Sea of Stars Review (Switch): One Of The Year’s Best RPGs! | Backlog Battle

This video is sponsored by Sea of Stars!
Buy Sea of Stars: streaml.ink/pdac-yt-backlogba...
A little bit of Super Mario RPG, a little bit of Illusion of Gaia, and a healthy helping of Chrono Trigger. No, this isn't some weird mash-up, but potentially one of the best JRPGs of the year!
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#seaofstars #jrpg #rpg #themessenger #sabotagestudio #finalfantasy #dragonquest #persona #shinmegamitensei #chronotrigger #squareenix #atlus #videogames #gaming #nonbinary

[@BacklogBattle]

Like what you see? Buy it here and support the channel! streaml.ink/pdac-yt-backlogbattle

[@zacharyhacker4221]

It's a genuinely fun experience. I like how I can just pick it up for a bit, play a bit and put it back down. It doesn't demand 100+ hours or intense levels of focus or grinding.

[@Noumakara]

they sponsored this video while you would have made it for them for free

[@sdo1840]

Octopath Traveler 1 and 2 had a great combat system to cancel the enemies attack, its good to see such mechanics bieng introduced in further JRPGs

[@leandro2002198]

Oh man, when you mention the trio of LSSS you turned you analysis unique! Very very amazing!

[@nicholasjackson8709]

You are the first reviewer I've seen to bring up Lunar Silver Star Story. That was the immediate vibe I got from the 3 as well. This is a fantastic rpg. If bg3 hadn't come out this year Sea of Stars would be my rpg of the year.

[@SimonSater]

Sea of Stars, Chained Echoes, but also SMT/Persona are bringing a new meta in turn based games, were farming and automatic battles have no place. And it gets really addicted! After years I finally played DQ IX, and the combat is so simple and easy that it got boring quite quickly, while these games keep it interesting for all the game!

[@user-vj2bp7ib4t]

There's a nod to Chrono Trigger in the game. The lone monster looking out over the land saying "Mountains are nice" and you keep bugging him and he gives you an item is also in this game too. That little guy was from Chrono Trigger originally.

[@friedcake7]

I'm about 25 hours in and I love it. I'm having a bit of trouble with the Timed stuff, but that could be because I'm 58 yo and not so spry anymore). I wish they had implemented some kind of journal to keep track of the main objective, story events, etc. 10/10

[@anaveragegamer359]

use the relics

[@DanielSantosAnalysis]

I am really glad I backed the kickstarter for this game, it has clearly shaped up into a fantastic experience.

[@archaichobo6969]

I have a huge backlog I am working on. This one looks really good but I will probably wait for the physical release early next year.

[@Rayan01012]

Are the achievement also track in game? I would like to get this for the switch, but i like the achievements with steam

[@BL4CKF4NG]

I always like how positive your reviews are and how you explain and appreciate the intentions of developers on certain aspects of their game rather than criticize them and force your own idea for the game.. though speaking of opinion.. i hate to disagree you on this.. but sea of stars is not a jrpg.. sabotage are westerners w/ no japanese lineage.. i'll just simply call it a jrpg inspired classic turn base rpg..

[@mightymax7471]

I am 1 trophy away from getting the Platinum and I can say with confidence, this is my favorite game of all time. It is PERFECT for fans of old-school JRPGs. Great review, Alex. 🙏

[@taberu003]

While you might think the game is incredible the moment you unlock the ship, I can, however, guarantee you that unlocking it is just the tip of the iceberg. There's so much more thereafter. This game might not be GOTY contender as against giants like BG3 and TotK, it's definitely one of the games one should play this year!

[@Adam.C]

Think this will make for the perfect thing to play on my steam deck!

[@TheSushiandme]

I miss the game already 😢😢😢... 95% it

[@sergiomessias3691]

How does it compare to Chained Echoes (my new gold standard for modern RPGs)?

[@BacklogBattle]

I'll be addressing that soon 😉

[@TimoNaaro]

i wonder if I should get this or chained echoes first. Oh man so many great games have comed out recently. And I just today finished master detective raincode!

