You might not want to see Sea of Stars delayed, but unfortunately, that's exactly what's happened to the upcoming retro-style RPG. Developer Sabotage Studio says it needs more time to polish the game and also to prioritize the health of the team., but it's not all bad news.
Sea of Stars delayed? Why, I hear you ask?
When we sat down with Sabotage Studio's Sea of Stars earlier this year, we came away impressed with its retro stylings and modern quality-of-life improvements. Unfortunately, it looks like we're going to be waiting a little longer to see the fruits of Sabotage Studio's labor in these areas, though. Speaking via Twitter, Sabotage Studio confirms that Sea of Stars has been pushed back to 2023. It was originally due to launch for Steam and Nintendo Switch at the end of 2022.
Sabotage Studio says that there are two main reasons for delaying Sea of Stars: the team's quality of life and the finished game's quality. The studio says it's "closing in on a very big milestone" and that the "road to launch" is becoming clearer, but that it needs a little more time to polish the game before it's ready for launch. It's not all bad, though. Sabotage says it's working to get "a playable slice" of the game out to you this year, so there's still a good chance that you'll be able to check out a demo for a chunk of the game in 2022, even if you won't be playing the full release.
What is Sea of Stars?
Sea of Stars is a retro-style JRPG homage inspired by classics like Chrono Trigger, Super Mario RPG, and Final Fantasy VI. It comes to us from the developers of platformer The Messenger (which TechRaptor's own Alex Santa Maria rather liked and which is currently one of the best PlayStation Plus Premium platformers you can play) and it has a self-stated mission to modernize storytelling, environmental interactions, and turn-based combat. Sea of Stars promises classic themes like adventure, friendship, and overcoming adversity, while also offering plenty of modern takes on genre tropes.
More modern elements include timing-based combat, a total lack of random encounters or transitions to battlefield areas, and no grinding, some of which you might recognize from Super Mario RPG or Chrono Trigger. The game will also emphasize free traversal in its environments, taking cues from platformers (which makes sense, given the developer's pedigree). You'll also find plenty of minigames to help while away the hours, including fishing, cooking, and a tabletop game called Wheels. All in all, Sea of Stars is shaping up to be pretty special, so we're excited to check it out come 2023.
