This is probably going to be my game of the year (it might've been Skate Story but that was delayed). I don't think I can overstate how much of an impact the real time elements have. This feels...
This is probably going to be my game of the year (it might've been Skate Story but that was delayed).
I don't think I can overstate how much of an impact the real time elements have. This feels like a skill-rewarding turn-based game since your mechanical skill can empower your offense or defense. The game constantly keeps me engaged by challenging me to figure out and execute on the timings. And what's crazy is that none of this is mandatory! The game is designed to also let you play this like a straight turn based game.
Very very very minor spoilers for story structure and early mechanics. I'm only ~2 hours in.
* The story isn't really doing anything for me. I sat throught the first hour or so of the game somewhat frustrated, since I was stuck in what felt like cutscene after cutscene instead of in the gameplay I _already knew I liked_.
* I _really really really_ wish there was a way to run (at least in safe environments).
Though there was a lot of stuff I was also pleasantly surprised by:
I love how they tutorialize combat. Often, games will just dump every mechanic on you at the same time without giving you time to digest any of them. Sea of Stars stages and spreads out multiple occasions to learn the different combat mechanics in a way that felt very palatable.
I knew I loved the art already, but holy fuck their lighting engine elevates the pixel art so much. I love casting the fireball and watching (seemingly) dynamic shadows get drawn.
I'm definitely excited to keep going, and hopefully the game sticks the landing all the way through.
This game seemed to be extremely in my lane, but the Polygon review makes me feel like it's probably gonna disappoint me. It seems as if they're trying to capture the Squaresoft SNES magic by...
This game seemed to be extremely in my lane, but the Polygon review makes me feel like it's probably gonna disappoint me. It seems as if they're trying to capture the Squaresoft SNES magic by echoing it, but not really nailing the parts that will give me the feels I'm looking for.
Sea of Stars lives up to its sun-and-moon concept of duality in ways that developer Sabotage Studio probably didn’t intend. The team has cited Chrono Trigger and other classic SNES games as inspiration for Sea of Stars, but while playing the game I quickly realized those ambitions didn’t quite extend to its characters and writing. Characters resolve major conflicts and relationship stumbling blocks with ease — they simply stop talking about them — and over the course of what tries to be a grand epic, no one really changes or grows. Yet out on the battlefield, Sea of Stars often shines more brilliantly than the luminaries around it.
This, in particular, concerned me. The core of Chrono Trigger's appeal was the really compelling characters and the bonds that form between them.
I want to be clear that this isn't meant to say the game looks bad. It actually looks good. But I think it's probably just not gonna be for me and I'm sad about that because I really wanted it to be.
I kind of want to play this just for the art, but I hardly have the patience for turn-based RPGs these days. Basically anything that says "Just repeat this pattern a couple of times" has become an...
I kind of want to play this just for the art, but I hardly have the patience for turn-based RPGs these days. Basically anything that says "Just repeat this pattern a couple of times" has become an instant turn-off for me, and it's not unique to RPGs either.
Chained Echoes and supposedly Sea of Stars are games aimed at making RPG's more interesting. This is a known problem with the genre, and some of the smaller devs like this are taking stabs at...
Chained Echoes and supposedly Sea of Stars are games aimed at making RPG's more interesting. This is a known problem with the genre, and some of the smaller devs like this are taking stabs at "finding the fun" faster and making things like combat way more interesting, by learning from the games that did it right in the past (Chrono Trigger/Mario RPG being huge inspirations, and to some extent things like FFVI/VII)
Now i haven't played sea of stars yet (seriously the back half of this year is insane with great releases), but I would recommend at least keeping an eye on it/looking at some gameplay because it's supposed to be better than that.
Not sure if it helps, but this RPG is definitely a bit more interactive than more traditional ones. There's certain combat abilities that make you interact with the turn, rather than button...
Not sure if it helps, but this RPG is definitely a bit more interactive than more traditional ones. There's certain combat abilities that make you interact with the turn, rather than button spamming for your combat, however I do not want to spoil it for those that read this comment.
