Sabotage Studio has confirmed a release date for its retro-inspired turn-based RPG Sea of Stars, news that was shared in this week’s Nintendo Direct presentation.
There is also a free demo now available on the Nintendo eShop, which “showcases Sea of Stars’ main systems and mechanics, introducing key characters and the adventure’s tone in a spoiler-free, close-to-final vision look at the game featuring pirates, puzzles and exploration.”
This is the next game from the developer behind The Messenger, which is set in the same universe. It will tell the story of the Children of the Solstice, introducing you to Valere and Zale who are fated to become Solstice Warriors. Their Sun and Moon powers combine allowing them to perform Eclipse Magic, with which they must fight the monstrous creations of an evil alchemist known as The Fleshmancer.
The developer has outlined the game’s features below:
- Active Turn-Based Combat: Pressing the action button in sync with battle animations strengthens a hero’s attacks and reduces incoming damage during defense. Along with interactive timed attacks, combat features boosting and a strategic “locks” system, providing options for leveraging different damage types in order to hinder enemies while they are preparing powerful attacks or spells, all in an immersive take on the RPG genre; no random encounters, transitions to separate battlefields, or grinding.
- Unshackled Traversal: Swim, climb, vault, jump off or scale ledges as you traverse seamlessly through the world with a navigation system based on platformer expertise that breaks free from classic, bound-to-the-ground tileset movement.
- A Story Rich Adventure: Meet dozens of original characters and progress memorable story arcs throughout a captivating journey. Sometimes epic, sometimes silly, and other times emotional, Sea of Stars explores classic themes of adventure and friendship with heart, while also being chock-full of the unexpected twists and events you’d expect from a Sabotage Studio production.
- All Fun, No Tedium: Enjoy experimenting in combat without fear of hitting a wall requiring grinding or farming for unique items; in Sea of Stars, defeat calls for a change in battle plans, not hours of repetition to better the odds in a rematch.
- A World You Can Touch: There are many ways to hang out in the world of Sea of Stars if you feel inclined to change the pace during your adventures. Sailing, cooking, fishing, stopping by a tavern to listen to a song, or playing the beloved tabletop game known as “Wheels” … every system has been designed to deliver an experience that pays tribute to retro classics, while rethinking conventional elements to offer a smooth and refreshingly modernized experience.
- Radiant Lighting: Dynamic lighting effects pair with a world-influencing day/night cycle to make every area feel truly alive, pushing the traditional visual limits of classically stylized 2D pixel art games – the only way to properly tell the story of heroes conjuring the powers of the Sun and the Moon.
Sea of Stars will release digitally on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch worldwide on 29th August 2023.