[@BacklogBattle]

I'm actually working on something that may help you with that question!

[@TimoNaaro]

that sounds nice. btw. master detective last chapter was so lit! Thanks for recommending it. I was pretty sure while playing it only has 4 chapters since 4 helpers. So end of chapter 4 start of chapter 5 came as big suprise.@@BacklogBattle

[@seriou123456]

I've never played a jrpg before but sea of stars got ne hooked so fast it's one of the best games I've ever played

[@electguitarz]

I was making my way through Chained Echoes, but decided to put that on the back burner for Sea of Stars. Both are VERY fun. It's cool that both are on Gamepass, but I'm seriously considering getting Sea of Stars on Switch as well, just so I can play it on the go.

[@anaveragegamer359]

get both lol

[@davidtoowavy1648]

I'm halfway through the game and I am loving it, Great review !

[@Mindblazter80]

Im 15 hours in the game so far and I like it. More and more. Ive been playing rpgs from the old days, all FF and so on. This is a nice game with great music and that lovley 16 bit grafic.

[@thatoneguywhoknowsenough8489]

I have always loved JRPGs I played the OG VII on the OG PlayStation but did not beat it until my play through on the first big fat PlayStation 3. I always remember that I grinded like crazy and OD murdered Sephiroth. As the last boss he was level 50. Thinking back that was kind of low. I prefer how in Kingdom Hearts if I remember correctly the bosses did not really have levels. Well when I won in FF VII my main team of I think it was Cloud, Barret and Red XIII was level like 95 and the secondary team of Yuffie, Vincent and Tifa were also somewhere in their 70s.

[@7783alfonso]

So many games dropping and I still need to finish Chained Echoes 😩

[@neverdissthepenguin]

Im really enjoying it so far! Im only about 10 hours in but it's taken me back to those feelings I would get playing games when i was younger. I know its flawed but I can feel the magic :)

[@DonkThikkness]

Going to preface this with the fact I am liking the game, it’s good. Though, it feels to me the potential of Sea of Stars has been hamstrung due to its refined difficulty. Combat is pretty limited: each character only gets 3 skills and one Ultimate attack. I am almost never using Combos as I’m finding the battles are over before I can even use most of them. I wish it would just use MP for both characters. There are no combat options to defend or run, which is weird. The other issue I find annoying is how the difficulty is just the enemies cheating; getting on average twice the number of turns to attack than you do. The pixel art and animation is some of the most beautiful I’ve seen. Soundtrack is fantastic. Story is great, with some hard hitting moments that will hit you in the feels.

[@mightymax7471]

I understand your point, and I thought I would feel the same, but when I compare other JRPGs to this, I have to say I really like the small toolbox each character gets to unlock those pesky locks. Imagie this game with 10 skills each character. Some of them would become useless after a while. I prefer to have fewer skills and combos (I use them often, personally) and use them the whole game. With 6 playable characters, we get enough choices to never make it feel stale, while keeping the battle engaging. As for the enemies cheating, I mean, some are tougher, sure. But if you play the side quests and upgrade your gear, you should be totally fine. I died once during my 100% playthrough.

[@DonkThikkness]

@@mightymax7471 I haven’t gotten the 6th character yet so maybe it does change, but I almost never see 2 Combo points in the average battle. More often than not I get a second Combo Point as the final enemy dies. So right now it feels limited to the 3 skills each character has for the vast majority of battles. I haven’t seen the game over screen, I’m more annoyed with the method of the difficulty. So many times will an enemy attack and have another attack after 1 character turn. That’s just straight up cheating, the enemies are playing a different game from you. That’s my issue.

[@nesoukkefka1741]

@@DonkThikkness I second this combos is pretty much worthless on mob fights cause you'll almost never get enough time to actually get to use the combo, they do become pretty good for boss fight tough which are usually long.

[@NakamiJun]

This is one of those games I really want to play, but don't have the money for or the time to play while still playing BG3, Starfield coming out tomorrow (non-premium), and a few older recent games like Stray Gods on my list...

