A flashback introducing Garl, Valere, and Zale as children, for instance, establishes the depth of their connection and sets up a contrast between the goofy, rambunctious kids they were and the goofy, dutiful young adults they grew into. They’re still well-crafted, particularly when it comes to their bond. Zale, Valere, and company are not as dimensional as, say, Final Fantasy XVI‘s Clive Rosfield or Xenoblade Chronicles 3‘s Ouroboros. Sea of Stars is a solidly written tale, and it shines brightest when capturing feeling. (The most prominent example of this in the early game comes in the form of their adventure on the cursed Wraith Island, whose castaway community has been stranded on the island for so long they’ve resigned themselves to a horrible phantom killing them at random for fun.) More than once, Sea of Stars sees Valere, Zale, and company either arrive as the tides are turning and the world is changing or they intervene in a long-standing status quo. The world only spins forward, but the past does not die just because it is no longer the present. Moreover, Sea of Stars shares a setting with The Messenger, making that game’s conflict part of the big-picture narrative as well. Zale and Valere aren’t the first Solstice Warriors, nor will they be the last. On a larger level, the conflict in Sea of Stars’ story is generational. The mysterious ninja Seraï, for instance, has a great deal she wants to do with her life as her past made such opportunities rare. And as their party expands, their new mates bring histories of their own. So Valere and Zale’s quest is as much a matter of making up for lost time with Garl as it is tracking down and defeating the wicked Dweller of Woe. Zale and Valere reunite with their childhood friend Garl for the first time in years - a reunion that will change the course of history. But that doesn’t change the fact that they’ve missed years. Their reunion early in the game is a happy one. He might lack his friends’ magical powers, but that doesn’t mean he cannot step up and fight the good fight alongside them as a self-described Warrior Cook. Garl dedicated himself to becoming the best adventurer he could be. Zale and Valere left to train as world-defending Solstice Warriors when they were very young. On an immediate level, its core heroic trio (Zale, Valere, and their childhood friend Garl) are trying to make up for lost time. Time and its inexorable passage are key to Sea of Stars’ story. Structurally and narratively, Sea of Stars is a game about time - and its best moments spring from this. Its traversal mechanics - one of several echoes of Sabotage’s 2018 game The Messenger present in Sea of Stars - are clever, particularly when used in puzzle-solving. Its combat balance is consistently strong. Brown and the legendary Yasunori Mitsuda, is catchy and varied. Its environments - from a well-maintained but mostly deserted school in the sky to a town cursed by endless night and the wrath of a banshee - are beautifully crafted. There’s a lot to dig in Sabotage Studio’s gorgeous turn-based RPG Sea of Stars.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |