Sea of Stars - The Next Chrono Trigger, or an Overhyped Letdown?

[@Xygor]

What do you think: is Sea of Stars the next Chrono Trigger, or an RPG letdown? Gain early access to my videos by supporting me at www.patreon.com/xygorgaming OR through KZbin membership by clicking the JOIN button above!

[@mekudu-man3804]

have you finished the game yet? I think you get 2 more skills in the game, so you have 4 in total - not 3. I mean its not that much more, but at least its half of what Chrono Trigger got.

[@omidiartgaming4102]

I think the only issue I had with this game is that it felt like it was afraid to make combat more complicated, with the limited number of skills and interactions. I wish they had a hard mode that opens up more skills and mechanics. That would make the game have a lot more replaybility. the leveling thing reminds me of Romancing Saga, you can never out level the end boss. Lunar is that way too, oh i miss Lunar.

[@anaveragegamer359]

what are your opinions on chained echooes

[@danceswithchihuahuas]

Absolutely loved it. Love love love. I cut my teeth on a certain EZ mode FF and I found it packed full of mystery and charm. I’ll be replaying for years to come.

[@danceswithchihuahuas]

@@anaveragegamer359I liked it a lot. It took a few odd turns but everything came full circle. I would rate it almost as high as SoS

[@velosiped135]

This is the first retro-style RPG that really made me feel I was playing a game from my youth. And yes, I was around when those 16-bit masterpieces were first released. It's such a close experience, it actually caused me to recall experiences in gaming back then that I had forgotten.

[@Xygor]

Fantastic, I can totally see why! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[@jgrif7891]

The big twist that kicks off the game is just too stupid for me to keep going.

[@JarrottB-ld8tr]

I really hope they make a franchise out of it, I absolutely love it so far. Between this and Chained Echoes I feel spoiled this year.

[@Xygor]

Right on, I hope so too!

[@luciferfaust]

Not the same genre, but it's connected to their other game, the messenger

[@iamkurogane]

I’ve always been a “AAA” gamer with mostly playing shooters and action rpgs. SoS is so different from what I usually play but it’s been such a refreshing experience. Loving it so far

[@AM-uk7jv]

I love SoS. The skill variety IS slightly disappointing, but due to how the battle system operates with the lock system, I can see why the devs chose smaller skill pools. I think it's mostly for balancing and making sure that no single skill is spammed, and so that multiple skills are not being ignored completely. Each skill does have its purpose and it fits in well with the unique battle mechanics. The pacing is great. The leveling, I enjoy as well. You CAN grind by exiting and reentering a dungeon if you wish. I like the challenge from fighting every enemy encounter to make sure I am leveled enough as the game intended. It's a linear game, so there's not much freedom to wander around and do your own thing regardless.

[@Xygor]

Thanks for all your thoughts, and this information on grinding I didn’t realize.

[@JohnOethGuitar]

I've had my eyes on this one for a while. I'm so glad to hear more music from my favorite composer Yasunori Mitsuda.

[@Xygor]

Excelllent, me too!

[@ShonnDaylee]

The score is nothing short of astonishing. Easily some of his best work.

[@SAKRAYx]

For sure the next Chrono Trigger actually has alot of the same progression and even time travel like Chrono Trigger me being a huuuge fan of CT this game checked all the marks for me with the added amazing combat from Mario RPG it's an absolute GEM and a must play for every retro RPG lover

[@azuredeath]

Things change when you get the fourth and fifth party members. I think the plot picks up at those points too. The pacing is pretty good IMO, it starts off slow trying to get you familiar with the world but ramps up once you start dealing with the Dweller.

[@danceswithchihuahuas]

I really kept hearing about how this point in the game is where stuff falls off. Especially the one party member that’s so interesting. I hope you’re right bc I’m not feeling a drop at all, it’s incredible still. They gave me a literal Disney Mighty Duck villain and I about fucken died laughing. I’m gonna get misty every time a certain song plays now for sure.

[@nanoglitch6693]

It's gotta suck being a retro game dev these days when everyone is going to base their review on how much it is or isn't "the next Chrono Trigger" or Earthbound or whatever. I get that these have sort of become a shorthand lexicon for describing retro games (and make nice click-baity titles that hit more search terms) but I really miss when games were just allowed to be their own thing. 🙄

[@Eener1000]

I'm quite a way in and am enjoying it a lot so far. In the beginning of the game though quite often control got taken away for cutscenes that were way to wordy, but that gets better later on. At first I found the extra mechanics during combat a bit gimmicky busywork, but now it's not to bad. I like the characters and love the artwork and music. The biggest downside is to how restrictive and linear it feels.

[@Xygor]

Thanks for your thoughts!

[@ikanami]

You can redo battles and grind if you want. By going to the over world enemies will respawn, so you can reenter areas and redo battles over and over to grind more if you want. Idk if there's a cap to it, as I don't like grinding, but I know you can definitely get some extra levels this way.

[@Xygor]

Didn't realize this, thanks for letting us know!

[@joshuamcneely3028]

I was going to say this but you beat me to it lol.

