-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Sea of Stars - Review Thread !
- Thread starter adamsapple
- Start date
El Pistolero
Banned
This is the best year in gaming in quite some time, imo, and we are yet to properly welcome Starfield, Alan Wake II and Spider-Man 2...
ShadyAcshuns
Member
Game is magical. Hits me in the nostalgia feels.
KungFucius
King Snowflake
I am stuck in the opposite. I want to play a new game but I really need to finish FFXVI and I haven't touched it for a month. I wish I could hire someone to finish it for me so I can start BG3 or Starfield so I can be ready for Mario or Spider-Man.Too many bangers.
This is the year I waited for and now I'm like:
The Pleasure
Member
Stu, what are tou doing?
Playing civilization
it's four in the morning. Why in earth are you playing civilization?
Because the people on Neogaf need to get fucking mixxed.
Timberwolf25
Member
Watching JWong playing this on stream right now. Looks better than I thought it would be.
I'll need to fit this in to my gaming time soon.
I'll need to fit this in to my gaming time soon.
supernova8
Banned
don't forget Florian
ssringo
Member
Thanks. Had to listen to the actual song.Game looks amazing, I skipped the demo because I wanted to go into the full game blind. Glad to see it's getting good reviews!
Now ya'll should too.
The fuck did my link disappear to?!
Last edited:
touchfuzzy
Member
Nah man, if you haven’t played it in a month just forget about it. Forget backlog culture, embrace drop culture. If you have it physical you can even sell it to someone for else for at least half your money back, probably more.
Aenima
Member
Combat abilies are very limited which makes the combat feel repetetive prety fast. After 10 hours, even unlocking new abilities i end just using the same 2 attacks per character. Thers some cool mechanics but its one of the weakest turn based combats i played.
On the good side, the pixel art is very pretty in this game, and the level design is very well done with stuff to find if you explore the levels layout well.
Main story and the characters did not grabbed me yet, but the game takes you to very diferent locations, all of them very pretty to look at. So thers that feeling of following an adventure that keeps the game interesting and makes you wonder where it will take you next.
On the good side, the pixel art is very pretty in this game, and the level design is very well done with stuff to find if you explore the levels layout well.
Main story and the characters did not grabbed me yet, but the game takes you to very diferent locations, all of them very pretty to look at. So thers that feeling of following an adventure that keeps the game interesting and makes you wonder where it will take you next.
cash_longfellow
Member
Or say you don’t understand why people want to legitimately crucify Randy Pitchford….like, literally crucify him.
cash_longfellow
Member
What do you have, this shit here?..If it's any help, I tried the Sea of Stars demo on Switch and loved it. Given the pixel-y nature, I think it's perfect for Switch (or Deck, Ally etc.). I really wish there was a proper Pokemon game with this exact art style (detailed-ish 2D).
Tried it in TV mode for a few minutes and...
Stop being so dramatic
supernova8
Banned
Not being dramatic at all, 2D pixely games look like ass on 50 inch TVs.What do you have, this shit here?..
Stop being so dramatic
cash_longfellow
Member
50 inch garbage tvs…yep I agree.
supernova8
Banned
Feel Like I'm On 42
Member
Even on the best tv's pixel art games will look much better on the switch oled. 4k tv at 50 inches means these games pixels are stretched.
The switch oled is the ultimate modern device for these games
BbMajor7th
Member
About eight hours in and still feeling good not great. Level design and visuals are the real heroes here. Combat is good, but does feel slightly limited at present.
Weakest part overall is the writing - it's bad: overwritten, unimaginative and largely characterless. Zale and Valerie are the definition of plot-driven characters and Garl is so one note it's painful. It's a shame because it holds the game back, not just from an immersive angle, but also in making the quest structure feel meaningless: walk to place and do stuff. Why? Cause someone said we should.
None of these characters has a clear goals or ambitions, a struggle to overcome or personal flaws that create tension or obstacles for the party. In some games, that's okay; in a story-driven RPG, it's really not.
Weakest part overall is the writing - it's bad: overwritten, unimaginative and largely characterless. Zale and Valerie are the definition of plot-driven characters and Garl is so one note it's painful. It's a shame because it holds the game back, not just from an immersive angle, but also in making the quest structure feel meaningless: walk to place and do stuff. Why? Cause someone said we should.