Having played a few hours of it, the combat keeps you thinking, even as it's turn based. Enemies tell you how many turns before they attack so can pick your targets, and for power attacks you get...
Having played a few hours of it, the combat keeps you thinking, even as it's turn based. Enemies tell you how many turns before they attack so can pick your targets, and for power attacks you get a chance to break their concentration if you hit them with the right combination of elemental and physical attack types. And that's setting aside the bonus damage that comes from hitting the attack button again in time with the combat animation to get a second hit or to defend against enemy hits. It's turn-based, but there's neither physical nor mental downtime in combat.
I've been waiting a couple of months for this game, and I think a lot of people will really enjoy it for those who are part of the slightly older gamer demographic as well. I'd love to know what...
I've been waiting a couple of months for this game, and I think a lot of people will really enjoy it for those who are part of the slightly older gamer demographic as well. I'd love to know what other people think of it, I plan to play it really soon as well.
It looks beautiful, and a few hundred very positive reviews on Steam is never a bad look. Thank you for sharing! I hadn't heard about this game at all.
It looks beautiful, and a few hundred very positive reviews on Steam is never a bad look. Thank you for sharing! I hadn't heard about this game at all.
This studio previously came out with another game called The Messenger, which is also a very fun game - been trying to give more attention to indie games for the last 5-6 years because in my...
This studio previously came out with another game called The Messenger, which is also a very fun game - been trying to give more attention to indie games for the last 5-6 years because in my opinion they've single handedly made gaming fun for me (other than FromSoftware games and The Witcher 3, and perhaps a handful of others that I cannot think of at the moment)
I hear you about indie games. Sometimes it feels like the big AAA studios have abandoned novelty and innovation, which is sad because those are huge parts of the equation when it comes to fun. My...
I hear you about indie games. Sometimes it feels like the big AAA studios have abandoned novelty and innovation, which is sad because those are huge parts of the equation when it comes to fun. My opinion of games that are interesting but bad are much higher than games that are good but boring. The main reason why I didn't finish Horizon Forbidden West was because it felt too much like I was playing the same game again, and I actually loved Horizon Zero Dawn. At the end of the day, graphics and high production values don't really determine the amount of fun you'll have with a game.
I have not equated good graphics = good game for years now myself, some of the most fun games I've experience are isometric 2.5D games or pretty much anything else that isn't a AAA 3D one. I've...
I have not equated good graphics = good game for years now myself, some of the most fun games I've experience are isometric 2.5D games or pretty much anything else that isn't a AAA 3D one.
I've been having lots of thoughts about the effort/reward for the creation of a AAA game as well - hundreds of millions of dollars poured in some cases, insane marketing budgets, 5-10 year production timeline. I can't think of many games where I was able to say myself "This was worth the wait and money spent from the studio".
I think there was a comment in another Tildes post where Star Citizen has raised $600M, and it took India $25M to land a drone on the moon. Just a funny comparison haha.
Wait, they're the same people who made The Messenger? I loved that game, writing and gameplay both. That's tipped it over from "eventually" to "must buy." They're one of the few studios I trust to...
Wait, they're the same people who made The Messenger? I loved that game, writing and gameplay both. That's tipped it over from "eventually" to "must buy." They're one of the few studios I trust to do a complex plot well.
Yup, same studio :) I love the writing for the storekeeper in The Messenger. It actually made me smile at some points - and the OST for that game is fantastic.
Yup, same studio :)
I love the writing for the storekeeper in The Messenger. It actually made me smile at some points - and the OST for that game is fantastic.
If anyone want a a good youtube review of it, there is Ratatoskr that made one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgWXfef_GKk. He explains well how they the turn based combat very dynamic with some...
If anyone want a a good youtube review of it, there is Ratatoskr that made one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgWXfef_GKk.
He explains well how they the turn based combat very dynamic with some added strategic options, and real-time rhythm based bonus attacks.