[@animegamergeek1427]

U can also reload a save file & the enemies respawn

[@Xeakerr]

Enemies give extremely little EXP though and a new level barely feels like a power increase

[@ikanami]

@@Xeakerr I never said it was effective, just that you could :p

[@adamkahmann2937]

I'm nearing the end of my playthrough and have been loving it so far. My biggest critique is the story's pacing. It felt kinda like a fetch quest at times. The story's goals change frequently and a lot of the time I don't even know what my characters are trying to accomplish. At times it felt like some sections just dragged in forever. The best parts of the game imo is when the goals & build up was clear (like the haunted mansion & clock tower levels)

[@Xygor]

Fair enough, thanks for your thoughts on it!

[@The-Cutmaster]

I’m absolutely thrilled with Sea of Stars! I hope the big box creators are taking note.

[@Xygor]

Right on, glad you're digging it as well!

[@NavelOrangeGazer]

I hope Square Enix is taking copious notes.

[@coreymckee4844]

​@@NavelOrangeGazerwe literally got octopath traveler 1 and 2..😑

[@RoMe206]

It does bring a similar feeling of Chrono Trigger. I'm 3-4 hours into it so far. It's solid.

[@Xygor]

Glad you're enjoying it!

[@GamingRobioto]

I'm doing a lot of travelling in October / November and this will be my game for the trains, planes, waiting rooms and departure lounges on my Steam Deck 👌

[@Xygor]

Seems like the perfect game for that!

[@GamingRobioto]

@@Xygor Absolutely! Thanks for the great video.

[@FLIK510]

Being influenced by something and emulating it are two different things, comparing the two or expecting this game to be "the 2nd coming of Chrono Trigger" is missing the point.

[@JeffPenaify]

and its more like Mario RPG and Superstar saga than Chrono Trigger, where it shares very little resemblance

[@TheGameGrinder]

I think you did a great job really telling and showing what the game is all about. This game did so many things right and I really loved what it brought to the table, it's unique attributes and thoughtfulness, especially in combat. The ultimate abilities and hot swapping party members was really cool too. Great review!

[@Xygor]

Super glad you loved it, and very cool you got your name in the game too! This is one of the best retro RPGs that have come out in the last decade for sure.

[@BrandedStruggler]

6:37 not true. They might not spawn while you’re in the area, but if you go to the world map, and re-enter the area, there will be fresh Spawns. I tried this as early as moorlands.

[@chucho224]

for me it was a big letdown. the combat was fun...for about 5 hours until i didn't unlock any new skills and battle revolved around doing teh same shit for 20 hours

[@TIDbitRETRO]

Indie Devs REALLY need to stop selling their games as “spiritual successors to Chrono Trigger”. I feel like we get a couple games every year making that claim, and none of them ever live up to that. There is and only will ever be ONE Chrono Trigger.

[@MinecraftMartin]

YES. It's getting really annoying. I was just harping on it too. It's not just one person or anything. As a community, we've just taken on this really dumb habbit. Maybe the game rocks and survives the unnecessary pedestal comparison, like this game apparently. I suspect the comparison only detracted from the experience. Would reviewers have been able to enjoy the game more if there headspace wasn't also renting out room to Chrono Trigger? "Yep, this part is kinda like Chrono Trigger. Nope, I think Chrono Trigger did this part a little better. The storytelling here at this part kinda felt like a 90s game. Oh, this guy must be the Lucca of the party! Not quite as good as Lucca tho, she had better theme music too." BLEH Just play the game and compare it to itself. It's not a remake.

[@KVR020]

They just love these games and are inspired by them. Nothing wrong with that. Be glad that there are people out there that make games like this because the big studios are not anymore

[@KVR020]

Also the devs aren’t calling it a spiritual successor, KZbinrs are putting those labels on it.

[@Mandalor10]

They never said that. KZbinrs put that label on them and they specifically said they didn't like it because of the pressure it puts on them.

[@alexclaton]

@@Mandalor10 ive been calling out youtubers doing that for a while... its annoying because while it has some homages to ct its a very different from ct.

[@benjitall1536]

Solid 7.5/10. It's a derivative, not something innovative.

[@DonkThikkness]

Great review. This is one of the most beautiful games I’ve seen in a long time. I’m not finished with it yet but, I agree on the skills. Something on the difficulty feels off to me, like battles are more heavily scripted than traditional RPGs. My other criticisms are that some of the Relics (this game’s method of adjusting difficulty) are a bit overkill. One refills hp/mp AND increases hp by 100%. Another makes every attack a guaranteed timed attack. I think either adjusting these or having some in the middle ground would be better. Refill hp/mp on separate Relics, 100% health increase on a separate Relic. Have a Relic that loosens the timing window for battle prompts, etc. Also I would like area maps. That said. I’m really enjoying the game. Story, characters, and writing are fun. Music is great. Level design and world building is incredible.

[@spin_the_disc]

One of the characters reminds of a chubby Fei Fong Wong from Xenogears. xD

[@Xygor]

True!

[@alloparc6844]

So I haven't finished the game yet but I'm about 20 hours in, and I'm absolutely loving my time with the game so far. The Super Mario RPG comparison is pretty spot on. I kind of feel like it's a mashup between Chrono Trigger & Mario RPG (from a mechanics perspective). I understand your point about the limited amount of skills, but in your video you mention only 3 per character. As I mentioned, I haven't finished the game but I have seen indications that Zale & Valere possibly have an additional skill slot, and I have unlocked a 4th skill for an additional character that works slightly differently (trying to avoid spoilers for anyone reading this). Working around the lock system also seems to keep me using all the skills at my disposal for tougher battles. The lack of grinding levels, while I understand the choice (kind of forces players to keep moving forward), it is disappointing for me. I attempted to go back to areas already completed to see if enemies respawn, and while some do, the numbers are too small to justify the time grinding. All in all, the game is what I was hoping for. Love the content.

