there are a ton of people who aren't going to pick up a game day one, particularly in a year like 2023, and many people enjoy watching our reviews even if they've already played the game. As for the reasons why a review might come later, that varies depending on the game. Sometimes we don't get a game until launch, so we don't have an option but to start later. Sometimes a game has a significant online component, so we either can't play multiplayer before launch, or the pre-launch multiplayer has such a limited player base that we decide it's better to wait until the game is out in the public. Sometimes we simply don't pick up a game until later for one reason or another, but still think it's worth a review. We also have a very small reviews team who are all juggling multiple responsibilities, not just writing reviews. Anything I review in particular can be a challenge since I'm also doing a lot behind the scenes to keep the business running. I'm hosting the weekly podcast, I'm coordinating all of our editorial coverage, checking off on every script and editorial video, getting groceries, checking the mail, updating the bookkeeper, coordinating our team's schedule, archiving Twitch VODs, and of course, trying to cover other games with previews and impressions at the same time. A lot of that stuff can't just be pushed aside to work on a review, so I'm often trying to squeeze in a few hours here and there after midnight etc. I put this script together between like 11 PM and 3 AM the other night after group stream, but I'm really happy with how it turned out. Ha, ha. Sorry, that was a lot, but should answer your question. -Bloodworth

[@GodIsSatan]

Wasn't impressed with the opening and dropped this when Starfield came out. Since I'm over that game, I'll probably hop back in and give this another chance.

[@recht_voor_zijn_raap5506]

The opening is a bit slow indeed. But believe me.... After that the game gets incredibly good. Easy contender for GOTY 2023 imo

[@zeosummers3984]

@@recht_voor_zijn_raap5506 doesn't the opening last the entire game? it never really picks up.

[@recht_voor_zijn_raap5506]

@@zeosummers3984 Yeah pretty obvious you haven't played the game.

[@sanskarmishra5309]

Best game ive played this year

[@mick9707]

Even better than Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur’s Gate 3, Hi-Fi Rush and Starfield?

[@metalmilitia89]

For me, it’s close to Zelda. Starfield is a mid game and everyone knows it.

[@mick9707]

@@metalmilitia89 nah, the hysteria around Starfield has been blown way out of proportion. The gaming community always does this, I’ve seen it too many times. Starfield has many flaws, but it’s also an incredibly large and ambitious game. It’s got a lot to offer depending on what you want out of it. I have a LOT more to play yet, but it feels like about an 8/10 to me. With the potential for that number to go up or down easily.

[@sanskarmishra5309]

@@mick9707 yea?

[@mick9707]

@@sanskarmishra5309 nice! Glad you’re enjoying it, must be a cool game.

[@Teremei]

people refuse to see we are in another golden age of gaming. We've got amazing open world games like Spiderman, Avatar, Like a Dragon, FFVII Remake, etc. . You have Nintendo remaking Super paper mario AND TTYD and still pumping out sequels to amazing series like Mario, Zelda, and Warioware. Designers kickstarting spiritual sequels to the likes of Suikoden, Wild Arms, and Shadow Hearts. Squareenix giving us amazing HD/2D games like Star Ocean 2, Octopath, and Triangle. Then you have games like this as well.

[@SojiRo23]

Deserves a GOTY nomination over Starfield. And it’s not close.

[@mick9707]

Why is it so much better than Starfield? Story Characters Writing Dialogue Choice and Consequence Exploration Side Quests Lore Combat Loot Environment and Level Design Graphics Voice Acting Sound Design Music Which of these does Sea of Stars do better to make it so much better?

[@SojiRo23]

@@mick9707 The vast majority of those are better in Sea.

[@mick9707]

@@SojiRo23 I haven’t played Sea of Thieves, but from what I’ve seen and heard about it, and what I know about retro style JRPG’s like it, I find it hard to imagine it beats Starfield in a handful of these areas. Choice and Consequence Exploration (despite Starfield’s mixed quality here when defining exploration and decision WHAT you want to explore and HOW) Side Quests Lore Graphics Voice Acting Sound Design The list above is surely all better in Starfield, no? I imagine Environment and Level Design would be quite complicated to compare, but Starfield is surely far more ambitious, complex and immersive here?

[@SojiRo23]

@@mick9707 Starfield isn’t ambitious. It’s just big geographically. Sea of Stars has WAY more creative ambition.

[@mick9707]

@@SojiRo23 saying Starfield isn’t ambitious is just plain untrue. While it didn’t push the boundaries in all the areas people wanted; the game is huge, with countless interacting parts. It has an insane number of systems, some of which have incredible breadth and depth. Creating a game of this scale, that attempts this many things, is a huge undertaking, and thus very ambitious. Just because the focus was more on things like Quests, volume of dialogue and dialogue options, scale of the Galaxy, lore, ship building, rpg peripheral systems etc. and not on space travel, seamlessly landing on planets etc like a lot of people hoped and assumed, doesn’t mean it lacked ambition.

[@subpopix]

"Craw" no Trigger? It's pronounced "Crow" no. Nice review though!

[@burntbacon718]

Game is a disappointment. To me its a 7 at best. It doesnt do any RPG thing well besides the art and music. Combat is a drag and doesnt change from the first hour. You're literally using Fireball and Moonerang the entire game. You hardly get any new even suboptimal skills to try out. The writing is amateurish and none of the characters are fun or interesting besides maybe the one character you meet halfway through the game. The story is a basic save the world story with one good twist. None of the mini games are fun either. Somehow theyve turned a fishing minigame into something boring and the wheels game is a mishmash of ideas that do not fit together at all.

[@VL103]

where are the reviews that hubers supposed to be working on?

[@EasyAllies]

Sounds like MK's coming along well. Don't think it will be too much longer. -Bloodworth

[@prototype8137]

Crawno Trigger ?

[@RobAryeeArc]

L&R

[@saynotop2w]

I tend to be wary of western developed jRPGs after being burned by Black Sigil, Pier Solar, and Undertale. Those games got rave reviews just for being made by non Japanese devs. It's understandable but it happens often. I'm going to wait out until the dust is settled, and see what the real score would be for this game. The early footages I've seen from streams didn't impress me, as mentioned in the video.

[@devin_the_dude_3]

My 2023 GOTY

[@mick9707]

Even over Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur’s Gate 3, Hi-Fi Rush and Starfield?

[@devin_the_dude_3]

@mick9707 all great games, no doubt. My game of the year. Not the game of the year. The care taken to a style of game that made me fall in love with gaming as a kid, this game rejuvenated my love for this type of game in ways nothing else has in a long time.

[@metalmilitia89]

@@mick9707Hi Fi Rush was a pass for me. I loved Crypt of the Necrodancer and love rhythym related games but I couldn’t stand the gameplay.

[@mick9707]

@@metalmilitia89 I love Hi-Fi Rush. The game just oozes style and fun factor. Fighting to the music was just plain fun and cathartic. It’s also a really well designed and polished game.

[@kingofthesharks]

Gahh another GOTY contender confirmed. 2023 plz slow down! :P