They also just have a demo. Demos seem to be making a comeback mainly in indie circles and I absolutely love it. Way better than having to rely on maybe using a store's refund policy if a game...
They also just have a demo.
Demos seem to be making a comeback mainly in indie circles and I absolutely love it. Way better than having to rely on maybe using a store's refund policy if a game just isn't for you.
Haven't had a chance to get too far into the game, Im still in the school as a kid, one thing I don't like is the illusion of choice you're given. Eg., you are forced to enter the cave and if you...
Haven't had a chance to get too far into the game, Im still in the school as a kid, one thing I don't like is the illusion of choice you're given. Eg., you are forced to enter the cave and if you try to double back you just get bullied by your friends into continuing on. I would have rather had a more organic reason you can't do that or allowing you to maybe have the story change a bit. I would have changed this scenario so that when the cave opens there is some urgency to enter the cave, like a monster/wild animal jumps out and chases you in, then almost immediately inside your party slips on a cliff and the monsters are blocking the only path out.
Overall that's an extremely minor nitpick I have so far and look forward to playing the game more.
Been following their dev logs since 2020 already. This game looks really well made. It's cool that they made a page to showcase their audio: https://audio.seaofstarsgame.co/. I was already a fan...
Been following their dev logs since 2020 already. This game looks really well made.
That is really cool and I didn't know about their site - I'm glad they highlighted the effort they made for music/sound design in the game, I am sure it is fantastic.
That is really cool and I didn't know about their site - I'm glad they highlighted the effort they made for music/sound design in the game, I am sure it is fantastic.
This is probably going to be my game of the year (it might've been Skate Story but that was delayed).
I don't think I can overstate how much of an impact the real time elements have. This feels like a skill-rewarding turn-based game since your mechanical skill can empower your offense or defense. The game constantly keeps me engaged by challenging me to figure out and execute on the timings. And what's crazy is that none of this is mandatory! The game is designed to also let you play this like a straight turn based game.
That being said, a lot of what I wasn't vibing with in the demo still seems to be holding true:
Very very very minor spoilers for story structure and early mechanics. I'm only ~2 hours in.
* The story isn't really doing anything for me. I sat throught the first hour or so of the game somewhat frustrated, since I was stuck in what felt like cutscene after cutscene instead of in the gameplay I _already knew I liked_. * I _really really really_ wish there was a way to run (at least in safe environments).Though there was a lot of stuff I was also pleasantly surprised by:
I'm definitely excited to keep going, and hopefully the game sticks the landing all the way through.
This game seemed to be extremely in my lane, but the Polygon review makes me feel like it's probably gonna disappoint me. It seems as if they're trying to capture the Squaresoft SNES magic by echoing it, but not really nailing the parts that will give me the feels I'm looking for.
This, in particular, concerned me. The core of Chrono Trigger's appeal was the really compelling characters and the bonds that form between them.
I want to be clear that this isn't meant to say the game looks bad. It actually looks good. But I think it's probably just not gonna be for me and I'm sad about that because I really wanted it to be.
You can always try out the demo to see if it's something up your alley - it may surprise you
I kind of want to play this just for the art, but I hardly have the patience for turn-based RPGs these days. Basically anything that says "Just repeat this pattern a couple of times" has become an instant turn-off for me, and it's not unique to RPGs either.
Chained Echoes and supposedly Sea of Stars are games aimed at making RPG's more interesting. This is a known problem with the genre, and some of the smaller devs like this are taking stabs at "finding the fun" faster and making things like combat way more interesting, by learning from the games that did it right in the past (Chrono Trigger/Mario RPG being huge inspirations, and to some extent things like FFVI/VII)
Now i haven't played sea of stars yet (seriously the back half of this year is insane with great releases), but I would recommend at least keeping an eye on it/looking at some gameplay because it's supposed to be better than that.
Not sure if it helps, but this RPG is definitely a bit more interactive than more traditional ones. There's certain combat abilities that make you interact with the turn, rather than button spamming for your combat, however I do not want to spoil it for those that read this comment.
Source: I played the demo.