[@Xygor]

Thanks for the feedback and all your thoughts on the game!

[@khrishp]

The lack of skill variety is an illusion. I just did a 100% of the game and if you only count the three basic skills in the ultimate that all six of your party members can have then I guess that might be limited but the fact that you can swap out a character for anyone else and that there's like dozens of combo moves. It feels like really never made me feel like I didn't have something cool to do. But then again that was at the very very end game

[@andyreichert499]

I just finished Sea of Stars this past weekend and I thought it was wonderful. I’m still not sure how their graphics engine worked, and the tactility and movement in the game were well beyond any other pixel-art RPG I’ve played. The combat system never devolved into pressing X, and despite the lack of new skills, it kept me engaged. I think that’s the trade-off, the balanced they achieved with combat wouldn’t have happened if they needed to create 30 more powers. I also think the villains and their story was a little weak and underdeveloped. I’m planning to keep more of an eye on that once I play it again, but that won’t be for quite a while (too many games in the backlog and all..)

[@fourlokouva]

There are a number of similarities to Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana. Very inspired but also a unique game. I like how you can switch characters mid battle, and the button timing attack/defend element which gives it a bit more challenge. Although moonerang is broken, but hey that’s some SMRPG fan service 😅

[@rabbyd542]

I think they had a point with fewer skills. In a game like FF, as soon as I get Fira, I'm probably never using the fire spell again. I just recently played FFVI and the number of useless spells annoyed me; it just made the menus annoying during battle. I'd rather have a smaller amount of abilities that just scale up. I can't hold that against this game.

[@joshuagoforth1658]

I was so excited for this after playing the demo and having played through a bit of the full game it’s even better than I could have imagined

[@Xygor]

Glad you think so!

[@MinecraftMartin]

If you compare everything to an outlier success (Chrono Trigger), of course you're gonna feel let down. I'm not sure why people insist on doing this to themselves. "This is either as good as one of the best games of all time, or it's a let down." Let me put it this way. There's no such thing as "the next Chrono Trigger". Just get over it. Like heroin addicts spending the rest of their life trying to chase their first euphoric experience. Learn to keep an open mind and manage your expectations. When you played a Final Fantasy game for the first time, did you say "is this the next "? No, chances are you just sat down and focused on what was in front of you. When you were 10 years old, you didn't have nostolgia holding you back from enjoying games. Lo and behold, you had experiences that you still cling to today. We'll never enjoy new games like we used to until we learn to play games the way we used to. I fully admit I'm guilty of this crap as much as anyone else, but I can testify that you'll thank yourself to break the habit. We have so much baggage these days. Set your nostalgia goggles down and just play the game. Perhaps marketing is also to blame for opening that can of worms, but it doesn't make us any less responsible for our own sabotage.

[@Xygor]

Thanks for leaving your thoughts on this here.

[@melonusk6120]

We lost our childhood innocence and purity in enjoying games. everything must be critizied and scrutinized to the Wazoo. i miss my old self 😭

[@napoleonfeanor]

Yes I enjoy games more when not comparing them to the best

[@AM-uk7jv]

Gonna be honest here, CT isn't even in my top 3 or top 5 JRPGs. I thought it was good, but I suspect that rose colored nostalgia glasses are overhyping it quite a bit. CT does many things right. But it also gets some things wrong. For me, it was having to replay it numerous times. That was great in the 90s when games were expensive and didn't release with the frequency they do today. But I also hated replaying long games right after I've already beat it. Especially after sinking dozens of hours in to it. I don't have the time to replay a 30-40 hour JRPG in quick succession with the next play through being 95% the same as the first play through. Even as a kid in the 90s playing CT, I didn't want to experience mostly the same game again after having just beat it the first time.

[@WorldshakerX]

A very good game, but its not nearly as good as Mario RPG or Chrono Trigger (its biggest inspirations as you mentioned). Chained Echoes was also more fun overall IMO, but I'd still give Sea of Stars an 8 or 9 for executing everything very well. A must play for fans of classic JRPGs.

[@truthedministry]

Xygor Gaming: "It's definitely the closest thing I've played to Chrono Trigger in many years" Chained Echoes: "Do I mean nothing to you?"

[@7Sep7]

If chained echoes is a far nephew of chrono trigger, then Sea of stars is his first son. Not comparing the quality of this two, I love them both almost equally. But Sea of stars is very close to Chrono Trigger.

[@truthedministry]

@@7Sep7 I wouldn't go as far as to say that Chained Echoes is a newphew. I think it is more like they are half-brothers. Maybe that makes CE the illigitamate kid. Still, I think SoS only looks like Chrono Trigger, but CE acts more like it.

[@Xygor]

I liked Chained Echoes as well and reviewed it, I think this has more similarities to Chrono Trigger than that does though.