[@Keomayo121]

Definitely one of the best games of the year. Playing bg3 then this then star field has been peak of gaming for me in recent years

[@HybridAngelZero]

One thing I love with SoS is that, while it clearly is taking inspiration from decades of classics, that isn't its whole identity. It reminds me of Shovel Knight in that way, paying respect to history without being shackled to it

[@sergiomessias3691]

Was looking forward to your take on this one. Thanks 👍🎉

[@eliotwildermann]

I'm definitely enjoying this game i see a 2nd playthrough in da future 😊😊

[@hazindu]

The funny thing about JRPGs with slower\strategic battle systems, (Lost Odyssey, Radian Historia, Sea of Stars) is that I often enjoy them early in the game, but by the halfway point, I hate the game because of them as they become a chore. This seems to be the case for Sea of Stars as well, I'm about 4 hours in, and no longer get any joy from the combat. I think Chrono Trigger has the ultimate battle system. Enemy placement matters, combo attacks are powerful, there are enough enemies with non standard strengths and weaknesses to keep you thinking, and it's FAST!

[@aria.e]

reminds me a bit of VANDAL HEARTS (PS1) that game was a masterpiece for me, also Xenogears because of Yasunori Mitsuda!

[@JohnRambo1947-July-6th]

Great review! I am loving this game.

[@coreylandrie8187]

It's been good I do wish there were more magic attacks though and back tracking sucks with having to go through each area again

[@mightymax7471]

This isn't a huge issue for long. Keep progressing the story and you will see. ;)

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

Thank you for another great game review!

[@MARK111174]

Yes, reminds me of Lunar

[@evaguess2313]

I don't have time to watch the video now but am subscribing just over the channels name

[@1jidion]

1:09 gato anyone?

[@devin_the_dude_3]

Great review.

[@blakefenslerjr4858]

This and bg3 are my games of the year lol

[@ty_sylicus]

I haven't played nearly as much of this game in the past week as I've wanted to. Still under 10 hours! 😢

[@76golong73]

It's great that you and so many other players are enjoying this game! For myself, I really wanted to like it, but the slow intro and the awful timed hits/blocks ruined the experience for me. I tried three times to get past the Elder Mist boss and couldn't figure it out, so I decided the game wasn't for me and moved on. I do love the art style and the music, though!

[@anaveragegamer359]

use the relics

[@FelixS.]

Game is ok in my books. Sadly the best thing about the game are the graphics. The gameplay and the narrative don’t hit the sweet spot for me and feel pretty standard unfortunately:/ but I am happy for all who enjoy the game. Pre ordered the physical for the nice boxart alone.

[@ASKP007]

Does it have voice acting?

[@BacklogBattle]

Keep watching

[@karlwest49]

I'm typically not a fan of turn based rpgs, but the combat system in this game for me has been the perfect blend of strategy and engagement. So happy with my experience so far!

[@gilded_lady]

I loved the demo but five hours in my like is slowly fading. The battle system feels extremely limited and when you combine it with enemies having no variety in attacks the battles feel like slogs. I was also kinda disappointed by the meta jokes when I reached Brisk because nothing else about the game is 4th wall breaking. I'm stepping away for now and am finally playing Suikoden V. Its kinda telling when that game's combat already feels better.

[@ZealGames]

You're probably still also on the first area, where most games don't have enough content in the first area to keep you there that long... enemies individually lack variety. Usually though every new chapter takes you to a new place with new enemies with unique attack cadence and lock patterns. But the first area with the sleeping you know what, can be a sog if you insist on getting everything

[@gilded_lady]

​@ZealGames I'm 5 hours in or about 20% of the way through based on what I've seen as time to beat - there should be more variety by this point. Either way, I'll come back to it. Maybe its just not what I'm looking for right now.

[@davidtoowavy1648]

since brisk the game olny goes up for me

[@yosh1562]

@@davidtoowavy1648 fr same here

[@ZealGames]

@@gilded_lady Totally fair and valid. For me, I can use Moonarang in every fight and it feels like a new movewhen fighting a multi headed hydra vs 3 enemies in a line... If timing hits doesn't keep it fresh for you, and exploring isn't fun, it's probably not for you. But ofc I'm no expert.