None of these characters has a clear goals or ambitions, a struggle to overcome or personal flaws that create tension or obstacles for the party. In some games, that's okay; in a story-driven RPG, it's really not.
cash_longfellow
Member
Because you are bashing pixel games on TVs like they are shit. Don’t take it personal when you bash something and then get bashed back with a different opinion on a video game forum.
I’m playing Sea of Stars on a 65 inch 4k and it looks great. I don’t understand why handheld owners need so badly to make their system sound like it is one of the tablets the Ten Commandments were written on.
Last edited:
I was honestly thinkin about playing civ but I have to get some sleep before work.
Because I need internet's approval of my toys. What's so hard to understand?
Edgelord79
Gold Member
Kind of mixed about it. Love the pixel art and like the music. Love the humour and how it doesn’t take itself to be very serious. However, after the nostalgia wears off I’m left with very repetitive combat and I don’t like the equipment system either necessarily as it’s pretty basic and I’m wishing for more.
I’m about 13 hours in and playing it on the PS5.
I’m about 13 hours in and playing it on the PS5.
Last edited:
Toots
Gold Member
I don't get people saying the game has uninteresting or repetitive combat.
As in you're presented with a situation and there isn't ten ways to solve the problem (usually there's but one) if you don't want to take a lot of damage ?
It is exactly the same with enter the breach and everyone loved it. I get ETB is somewhat deeper and has more systems working at the same time but to say Sea of Star combat system is repetitive or boring is weird.
As in you're presented with a situation and there isn't ten ways to solve the problem (usually there's but one) if you don't want to take a lot of damage ?
It is exactly the same with enter the breach and everyone loved it. I get ETB is somewhat deeper and has more systems working at the same time but to say Sea of Star combat system is repetitive or boring is weird.
ResurrectedContrarian
Suffers with mild autism
I haven't played it, but judging from videos, the writing and character design is a no-go for me. Feels contemporary & young-adult in the worst way. Perhaps it improves later.
Edgelord79
Gold Member
All that just to say “I don’t get why someone has a different opinion than I have. It’s so weird.”
Different folks and all that.
UltimaKilo
Gold Member
Looks great on my 32 inch monitor.
Davey Cakes
Member
Started this last night. People say it has a "slow start" but I thought it was a perfectly fine way to introduce us to the characters and teach us the basic battle/traversal mechanics. It's an RPG. Does it really need to hit the ground running?
Games like Earthbound and Chrono Trigger also take their time in this regard, to zero detriment.
Games like Earthbound and Chrono Trigger also take their time in this regard, to zero detriment.
Last edited:
StueyDuck
Member
So having put a decent amount of time into the game now, I can say I'm a bit disappointed, the game is still good don't get me wrong but I went in with far too high expectations, this being such a love letter to chrono trigger it really is chrono trigger adjacent.
Sure the combat and overall premise is in the same vein but just seems to be lacking with the pacing and the story and the music, oof ESPECIALLY the character art and design when they aren't pixel art chibis on the world map (I hate the terrible western trying to make anime cartoons cinematics and the character profiles with hair fades and personality hair yuck) overall it really feels like chrono trigger made in 2023. Take that how you will.
However that doesn't mean it's not a good game and worth playing. It's just not the amazing game I'd hoped it would be
Sure the combat and overall premise is in the same vein but just seems to be lacking with the pacing and the story and the music, oof ESPECIALLY the character art and design when they aren't pixel art chibis on the world map (I hate the terrible western trying to make anime cartoons cinematics and the character profiles with hair fades and personality hair yuck) overall it really feels like chrono trigger made in 2023. Take that how you will.
However that doesn't mean it's not a good game and worth playing. It's just not the amazing game I'd hoped it would be
Last edited:
delfrickintree
Banned
Haha.. Im trying to figure out what you mean. So you like it, but you dont like it, because it wasnt released in 1996, and its not as good as the perfect classics? I kind of understand that.. the modern vaneer is a bit of a stain, but I accept it because of all the good things it does justice to the genre. It's so refreshing to have a nostalgic callback game and have those same cozy feelings.
Also Im still not finished, but very far into the game. And I just keep getting more surprised at this beast of a game. Wont comment further without spoilers.
StueyDuck
Member
I like it but I disappointed myself by expecting too much haha.
Basically it's a good 8/10
But chrono trigger to me is 15/10 so I had lofty, definitely way to high, hopes for the game.
There are just aspects it will never live up to chronotrigger, like I mentioned the music and I find the pacing over all not as good, I really don't like the character profiles, but that's fine it's mostly amazing pixel art 95% of the time so I can ignore the awful 2023 characters.