[@ukrpgfan4029]

Why do they always have to mention Chrono Trigger all the time.....The answer is no, it's not. Looks like a good game in it's own right though. Although I'm not a big fan of timed attacks.

[@ikmor]

My thoughts and opinions exactly!

[@emiliocerchiaro4386]

Oh I dunno, maybe because the game looks clearly and proudly inspired by Chrono Trigger? I mean, it even has the same composer. There's nothing wrong with making the obvious comparison, specially if it compels people like you to click on the video and make a comment 😉

[@scratchpoint]

Because the game can't stand on its own and the developers and reviewers are playing off of people's nostalgia.

[@innerophstudios4013]

@@scratchpointthe developers made no claim it was like chrono trigger😂 Also ses of stars is amazing anyways

[@Maileigh]

I'm enjoying it. Didn't know about Matsuda's involvement but now I'm even happier! Although, wouldn't the name Valere still be pronounced like Valerie? Every single person watching me play seems to think so.

[@Xygor]

Glad you'rre liking it!

[@Kuraihunter619]

It's pretty good i like the land traversal and the combat is serviceable, Good characters and story/cutscenes , Graphics are vibrant and animations are done well, I do wish the combat had a fast forward button though it can get tedious after a while and i found a few sections where i was unsure where to move to in because of the layout but overall its a good game in a genre that doesn't get many releases these days.

[@Alamyst2011]

Nothing will ever be the "next" CT. Same way every FF after 6 is a mess. No one has the skill and craftsmanship. The golden era of square will never be replicated.

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

I hope you can make a video comparison between Sea of Stars and Chained Echoes. Anyways, thank you for more reviews!

[@Xygor]

Great suggestion!

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

Glad you are considering it!@@Xygor

[@geraq0]

I have to admit I'm not very good when it comes to JRPGs, Chrono Trigger was one of the few that really got me from start to finish. I'm a big fan of platformers however and The Messenger blew my mind, so when I heard of Sea of Stars coming out from the same developer I felt I had to give it a try. I've been playing for three hours and I like it a lot so far, the combat system is very engaging and the soundtrack is fantastic, although I agree that the flashback sequence at the beginning is very slow and tedious. Thanks for the review, glad to see there are a lot of positives!

[@Xygor]

Thanks for your thoughts, sounds like we share some pretty similar thoughts on it!

[@Xeakerr]

@Xygor Which game did you like more Chained Echoes or Sea of Stars?

[@Xygor]

Man, that’s a tough one, but probably Sea of Stars.

[@LeeZard27]

The only thing I would've liked to have been done differently would've been centered around combat. Leaving the boosting strictly to Zale, Valere and Resh'an, and center their game plan around that aspect. Their respective innate sun, moon and arcane (dark maybe) aspects were only mentionned in passing. Why not make use of those as an elemental grid for exemple? It would've given those more meaning. Shame... Garl could've been the go to healer with food and attacker with his quirky abilities since he is portrayed as a mere human with no solstice capabilities. Being an assassin, Seraï needed more emphasis on her poison mechanic and needed some quirks linked to the fact that she is a cyborg from a futiristic world. Agility based abilities and her portals would've worked great if implemented at all! Finally B'st would be a purely brawler monk type brought in to pummel enemies silly. Why wasn't Hortence made a playable party member with ethereal and ghastly abilities?... Those differences could've fleshed the combat out even better imo, and help better draw a distinction between each character, given the fact that the group could fight on in some way despite the others' lack of solstice power. I'm no fan of the abysmal damage cap either. You don't feel any power gains at all as the characters level up. They're way to marginal to be considered true powerups. In terms of characters, Zale and Valere seem way too bland and samey. I didn't really feel any difference between the two like I did for their 2 turncoat teachers. Again another great opportunity missed there. I did enjoy the game for what it was, but in all it still left a little bit to be desired. Nice try though. Maybe their next outing will correct those defficiencies.

[@Aether_Athea]

This game really worked for me, I loved the battle system so much with the lock system and the engagement with timing, something odd to me though is the lack of stat buffs abilities & status effects (other than perhaps delaying turns), still think it has good strategy but skill variety is limited

[@Phil_597]

Chrono Trigger is a 10/10, and there's less than 1 game a year that deserves that score imo. I'm only 9h into SoS, so it's too early to judge, but if this keeps up any longer, I don't see myself giving it more than an 8 to 8.5 unless it does some serious redeeming later on. It's amazing music, visuals and environments, but extremely disappointing plot and storytelling so far. Aesthetically it's a magical experience like Chrono Cross or Seiken Densetsu 3, yet the writing so far seems worse than the worst plot threads of Legend of Mana. I'd say it belongs on the same shelf with my 90s favorites though. Some of them have mediocre story and brilliant everything else as well. I actually love the combat in SoS. It fixes everything I hate about many JRPGs' combat. I don't care about trying 1000 spells, abilities, upgrades, items, skill trees and traits. Complexity is not the same thing as real depth. In most of these complex RPG there's ultimately only 1 or 2 optimal things anyway - you don't have any real choice if you just want to be somewhat optimal while keeping grinding to a minimum to just chill with story and aesthetics. SoS doesn't reward grinding. The button timing makes combat engaging. The live mana, combo points and locks make it so you're always making meaningful decisions on what resource or opportunity to save or sacrifice. You only have a few skills and combos, but their effects can have many different utilities. You're not thinking only about instant raw damage. Healing ASAP mid battle is sometimes not the solution. Choosing to heal instead of locking something is often suicide, as is choosing to spend too much live mana or combos too early. It might actually be the first combat system in JRPGs that I enjoy more than that of Chrono Cross. edit: I got much farther now and the story gets good. They did the same thing as in Messenger; made a slow progression of the genre's history all in one game. The early parts are like FF1 and DQ1, then they wow you with the changes. Now I know why no reviewer wanted to spoil this for anyone.

