In a year chock full of amazing gaming experiences, it can be hard to nail down which one stands above all the rest. Deciding which game deserves that coveted title that signals it is a singular experience, and the best the year has to offer can be tough. Despite a bevy of great games coming out in a plethora of genres and across every major platform, no matter what metric’s applied, my mind always comes back to the same conclusion. Sabotage Studio‘s Sea of Stars has to be the game of the year. From the artistry to great characters, here is everything that makes Sea of Stars one of the best games I’ve experienced in my 30+ years of gaming. To thoroughly explore what I love about this game, I must wade into spoiler territory. So if you don’t want to know, turn back now.
Gorgeous Visuals That Utilize Pixel Art To Its Fullest
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There is something timeless about the pixel art graphics of the 16-bit era of gaming. The energy, bright colors, and fun sprites mark that generation as one of the best aging visually of any previous generation of gaming. While revisiting that visual style is nothing new – retro games have become quite the trend in indie gaming – few manage to capture the essence of what made those games visually fun and eye-catching while improving upon them with modern technology like Sea of Stars does.
The first thing that must be brought up when talking about how Sabotage Studio delivers the gorgeous visuals of this game is the dynamic lighting. With how tethered the sun and moon are to the narrative as both central characters are bound to one of the two celestial bodies, that Sabotage managed to incorporate lighting and how it changes into the game in such an intrinsic way is a stroke of genius. This genius game design elevates the visuals of the game, as well as being worked into the narrative and gameplay cohesively elevating the entire experience.
When the narrative grants the player the power to control the time of day, it both opens up puzzle elements through this mechanic, as well as delivers the opportunity to showcase how gorgeous lighting can impact pixel art. As the player makes the time of day shift and dance, not only do shadows lengthen and retract, but the colors and reflections off surfaces also shift and dance with the change of time. Watching hues that color a grassy hill morph from the harsh light of high noon to the cooler tones under the moon is a breathtaking achievement that is unparalleled.
The other major contributing factor on the visual side that helps elevate Sea of Stars to game of the year status is the huge variety of excellently executed animations. Every animation within the game serves to not only bring the physical act that it represents to life but also the personality of the one taking the action. With little details such as how some characters show more confidence when crossing tight ropes and navigating ledges, to the joy shown when laughing, every character’s personality is built up through the game’s elegantly crafted animations. Though one far outdoes the rest.
In the last act of the game, players get to recruit the ancient spirit named B’st into their party. Occupying a vessel made of living glass, the character can change their form at will to fit any occasion. The animators take full advantage of this narrative explanation of the character’s abilities, making him turn into things like a bottle to float across water when swimming to a coiled spring when climbing. This bevy of transformations not only serves to make the character unique but also to bring a little levity and joy into the game as it wades through the more depressing elements of its story, while never hurting the weight of the narrative’s big moments.
Unique Gameplay That Evolves Just When You Need It To
Sea of Stars takes the tried and true turn-based formula of its inspirations and builds on it in amazing ways. By combining the timing-based bonuses of past games with its attack-type locks that allow players to short-circuit incoming enemy attacks, the game’s combat delivers brilliant moment-to-moment play experiences that are both fun and rewarding.
What makes the gameplay deliver consistent enjoyment though is how skillfully Sabotage’s developers pace the evolution of the combat. With no level grinding present in the game, key gameplay evolutions are tied more closely to story progression than arbitrary character levels. This allows the game to bring new twists to the gameplay just when it’s needed, without being dependent on how many side battles a player goes out of their way to do. Every time the game comes close to feeling stale a new combo is unlocked, allies join the team, or new enemies pose new problems for the player to figure out. This steady unlocking of abilities tied to player progression allows the gameplay to evolve in the same perfect pacing that the narrative does.
A Memorable Cast Of Characters
From the twin Soltice Warriors Valere and Zale who stand at the center of the story to the smaller side characters like the traveling historian Teaks, Sea of Stars‘ cast is another one of the reasons it lands as my game of the year. The numerous personalities bring a fresh energy to the game that evolves as its cast does. From Serï’s somber confidence to the joviality of Garl, every moment with the cast brings something memorable and impactful to the story or their personal journies.
One Of The Best Character Deaths
All of the attention that Sea of Stars spends crafting its cast into an ensemble of vibrant, memorable personalities comes together for its biggest payoff as the narrative approaches its final act. Struck by a lethal blow, it looks like Garl will die. But, thanks to the magic of the ancient wizard Resh’an, he can continue living, but only as long as he puts all of his efforts into completing his final goal, awakening a sleeping dragon so Valere and Zale can cross the sea of stars. Once this task is complete, Garl’s life will end.
As the kindhearted support character who always delights in cooking meals and bringing smiles to his companions, Garl’s death was inevitably going to hurt. But rather than crafting a single painful moment for players, Sabotage delivers a far more meaningful look at loss as the player works towards completing their friand’s final wish.
Refusing to let his imminent demise dull his spirits, Garl spends much of his remaining time being the source of cheer, despite he’s the one who will soon be passing on. The way the game’s writing captures Garl’s joy at getting to go out accomplishing one last task allows a story moment that is sad at its core but still uplifting as well. It feels far less like a mourning moment, and far more like a celebration of who Garl is right up till his final breaths.
By the time the group is flying back to their hometown of Mooncradle, Garl’s life is slipping away rapidly. His teary farewell to Valere and Zale hits hard as he has been with the twins since the beginning, and his absence will leave a hole in the party’s dynamic both narratively and in combat. Garl’s funeral and the weight presented as still images display the party grieving afterward brings the narrative beat to a somber end.
A Story That Surprises, Delights, And Doesn’t Pull Any Punches
While Garl’s death is the most impactful narrative beat in the game, it is far from the only thing that makes Sea of Stars‘ narrative a key element for it being my game of the year. From a chilling town filled with people just waiting to die underwater towns filled with things to discover, the game tells a story that surprises and thrills with numerous twists and turns. But none of these wonderful adventures are as enthralling as the reveal of the significance of the sea of stars the game takes its name from.
For the first two-thirds of the game, Sea of Stars presents itself as a wholly fantasy-based story. This changes in the final act of the game as it is revealed that badass teleporting ninja/pirate party member Serï is actually a cyborg who needs the group to return to her homeworld with her to stop the big bad from destroying it. This sees the group take their sailing ship across a literal sea of stars in a magnificently crafted sequence, to a new world that treads far more into the science fiction genre than the magical the game plays with prior. This unforeseen twist breathes new energy into the narrative just as the game feels like the player has seen everything the world has to offer. Because they had, but now they have a new one to explore.
An Amazing Soundtrack That Delivers A Incredible Variety of Sounds
The Sea of Stars soundtrack is playing as I write this article.d This isn’t an unusual occurrence either, the wonderful and varied tunes present within it playing when I’m at my computer enjoying games or writing. With pieces delivering tracks with emotional tones as varied as the game’s many plot beats, the soundtrack always brings a wonderful array of sounds to enjoy. Making it even more robust is that many of the tracks have multiple versions present. Versions for both daytime and night appear for most region themes, and there are special versions of tracks that are played by the pirate band at the taverns throughout the game. All told this brings the track count up to over 200 individual tracks, each one implemented with skill and care. The joy, sadness, and triumph that live in the game always come through the excellently crafted music.
And these are the biggest reasons why Sea of Stars deserves to be the game of the year. The care, skill, and quality that are infused into every element of the game by Sabotage Studio come together to form a gaming experience that not only lives up to the great games that inspire it but leaps beyond them to deliver a new evolution of just what games can create. My only regret when it comes to Sea of Stars is that I can’t play it for the first time again.
