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Sea Of Stars

Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
Genre: RPG/Strategy
Developer: Sabotage Studio
Release Date: Aug. 29, 2023

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'Sea Of Stars' Gets Dawn of Equinox Update In November, Will Add Local Co-op, Quality Of Life Improvements, Revamped Prologue/Combat And More

by Rainier on Oct. 1, 2024 @ 11:55 a.m. PDT

Taking place within the universe of The Messenger but introducing an entirely new adventure, Sea Of Stars is a remarkable fantasy turn-based RPG.

Telling the story of the Children of the Solstice, the game focuses on engaging combat and unrestrained exploration, featuring freedom of movement seldom seen in the genre. The studio also launched a Kickstarter campaign for Sea of Stars today with an incredible array of options for fans to get involved.

Sea Of Stars’ compelling world unites players with Valere and Zale, youths fated to become Solstice Warriors. Combining their Sun and Moon powers to perform Eclipse Magic, they are pledged to fight the monstrous creations of the evil alchemist known as The Fleshmancer. Sabotage’s knack for twisting narratives makes for an engrossing, wondrous tale surrounding a world’s looming apocalyptic threat.

Combat challenges players to coordinate adaptive strategies while thwarting opponents with pre-emptive attacks, rewarding carefully timed strikes and interrupted advances. With six playable party members distinct in fighting style and personality, experimentation is key to discovering devastatingly powerful new match-ups. There’s no need to grind to unlock a character’s true potential, either, as character progression is balanced to flow along with the story. Sea of Stars’ journey prioritizes meaningful encounters over enduring dozens of the same fights.

Sea of Stars developer and publisher Sabotage Studio announced Dawn of Equinox, a free content update for Sea Of Stars that will arrive on November 12, 2024 for all platforms.

Dawn of Equinox is Sabotage Studio’s gift to thank more than 5 million players for their unwavering love for Sea of Stars. Dawn of Equinox includes some of the most requested features and improvements informed by feedback from players. The update represents Sabotage Studio’s fully realized vision for Sea of Stars’ spectacular adventure.

Dawn of Equinox features:

  • All-New Local Co-op: Sea of Stars’ story will be playable in its entirety by up to three players, with allies traversing the world together and mastering a new Co-op Timed Hits combat mechanic.
  • Combat 2.0: The addition of Mystery Locks brings a new gameplay loop around revealing the ways to break the spells of enemies each time a new type is encountered in battle. Along with "Reveal" functions added to some of the playable cast’s special skills, Combo Points now remain after battle, offering new ways to open certain encounters, or test different damage types on enemies to reveal their locks. A comprehensive balancing pass has also been done to reflect both these new changes and player feedback since launch.
  • A Revamped Prologue: Implementing combat for the young versions of our heroes, the updated flow does away with the flashback structure to begin in their childhood, directly including action in the prologue.
  • Bonus Cinematic Scene: An entirely new cutscene has been added to accentuate a pivotal moment in the original adventure, referred to as "Paths on Water."
  • A Speedrunner Mode Relic: This new item activates a range of features helpful for those looking to set a new personal best or world record.
  • Difficulty Presets: Three difficulty options are now available when starting a new game, which are presets using the game's Relics. New Relics have also been added, both for quality of life and difficulty adjustments.
  • Improved Parrot Relic: Sea of Stars’ secret-tracking parrot has learned a few new tricks to better assist players tracking down overlooked challenges and collectibles.
  • Quebecois Localization: A comprehensive French Canadian translation for Quebec’s finest Solstice Warriors.
  • Quality of Life Improvements: A constellation of general updates and improvements spanning Sea of Stars’ full campaign.

Dawn of Equinox arrives ahead of the free Throes of the Watchmaker DLC (launching in Spring 2025) which will debut a completely new storyline, a new playable character and more as an encore to Sea of Stars’ original adventure. Throes of the Watchmaker will find Sea of Stars’ leading heroes Valere and Zale venturing into a magical miniature clockwork world threatened by a cursed carnival, which forces the Solstice Warriors to adapt to unfamiliar rules to fully master their Sun and Moon powers. The entirety of Throes of the Watchmaker will also be playable in the Local Co-op feature arriving in Dawn of Equinox.

Key Features

  • 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 while seamlessly traversing 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 narrative 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 a journey 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 is available for Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam) at $34.99.


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