[@murderbeam9614]

Beat it last week, loved every moment of it. It has the timing based combat reminiscent of SMRPG, but the character combos reminiscent of Techs from CT. That said, the combat system feels like its own and doesn't just ride the coattails of being compared to Chrono Trigger.

[@Xygor]

Glad to hear that, thanks for your feedback!

[@shizuwolf]

Sounds like it could’ve used a bit of influence from Chrono Cross as well. If each character is only going to have 3 skills, then maybe they should’ve added more recruitable party members with different combo attacks

[@saeefa]

I'm 17 hours into the game and whilst I've been hyped by the game, I was expecting more from it. For me a good rpg needs good adventure and exploration, this game goes from one dungeon to the next very quickly, which is the gripe I have, would also of liked if they had weapon crafting etc, was looking g forward to fishing but again just very basic. Maybe the more I play it I will start to like it more. As of now Chained Echoes is still my fave Indie rpg game

[@Xygor]

Thanks for your thoughts on it! I love Chained Echoes too.

[@StewNWT]

I like chained echoes but Crosscode takes the cake

[@Loner098]

Chained Echoes, honestly kinda falls way short of the bar of actual masterpiece RPGs like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 6. The problem is its consistency. At times, the game feels really good with some added content and interesting exploration. Then, you have some areas that are very linear and have a fraction of the content. The art design and music is still great, and the combat is decent, but most of the time, you're relying on the same skills you've used since the beginning of the game and you never truly "feel" like you're getting stronger due to the scaled encounters. I could at least try out a balanced RPG, sure, but it kinda starts getting repetitive when you throw in the Overdrive Meter mechanic. At times, it forces you to use strats you that you don't want to do or are suboptimal. It got to the point where it felt like I was fighting the Overdrive Meter more than the enemy. There's also the crystal system, which is badly handled, in my opinion. It just throws out whatever random crystal it just wants to generate since the crystals always respawn (there may be an NPC that you could recruit in your clan to decide which type of crystals you'll get but that takes *forever* to get to). Some bosses and enemies in this game also like to be cheap via using status, acting two to three times per turn, and/or even one-shotting you. Then there's the writing. While it can be sometimes excellent, the characters feel underdeveloped without much resolution to their own individual stories. I barely even remember Cameron as a character either. Other characters like Glenn, Kylian, Victor, Sienna, Tomkey, and Mikah just kinda sucked. And the story itself feels rushed in some parts; I'm a fan of "all killer, no filler," like in Chrono Trigger, but the pacing is just that fast. A prime example is that scene with Glenn and the orphans. It lasts for like 5-10 minutes until the entire scene is pretty much over, which ends up being a "ha ha, gotcha" moment rather than a real gut punch. The game also has a bunch of self-stabbing scenes (or just stabbing scenes in general) to add for dramatic effect or just to try and remind the player of this game's dark tone. But it feels like it's done so often that it just feels forced. I can understand that Matthias Linda tried putting whatever could be done into Chained Echoes, but it just ended up being a very underwhelming RPG, in my opinion. It fails to really scratch that "itch" that some classic RPG fans are looking for. It's not a bad game by any means, but I think it gets WAY too much credit for what it does - probably because of nostalgia or something like that.

[@dudemanbroguy1770]

Im 15 hours in and I must say this game is being overhyped. The combat gets very boring due to lack of variation. The ultimate skills ive seen are a bit lame and the exploration, while decent, does not net you anything interesting the majority of the time. Equipment could probably be removed entirely from the game as it is mostly just stat increases and some percentage increase against enemy type. Cooking and fishing seem compleyely tacked on and serve no real purpose after the first couple hours, you could just give more gold in battles and then buy the food from shops. The reality is I am now playing just to see how the story ends. If nothing major changes it is about a 6 out of 10 for me. Definitely a decent little adventure but not genre defining by any stretch.

[@Loner098]

@dudemanbroguy1770 Sounds like it's suffering from Chained Echoes Syndrome, where it tries to be something it was inspired by only to end up being TOO much like it, and fails to give efficient quality.

[@zerox6901]

Definitely overhyped. This game wants to be Chrono Trigger mixed with Mario and Luigi and it fails at both.

[@elsannin14121]

I love it. I do agree that I want to level myself. I personally love grinding so I can wreck enemies. It's not like it's cheating because you trained for the extra strength

[@Xygor]

Right on, I knew some people would agree with me on that!

[@oveson88]

You can grind if you exit an area to the overworld and re enter an area.

[@elsannin14121]

@oveson88 yeah, found out when I got to the place with little waterfalls

[@cam9144]

Sea of Stars is straight JRPG comfort food, which is exactly why the great SNES RPGs still hold up today.

[@Xygor]

Right on, so true!