Having played a few hours of it, the combat keeps you thinking, even as it's turn based. Enemies tell you how many turns before they attack so can pick your targets, and for power attacks you get a chance to break their concentration if you hit them with the right combination of elemental and physical attack types. And that's setting aside the bonus damage that comes from hitting the attack button again in time with the combat animation to get a second hit or to defend against enemy hits. It's turn-based, but there's neither physical nor mental downtime in combat.
Moonerang to infinity!
I've been waiting a couple of months for this game, and I think a lot of people will really enjoy it for those who are part of the slightly older gamer demographic as well. I'd love to know what other people think of it, I plan to play it really soon as well.
It looks beautiful, and a few hundred very positive reviews on Steam is never a bad look. Thank you for sharing! I hadn't heard about this game at all.
This studio previously came out with another game called The Messenger, which is also a very fun game - been trying to give more attention to indie games for the last 5-6 years because in my opinion they've single handedly made gaming fun for me (other than FromSoftware games and The Witcher 3, and perhaps a handful of others that I cannot think of at the moment)
Hope you're able to try it out! :)
I hear you about indie games. Sometimes it feels like the big AAA studios have abandoned novelty and innovation, which is sad because those are huge parts of the equation when it comes to fun. My opinion of games that are interesting but bad are much higher than games that are good but boring. The main reason why I didn't finish Horizon Forbidden West was because it felt too much like I was playing the same game again, and I actually loved Horizon Zero Dawn. At the end of the day, graphics and high production values don't really determine the amount of fun you'll have with a game.
I have not equated good graphics = good game for years now myself, some of the most fun games I've experience are isometric 2.5D games or pretty much anything else that isn't a AAA 3D one.
I've been having lots of thoughts about the effort/reward for the creation of a AAA game as well - hundreds of millions of dollars poured in some cases, insane marketing budgets, 5-10 year production timeline. I can't think of many games where I was able to say myself "This was worth the wait and money spent from the studio".
I think there was a comment in another Tildes post where Star Citizen has raised $600M, and it took India $25M to land a drone on the moon. Just a funny comparison haha.
Wait, they're the same people who made The Messenger? I loved that game, writing and gameplay both. That's tipped it over from "eventually" to "must buy." They're one of the few studios I trust to do a complex plot well.
Yup, same studio :)
I love the writing for the storekeeper in The Messenger. It actually made me smile at some points - and the OST for that game is fantastic.
It's even set in the same universe if I recall correctly.
If anyone want a a good youtube review of it, there is Ratatoskr that made one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgWXfef_GKk.
He explains well how they the turn based combat very dynamic with some added strategic options, and real-time rhythm based bonus attacks.
They also just have a demo.
Demos seem to be making a comeback mainly in indie circles and I absolutely love it. Way better than having to rely on maybe using a store's refund policy if a game just isn't for you.
This was my most anticipated release of the year, and it's a blast so far!
Haven't had a chance to get too far into the game, Im still in the school as a kid, one thing I don't like is the illusion of choice you're given. Eg., you are forced to enter the cave and if you try to double back you just get bullied by your friends into continuing on. I would have rather had a more organic reason you can't do that or allowing you to maybe have the story change a bit. I would have changed this scenario so that when the cave opens there is some urgency to enter the cave, like a monster/wild animal jumps out and chases you in, then almost immediately inside your party slips on a cliff and the monsters are blocking the only path out.
Overall that's an extremely minor nitpick I have so far and look forward to playing the game more.
How would it compare to the South Park games and the Mario RPGs, which are also turn-based with a component of real time skill?
MimicSquid has a comment which can probably explain the real-time skill portion better than I can.
It feels very much like Super Mario RPG in that way.
Been following their dev logs since 2020 already. This game looks really well made.
It's cool that they made a page to showcase their audio: https://audio.seaofstarsgame.co/.
I was already a fan of their other game called The Messenger.
That is really cool and I didn't know about their site - I'm glad they highlighted the effort they made for music/sound design in the game, I am sure it is fantastic.