
Sea of Stars goes live for all Xbox Game Pass players tomorrow, August 29, and ahead of launch the critics seem hugely impressed with this upcoming addition to the service.
In fact, our very own PJ O'Reilly has granted the game a coveted 10/10 score here at Pure Xbox, and lots of other outlets are attaching similarly high ratings to Sea of Stars. Here's a roundup of what the critics are saying about this Game Pass title:
Pure Xbox (10/10)
"Sea of Stars is an exhilarating and absorbing indie gem that serves up delightfully clever turn-based RPG action in a world that's packed full of great characters, fun puzzles and genuine emotional heft. Sabotage Studios served up a bonafide banger with 2018's The Messenger, but this time around they've gone a step further, crafting an RPG adventure that's every bit the equal of the stone-cold classics it takes inspiration from. Don't spoil this one for yourself, dive in as blind as you can and enjoy a truly magical journey that's easily one of the best games you'll play this year and an absolutely essential addition to Xbox Game Pass."
Dexerto (5/5)
"Sabotage Studio has accomplished its grand vision. With a mission statement of “creating definitive editions of the game genres we enjoyed as kids,” not only have they tactfully paid homage to their inspirations, but through a number of dazzling new ideas, they’ve now left an indelible mark on the JRPG genre. Sea of Stars is a modern classic."
God is a Geek (10/10)
"Sea of Stars is easily one of the best RPGs that I have ever played, taking notes from those that came before it and refining every aspect of the genre. The combat is engaging from start to finish, the characters are delightfully charming and the game looks and sounds incredible. It’s a busy time for video games, but there’s simply no excuse for you not to play this landmark RPG as soon as possible."
WellPlayed (9.5/10)
"Sea of Stars is a breathtaking ride through familiarity and originality, engaging in its mechanics and colourful in its story, culminating in some of the best twists and turns of any RPG I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying."
Nintendo Life (9/10)
"Sea of Stars is a sensational achievement for Sabotage. The studio is two for two in providing impressively designed and genuinely innovative takes on classic genres. Some pacing issues aside, the complex narrative, deep and strategic combat, thoughtful level design, and fantastic visuals and music all combine to make this one of the easiest recommendations we can make."
PCGamesN (9/10)
"Sea of Stars is a worthy pseudo-spiritual successor to some of the greatest JRPGs ever made. It improves on what made those games so special by modernizing their magic through balanced and engaging turn-based combat wrapped up in an enthralling world to explore."
Game Informer (9/10)
"Sea of Stars is a stellar throwback that appeals to fans like me who love 16-bit RPGs, but it also functions as an excellent entry point. Annoyances that hindered early games that inspired Sea of Stars are nowhere to be seen. Simple actions like moving around the world feel great, the story picks up quickly, and farming experience is effectively unnecessary. It all leads to a smooth, consistently thrilling adventure with fun combat, all in a gorgeous and inviting world."
Push Square (8/10)
"Overall, Sea of Stars is immensely enjoyable from start to finish. While it's been inspired by various classic RPGs, it sets itself apart with an engaging story, some brilliant characters, and surprisingly deep lore. On top of that, the combat is great fun thanks to its involving, strategic mechanics, and exploring the gorgeous pixelated world is rewarding. It isn't perfect, but it overcomes any flaws with its charming presentation, a world ripe with things to see and do, and no shortage of personality."
Game Reactor (8/10)
"You have to hand it to Sabotage, Sea of Stars is an immensely precise gaming experience from start to finish, whether it's progression, challenge, combat or the surprisingly fun Wheels minigame. It's all polished, honed and checked to make sure it all works together."
At the time of writing, Sea of Stars has a score of 90 on Metacritic (PC) and 94 on Open Critic - we think this upcoming Xbox Game Pass hit might just be worth downloading, eh?
Will you be squeezing this one in just before Starfield? Let us know your thoughts on these Sea of Stars impressions down below.
Comments 56
Pushsquare is that one judge that always gives a substantially lower score just cuz
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I really do agree with the above comments regarding Push Square. They always score at least a point lower than everyone else, for no reason other than 'just because'. By the way, Sea of Stars also picked up a 10/10 review from Nintendo World Report.