[@TheSushiandme]

It's fun. I like this game better than Baldurs gate 3.

[@jaydeebow6431]

Love Legend of Dragoon with timed attacks i know its not exactly the same but was very well done and I think the hype was well deserved 👏

[@pedrongreen]

People take the Chrono Trigger comparison too seriously. Regarding your title, it is neither of those things. It's an attempt from an indie studio at making their first RPG and, and a great one. The future looks bright at Sabotage studios.

[@Xygor]

Fair enough, thanks for your thoughts on it!

[@mathewhosier9739]

Its a decent game like chained echoes but im really not a fan of mobs not respawning, i like to play RPGs and level up at my own pace, so the lack of grinding i think hurts these games more than it helps, grinding is an integral part of the genre, it has always been this way, and i definitely prefer my RPGs to at the very least to have the ability to grind, you can ignore grinding if you want but us who enjoy it should have the option to

[@Xygor]

Thanks for leaving your thoughts here!

[@SheolSormani]

you can grind, the review is incorrect on that.

[@omensoffate]

No need to grind

[@mathewhosier9739]

@@omensoffate I'd rather grind

[@giver6153]

Yep i agree with you the lack of skill variety slightly pull this game down for me,everything was just nicely done,at first i hope it can be like Chained Echoes in Term of characters and skills without pouring the feel of "forced to fit in" on every playable characters, but yeah it is what it is.

[@willdavis4606]

i really love this game but the only complaint I have is the lack of skills.

[@nickk3403]

I like the game but found myself getting bored on the 15h mark the lack of skills. Finding myself returning to DQ11 again

[@Xygor]

Agreed!

[@nickk3403]

Great detailed review but how do you find late in the game the very similar combat

[@raisie6334]

12:01 Do you live in the time line where Chained Echoes exists? ;)

[@kaleido9631]

Eh. If there is no skill variety, I'm not interested. I don't want to have to endure a long winded story if the battles are the same every time.

[@napoleonfeanor]

Is a timed attack hard to do? I've never been good in that in RPGs

[@Xygor]

The attacks and skills are pretty easy to hit every time, but the defensive ones require judgment and knowledge of enemy hit timing. It's pretty fun.

[@danielreynolds7458]

hmmm...im looking forward to this game, but not being able to grind and build uber warriors is a HUGE negative for me

[@Xygor]

Sounds like you’re a Chained Echoes fan!

[@Corydonn]

My opinion is that the game is just so average to below average in most of aspects but the art is amazing and music is sublime. The first 30 minutes was definitely a slog and could have done with much better pacing to hook the player in. I am thinking this is an RPG where the fewer RPGs you've played the more you'll enjoy it because you'll have far less expectations for good/fun mechanics and wishing they spent more time in development improving the game using all these other RPGS for reference. 18 hours in and I feel that equipment choices don't matter and there are no interesting choices in accessories/builds, Skills get old fairly quickly and there is a lack of clarity on timing hits on skills past the initial characters first skills, and the combo system is hardly ever useful or used in most combats since you start with a blank slate and regular combats are over by the time you even get one pip.

[@savagebeast2538]

The leveling thing is not true. All you have to do is exit the map when you return the enemies return.

[@Xygor]

Didn’t realize this at the time of making the video, but several have said the same, thanks for letting me know!

[@greggeiger7532]

I don’t know I tried to demo and had trouble getting into it. Maybe I’ll get it on sale one day.

[@ModdingNewbie]

I haven't played it myself yet, but your video playthrough looks pretty cool. Not much in common with _Chrono Trigger_ that I could see from that, except maybe the concept of combo attacks, though.

[@samsherrington7423]

It's a good game. Few gripes with it though, lack of skills with characters is a bit weird. Unless they're all hidden and I haven't found them, yet. Plus the levelling system. I'm 20 hours in and level 14. Everything seems really toned down. Wasn't a fan of the happy-happy tone of the game but it does seem to get a bit more dark where I am up to. I'm enjoying it so far every battle feels dangerous. Can't seem to get Sarais dagger skill down though 😒

[@Xygor]

Thanks for your thoughts on it!

[@wsciekypies7216]

This is classic example of a KZbinr on drugs.

[@dr_unne]

I'm only four hours in so I can't say if it gets better, but I'm not liking how a lot of enemies basically require you to do the "extra" timing stuff in battle. I know how easy it probably is for most people, but having motor issues is infuriating in those situations.

[@michaeloconnor1281]

Use the relics. Not ideal, but that's what they're there for! :)

[@Xygor]

Was just going to say the below - I think you can buy a Relic for like 15 gold that automatically does them for you

[@RoMe206]

The relics drop your attack 50% though. It does get easier once you keep practicing. I'm not really keen on the relics though. Maybe for beginners or young players. Especially the one that refills your life 100% after every battle lol@@Xygor

[@Ultimecea90]

i'm waiting for hard copy before playing this game although i've heard about the game since early this year and Yasunori Mitsuda's name attracted me to the game from your review, it is a decent game that based on what a real jrpg game should be hopefully the devs will add more to the game and make it more polish than ever and i've always enjoyed your video whenever you insert ff6 terra's theme since Nobuo Uematsuis my favorite music composer

[@Xygor]

Thanks for the praise!