It very much feels like a 2023 indie game I suppose is the best way to put it. Where I really had hoped it would really capture that 90s rpg greatness. But that's lightning in a bottle and can't be recreated and I know that In my head, but my heart still wished haha
Last edited:
delfrickintree
Banned
What a bizarre time for this game to come out, and be buried among the endless starfield topics. A Sea of Stars thread in a sea of Starfield threads..
NeoIkaruGAF
Gold Member
Earthbound and CT don’t have a barely interactive 30+ minute long introduction. Twenty minutes into Chrono Trigger you’ve likely done more and more varied things than in an hour of SoS. Earthbound drops you into the frying pan from the get go without so much of a warning.
The more I play SoS, the more I find myself comparing it to Chrono Trigger and think how little modern devs have learned from the greats, and how incredibly accomplished many 90s JRPGs were.
StueyDuck
Member
I'm really in the same boat as you...
Probably less negative overall but like I said earlier this feels like an indie game made in 2023 and nothing compared to the perfection that was chrono trigger and its production team.
I do admit that's partly on me for expecting too much. I still think this is waaaaaay better than any other indie rpg copycats out there
delfrickintree
Banned
Also I would encourage people to at least play thru the actual "Sea of Stars" part of the game. There is a level with that as its title. After that, I dont know of there's any stopping.
lughnasadh123
Member
Cut my teeth on action and jrpgs on the nes/snes era before eventually over the...decades? Yeesh, getting burned out from them, especially turn based combat. Damn near all the time that's just a deal breaker for me. Shockingly so far that hasn't been the case yet with this game. That, the writing, music, overall style has been pretty damn enjoyable. Imo it's unique enough to be it's own thing without the need to compare it with games of the past.
delfrickintree
Banned
yea good luck with that
lughnasadh123
Member
Yeah, sadly.yea good luck with that
Feel Like I'm On 42
Member
This is something I've learned as well when it comes to most genres. The devs of the 90's all pretty much had a background in Arcade development so they knew game design on a higher level. They knew how to make games more immediately fun and playable. Yeah, lots of things have improved esp graphics, quality of life, some aspects of combat but games have also gotten way to easy and require less skill.
Shmups and platformers in particular were wayyy better in the late 80's through 2000 than today.
Last edited:
Pimpollo818
Member
-gorgeous visuals and soundtrack
-Saturday morning cartoon plot and optimism
-the 2 leading characters are flat as cardboard, thankfully the cast helps quite a bit
-fantastically paced game, I particularly enjoyed seeking out secrets and the navigation puzzles
-The combat has lulled me to sleep a few times and doesn't increase in complexity. Itemization is boring, equating to +3 DMG weapons. No status effects to speak of
-campaign outstays its welcome, I'm ~26 hours in and already started to feel the calls of "alright already, let's wrap this up"
A great effort and I'd welcome whatever they do next, regardless of genre. The game oozes heart and soul.
-Saturday morning cartoon plot and optimism
-the 2 leading characters are flat as cardboard, thankfully the cast helps quite a bit
-fantastically paced game, I particularly enjoyed seeking out secrets and the navigation puzzles
-The combat has lulled me to sleep a few times and doesn't increase in complexity. Itemization is boring, equating to +3 DMG weapons. No status effects to speak of
-campaign outstays its welcome, I'm ~26 hours in and already started to feel the calls of "alright already, let's wrap this up"
A great effort and I'd welcome whatever they do next, regardless of genre. The game oozes heart and soul.
NeoIkaruGAF
Gold Member
This is the second or third post that lists mostly middling/negative elements, only to wrap things up with an overall positive comment. It’s interesting. For me, about 12 hours in, SoS is no more than an 8/10.
supernova8
Banned
Hard not to take it personally when you .... personally start attacking me and accusing me of having an old plasma screen or something.
Like I said, go fuck yourself. In fact, blocked. I've never had a positive interaction with you (I remember you started some beef with me last time for no reason).
supernova8
Banned
I blocked that other person. No interest in interacting with dickheads who just seem to want a fight.
Anyway yeah I'm not saying others cannot enjoy pixel art games on TVs, I just found it a bit unbearable on my large 4K TV.
Also yes I found it very pleasant to look at on the Switch OLED screen. I'm usually not a handheld mode person but this game in particular looks great.