[@RMarr-uy9hf]

Best neo-retro rpg of the decade. A must play !

[@FelixS.]

Not even half as good as chained echoes. Great graphics. Mediocre gameplay. Standard story.

[@RMarr-uy9hf]

@@FelixS. I never played Chained Echoes, but if it is twice as good Sea of Stars it must be twice as amazing ;) I put it on my backlog

[@FelixS.]

Do it, brother! It is absolutely amazing :)@@RMarr-uy9hf

[@ilirianbardhi7901]

Amazing game. Sea of Stars is an amazing game

[@caseyladner1]

To be fair the game is very easy. Honestly I’m 35 hours in and the hardest boss I’ve fought was the very first one echo mist just bc you are just getting the hang of timing

[@mahendrap1960]

I have already finished the game with true ending which took me 37 hour aka 4 days

[@Shizzy_Mac235]

This game really is a masterpiece in retro-style jrpgs, the maps are beautiful the characters are intriguing and the combat system is so refreshing compared to previous turn-based games I've played. The only two relatively small issues I have are when using some moves that require specific timing to get additional hits occasionally the character will jump into a place where I cannot see them and not time my attack. And some NPCs that you meet along the way are just a little too on the nose and self-referential to the point of where it stopped being funny and just starts being annoying. And even through that I cannot seem to put this game down, it's genuinely great.

[@nesoukkefka1741]

As far as indie RPG are concern, sadly I think Chained Echoes was better than Sea of Stars, not gonna lie for 15 hours the story didn't hook me, the world building was pretty interesting tough but the story itself until there was just to simple, and was doing nothing to really makes me care, thankfully after that slog the story becomes really good (even moreso if you played The Messenger prior to this). As for the gameplay I like it but it does get repetitive after a while, I think it lacks variety and it ends up being a bit tiresome seeing the same attacks from your character over and over and over again, thakfully at least the ennemies are diversify enough each with their own patterns and timing to master for guarding their attacks, and the locks system does make you think about what to do with your turn. Some disappointment in the Combo system however some of these combos are pretty strong and usefull, but if you play your cards well mob fights will almost never last long enough for the combo to be available, so they're pretty much a boss only thing. As for the rest well I think everyone can agree that the game is gorgeous and the soundtrack is great, would have like more tracks from Mitsuda but it's already amazing they got him to compose some tracks, and the main composer Eric is killing it in his own way.

[@vovan230183]

Its definitly a great game but i absolutely hate the fact that scenarist trying REALLY HARD make me love Garl so i hate him instead. The MC's saying that "garl so cool, garl is the best!" so frequently just realy annoying. Gameplaywise i got tired of battle system after we got to another world, there is not any depth in character building, skill timings is a cool gimmick but started to kill the Joy of the combat after i casted lunarang for twenty times. World exploration is cool but finding New sword isn't as exciting as in other jrpgs. Visual and music is realy good tho so i hope developers would (if they would make another rpg game) do something more deep in terms of story and gameplay.

[@OtterloopB]

I don't think the characters have enough depth, it takes forever to level up, I hate the lack of grinding, it's surprisingly difficult to earn money, you barely learn any individual skills and even the ship you acquire feels unwieldy to control. This game feels like an overhyped 7/10. The story is at least intriguing and the graphics are wonderful... but it needs more depth in terms of skill, combat and characters.

[@blakefenslerjr4858]

Nope 👍

[@vjxbrjpkjd]

Unfortunately this game is so bad :(( Had to drop it after 5 hours. While Chrono Trigger is my favorite JRPG. Sad...

[@fiskenburg007]

Game of the year!!!

[@RyanS406]

Square Enix needs to take some notes from this and BG3 … turn based is alive and well and they should remember the fans and gamers that made them popular in the first place

[@BacklogBattle]

They have. They’ve released one of the best turn based RPGs of the year in Octopath Traveler 2

[@RyanS406]

@@BacklogBattle chained echoes was better IMO … but I was referring to Final Fantasy