[@HUDJ0679790]

I would'nt go as far as *this is the mew chrono trigger*... it's by no mean groundbreaking but i don't think it need to be anyway. It's a damn well made product made with heart and passion. Its like... you know... when you want to buy somes good furnitures... you will go for some cheap ikea at your local wal mart or buy some at a local specialized little shop? Thats how i like to see things concerning Sabotage studio...

[@BradHelsing]

Not a Chrono Trigger followup, not a letdown. It was a great game in it's own right. Music was top notch, imo.

[@VariousMethod5]

Looks beautiful but kinda basic. Not the type of thing I'd spend 20+ hours with unless it has a really good story

[@elamriti]

just finished the game ,its way to long to much tekst ,the combat is boring .music is boring after 10+h ,overal the game is overhyped big time

[@lukeluke333lukeluke]

Have the game downloaded. Not sure when I'm going to start the game but can't wait to play.

[@Xygor]

Hopefully soon!

[@Silenthero66]

I Am Setsuna was such a let down. I'm really hoping that this game is gonna scratch the chrono itch for real this time

[@mahendrap1960]

Well I have already finished this game which took me 4 days aka 37 hours to complete the game in true ending, I hope they will improve combat system in the sequel because ending left with cliffhanger

[@chriseggroll]

Looks amazing! If I ever stop playing Baldur's Gate 3 I'll definitely check this out

[@Xygor]

Definitely give it a go!

[@sergiomessias3691]

How does it compare to Chained Echoes?

[@Xygor]

I like both a lot. I covered Chained Echoes in another video and like them both on about the same level. I think there are things about Sea of Stars that are more polished than Chained Echoes, but that makes some sense because it was built by a bigger and more experienced team.

[@sergiomessias3691]

@@Xygor thanks! Was waiting for your take. Will play it on game pass today! 😁

[@calimangrower1590]

When is the physical copy coming??😊

[@Xygor]

Not sure, good question!

[@haziqq]

With voice actor, this game would be perfect for me. I don't like reading lots of dialogues, but still, I will continue playing it

[@Xygor]

Thanks for your thoughts!

[@PM-xc8oo]

I played this some on launch and yesterday and I was not impressed. The game is certainly a visual treat but I just am not a fan of the QTE combat. It was just a really bad combination of feeling arbitrary since the game doesn't make clear what is expected of you (and contra to what the game explicitly tells you it is absolutely expected that you master the timing to be able to get through the boss battles and even some of the basic encounters) and at the same time getting quickly monotonous due to the lack of variety in skills. It is also disappointing that the combo skills are implemented in such a way that you can't really use them thus further reducing the variety in how to approach combat. I expected to take issue with the combat as I've never been that fond of QTE combat in RPGs but what I didn't expect was to be bored with the game. Most of the dialogue is completely insipid and characters take paragraphs to say what could have been condensed to a sentence all the while you are bombarded by Golden Sun style gibberish noises. The pacing is also completely glacial. By comparison to Chrono Trigger, which had you fully into the thick of things in about ten minutes, this game is still pushing you through tutorial crap at the two hour mark. So for me, this game is really just a big miss.

[@jf4156]

We are really spoiled for choice this year, it’s been the best in many

[@Xygor]

Yeah, classic RPGs are making a comeback!

[@espacemaxim]

The next Chrono Trigger it is!!! I love it, so happy for the Messenger team!!!

[@Kaserdan]

You know what ? Squareenix, give them the keys. With that experience, they could pull off a new Chrono Trigger if they let them. They're good at storytelling too. Get Sakaguchi (Mistwalker) and Akira Toriyama on board and go for it. Just imagine !

[@TacothunderYT]

Tokay, I need me some more of that Chrono goodness.

[@Xygor]

Tokayyyy

[@ikmor]

Thank you for this review

[@Xygor]

My pleasure!

[@joshakins4923]

Anyone else just wanna play Chrono trigger lol

[@tylermatthews5440]

Another banger review for a banger game. Thanks Xygor!

[@Xygor]

Thanks man, really appreciate it!

[@playjay7553]

For me overhyped letdown.

[@cashnelson2306]

Definitely kind of an overhyped letdown for me, but mostly because Chained Echoes was such a 10/10 fucking masterpiece banger while Sea of Stars is just like, a 7/10. It's good and all but it's nothing special and it bums me out seeing all the hype about it while people slept on Chained Echoes SoS' presentation - the graphics, the music, much of the dialogue - is fantastic and the story is interesting enough from what I've seen so far. If those are what you value most in RPGs, this game will be a hit for you. If you value character building and combat, this game will disappoint you. There are NES RPGs with more interesting systems at play than this. It's boring.

[@diegoarmando5489]

People didn't really sleep on Chained Echoes. It just took till later in the Dev Cycle for it to gather momentum because Matthias Linda had a much lower profile than Thierry Boulanger and his team and didn't have anything on the level of The Messenger on his resume. I played and loved Chained Echoes and own but haven't started Sea of Stars yet because I'm near the end of Kuro no Kiseki. I bought it day 1 because I loved the demo and because I'm Québécois.

[@TheDasErdinger]

I don't even think Chained Echoes was that good either.

