A glow of pixel art that drops you straight back into the JRPGs you thought you had forgotten.

The profile tells a slightly cruel story. When it comes to controller feel, Sea of Stars sits ahead of nearly eight games out of ten, and on pure fun, on rediscovery and on its soundtrack, it holds comfortably above the average. The combat system works, you can feel it. But on attachment it sinks to the very bottom, behind almost everything else. And for the desert island, barely a quarter of the field. The tension is there, on few votes so far so take it with caution: a game you enjoy playing but never quite cling to once the controller is down.

In the wider family of turn-based RPGs that ride on nostalgia, Sea of Stars nails the mechanics and the visual charm, where the Chrono Triggers of the world left their mark mostly through characters and story. That lasting bond is maybe what is still missing here.

So, who is it for? For you if you love a clean combat system, a soundtrack that carries you, a careful homage savored controller in hand. Much less if you are chasing the game that squeezes your heart and stays with you for years.