@VoidPunk they gave it 8 ign gave it 8 as well I aren't sure it deserves a 10 it seems like purexbox over scores some games I don't know I know it's going be a great game thats for sure I'm guessing gamespot will give it a low score they always do with most games just to be controversial
Seems fishy as the review clearly states any negative are overcome
@Dan1283 Interestingly, IGN also gave Quake 2 and Armoured Core VI 8 scores, but Push Square awarded both of those games a 7. Push Square have been a definite outlier for gaming reviews recently. Thank God they won't be getting their hands on Starfield.
Another banger to add to the ever growing pile in 2023, and another surprise package at that. This will go down as an absolute vintage year in gaming history.
Not sure that I would enjoy this because it's not really a style of game I'm super in to. But it's good to see a game that looks like it'll do really well.
PS - It's weird how often the comment section in PureXbox brings up PushSquare.
@bpomber I mean typically Push Square are mentioned in articles like these where the Push Square review is spotlighted amongst others and people talk about it, as generally their review of any game covered on here is more negative than the norm. I've never really seen people on here talk about them otherwise.
Agreed with you on the game itself though, the general consensus is great to see. Sitting at a stellar 94 on Opencritic at present, I believe.
Edit: It's at 95 now!
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@Trmn8r But isn't it also on PS Plus?? I'm sure it was / will be a rare day 1 title for both services.
Not really my cup of tea but glad for other players that it’s reviewing well. Anyway, I’ll be too busy playing something else by the end of the week…😉
@OM1993 @OM1993 I hope starfield is reviewed on how good it Is no biased because its an xbox exclusive we will soon find out this week fingers crossed
@Dan1283 Here's hoping too mate.
@OM1993 it' looks a great game sea of stars does and Its on every console so everyone can play it which is always good
@Dan1283 Couldn't agree more. By the end of year, it's going to be a dream for RPG fans with this, Starfield, Phantom Liberty and console versions of Baldur's Gate 3 dropping.
@Trmn8r
So right!
@OM1993 it's just a great time be a gamer in general this year especially starfield zelda totk baldurs Gate spiderman 2 pikmin 4 Sea of stars forza motorsport woah too many games
@Dan1283 Crazy to think even with our lists combined it's barely scratching the surface with what's left to come before years end 😂
@OM1993 I know 😊
Demo was excellent so will dive in 0:00 today. Will try to manage it between AC 6 and BG3.
I was quite happy to see a review posted here. After reading it and watching the video as well, I decided to buy it. I'd been keeping an eye out, but I am always cautious with where I spend my cash on games. I know it's on gamepass, but I want this one to keep.
Will I try to beat this one before Starfield launches? Am I really that foolish?
@Sveakungen it unlocks at 5am uk time
@Kaloudz I feel equally excited and nervous, the nervousness coming from the possibility that certain politics could end up unfairly affecting scoring for it. I really hope this does not end up happening. Either way though I know where I'll be on Friday, and I know Starfield is going to absolutely slap! Hoping all of you guys enjoy it immensely too!!
@MrYoYoMan84 Nope, midnight release. 😁
@Trmn8r Pretty sure is not because of that. Their reviews of even PlayStation exclusives are a point or two lower than everyone else. Seems they want to be the reverse IGN 🤷
@Sveakungen go on Xbox store and see for yourself it's 5am
@Sveakungen Xbox Series X/S Eastern Standard Time - Midnight
Xbox One Eastern Standard Time - Midnight
Xbox Series X/S UK Time - 5 a.m.
Xbox One UK Time - 5 a.m.
PC via Steam Eastern Standard Time - Midnight
PC via Steam UK Time - 5 a.m.
@somnambulance Sources says 15-20 hours to complete but 26.5 hours for 100%. It is so new that it’s really hard to tell….
@MrYoYoMan84 Aug 31 5pm on PST North America
https://www.purexbox.com/news/2023/08/starfield-xbox-game-pass-release-times-confirmed-by-bethesda
Now that I look at the screenshot - did I get confused by the font colour and all it said was Aug 31???
So you might be correct- oh no!