[@Xygor]

Glad you're loving it @NaNaRarh

[@mekudu-man3804]

I don't know man. I think it deserved the hype - its really comfy and enjoyable, the visuals are great and the music is addictive and catchy af. But I agree that they could've gone a little bit deeper with the combat system or add things to skip cutscenes or dialogue options or give you a map for dungeons or something like that to make things more comprehensible and the backtracking more easy. I would give it a solid 8/10. I just found out about Chained Echoes and it being made by essentially one guy and I think they should switch prices from what I have seen both games have to offer (will get CE tomorrow and check it out/support the guy). I think the only justifications for the price tag are it being an entire studio that put this game up and the cut scenes and music which prolly cost a lot and outsiders to hire.

[@diegoarmando5489]

@NaNoRarh I gave up on The Messenger at the Tower of Time because I suck at platformers. Too bad, as I loved the game until it went kaizo with 1HKO Lasers.

[@Hemlocker]

I played a few hours of it but I just couldn't get into it. Something about the writing just wasn't very compelling to me. The characters all seemed kinda cliche and uninteresting, and the primary goal/directive of the plot felt very vague and generic. It's a shame, because I thought many aspects of the game were really well done and enjoyable (the combat, graphics, music). I might try re-visiting it one day.

[@Xygor]

Fair enough, thanks for leaving your thoughts though!

[@whthafk]

Im into this game now. Very good

[@Xygor]

Yes it is!

[@ThaNVaderr254]

I'm enjoying the game right now. I think there should be some improvements to the game, but it's a great game.

[@Xygor]

Right on, glad you’re enjoying it too!

[@Xeakerr]

After 16h I feel the combat gets too boring/annoying. The story did not really go anywhere and I don't like that leveling up does not feel rewarding + XP Scaling urgh. Good beginning but in the end I give it a weak 4/5

[@scratchpoint]

Overhyped nonsense. Sea of Stars is its own entity regardless of the developer's sources of inspiration. It's not "the next Chrono Trigger" and making the constant comparisons really only serves to diminish whatever story this game sets out to tell. There will never be another Chrono Trigger, even if the original team got back together to make a new Chrono game, there's no guarantee it would meet or surpass the greatness of CT, but that's okay.

[@teamhammerbros8466]

There are too many RPG’s claiming to bee inspired by something on the past. I already know to avoud the game. I’d rather just play Chrono Trigger. This is not how you make art by referencing the inspirations.

[@TCSyd]

I was fairly disappointed. The combat system is good, but there is little depth due to the limited number of skills and equipment variety. There's also no content in the game that really pushes the system to its limit. You could maybe count the Artful Gambit relic, but it has little to no impact on strategy. The story is bad. The premise is interesting enough, but it doesn't go anywhere and the main cast are lifeless and shallow. The two immortal characters are by far the most interesting part of the story, but the game refuses to adequately explore their storyline. The connections to The Messenger are cute, but they are practically meaningless-they give no meaningful insight into the shared universe (at least not yet). I do think the story of the shared universe is going somewhere, but the conclusion of Sea of Stars itself is unsatisfying. The dungeon design is probably the game's greatest strength, but there's not quite enough of it considering how simple the puzzles are.

[@richardcaraballo1185]

Unpopular opinion here, but the fact that battles are limited is a huge red flag for me, probably a deal breaker tbh. The battle system is one of the main reasons i play games these days, and to limit that means you're limiting the amount of fun i can have. I know Random encounters are generally hated by most (not me), but there's gotta be a middle ground between random encounters and limited encounters.

[@beemutv6055]

Ultimately I think Sea of Stars has wonderful visuals and music and some great gameplay ideas, but fails to develop and expand on those gameplay elements after around the first 1/4 of the game is over. Characters are also generally flat without much development either. Garl is "likeable" but why is there ZERO change in him after being reckless and losing an eye and then not seeing his friends for 10 years? Cause he's the goodest of boys? Again, likeable but not interesting narratively. And Valere/Zale have basically 0 personality traits. They just sort of react in a typical fashion to things happening around them. Not to mention that gameplay-wise the characters don't feel very different other than their 3 skills and even those are basically just different attributes and single-target vs. multi-target with similar damage values. Character stats aren't much different unless you specifically choose to level them in opposite ways. This game needed some tweaks in game balance and character progression as well as someone else on the writing team to breathe some uniqueness into the cast.

[@fdhfghfgrhrrth]

Sea of stars was a good game. The graphics, music, and combat system made it a very enjoyable experience. However the game really lacked in its writing and character development. The main characters were unremarkably forgettable and the ending was a major disappointment. I felt like the game should have just ended after the dweller of strife and getting access to the sea of stars because I felt like the game was coherent up to that point. Everything after was just like why? BUT that’s not to say it was bad these just prevent it from being a TOP game. It’s a solid 7-8/10 but Chrono trigger is 9-10/10. There are tedious aspects to Chrono trigger like level grinding but outside of that the experience and story are weaved together much better and the characters are all more memorable. I finished sea of stars ready for it to be done vs Chrono trigger being placed on my all time list

[@stryfetc1471]

Playing it on Gamepass right now, and it's just not doing it for me.🤷🏾‍♂️ I'm over 100 hours into OT2 however, still haven't completed the main chapters.

[@Xygor]

Sorry to hear that, but thanks for leaving your thoughts!

[@boeta9778]

havent you played Chained Echoes?