Edit: just checked and the release time is the same for both dates - whew 😅
Incredibly excited. I'm about to do my last runs of Texas chainsaw and vampire survivors before dropping them for this game.
@somnambulance you and I have the same mindset and we will fail horribly 🤣
@MrYoYoMan84 Ok, now I see.. I was wrong!
@Trmn8r @VoidPunk Its on Extra too.
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@NintendoByNature @AlwaysPlaying Oh, I could potentially handle 15-20 hours. I could cram that if the wife and kids let me. Lol. If that’s true, I may start it and play it concurrent… with Starfield and Baldur’s Gate 3… and Mortal Kombat 1… and I’m sure I’ll finish the four of them before Cocoon lands on Gamepass and all five games I want to play in October come out… By the time Alan Wake 2 comes out, what’s a backlog?
@somnambulance I've heard twice it's about 30hrs, but maybe that's close to 💯? If it's 15-20, I'll make it a priority and not play anything else. I can maybe swing that. Same story for me with the wife and kids, if they let me, it's feasible.
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@NintendoByNature I’m hoping it’s 15-20 hours because it’s quite frankly the perfect length for me in general. I tend to get burnt out of most games around 30 hours in. I’ll power through, of course, but I’d rather be left wanting more than ready for a game to be done. There are exceptions, of course, but I’m honestly sort of relieved Starfield and Baldur’s Gate 3 are the last “massive” titles this year. There have been so many behemoth games this year.
@Kidfried It’s sort of strange how political gaming gets, isn’t it? The smoldering embers of the console war yet kindle with the gust of every timed exclusive to this day. Some would say it’s a Cold War of the consoles. Me, in my console agnosticism, clamor for the days of peace and kinship, that we may one day tear down the wall of our separate ecosystems to see the art of it all.
@somnambulance same. 35-40 hrs is usually the Max for me. 15-20hr is perfect. The only games I make an exception for are zelda or xenoblade. I'll give starfield all the time it requires if I'm fully engaged.
@NintendoByNature Me too. Bethesda games used to be my favorite games. From Morrowind through Skyrim, I’d argue their games improved every time. But then Fallout 4 happened and it was just… good… for me. It was a strange feeling, that 8/10 feeling, you know? Usually that’s fine, that’s good, but with Bethesda, I felt like, “Huh,” you know what I mean? And we all know what happened with 76. I’m hoping Starfield brings me the feelings I had with Morrowind, Fallout 3, or Skyrim, etc. I’m feeling cautious on the title, but also optimistic. And also low risk on the feeling since it’s Gamepass and Baldur’s Gate is on PS5 the exact same day. I know that’ll be good at least. Options, right? Seriously though, I’m rooting for Starfield to be a GotY tier title.
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@Trmn8r its on ps plus as well though, so why would playstation owners be mad.
@Fenbops Sammy on push square is hardly a playstation fanboy ,hes one of there biggest critics,to the annoyance sometimes of everyone else.
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@Trmn8r No, why would they be? It was a day 1 title on ps plus too...
@Fenbops I disagree
@Kidfried I totally agree with you and would argue that many of the Pushsquare staffers have acknowledged their console agnosticism in the past, but preference to PlayStation. They’re a tad bit harder on reviews, whereas PureXbox is a tad bit more enthusiastic. And then there’s NintendoLife, which is a different beast entirely. Most of the time I like the diversity with the opinions though. I feel like both sites give pretty honest reviews as well. Neither site feels like “reviews are bought,” a common criticism in gaming journalism, which definitely keeps me returning and, of course the community is quite strong. I would agree that the anti-Pushsquare sentiment is a bit silly, especially given that I’d argue that a large number of commenters here also go to Pushsquare, NLife, and Time Extension. I mean, it’s literally the same log-in to all four sites. We all enjoy this pastime significantly, so I believe solidarity among the sites is in order.
@Kidfried I agree very much with your post. Everyone will see it differently of course, but I feel its this site where the users have more hang ups and less tolerance than any other.
Despite having had every xbox since launch and running a series x and PC with gp ultimate, its difficult for me to express any view here that doesnt 'take the company line' without the usual suspects immediately screaming that Im a pony, its most infantile. I see the same people posting their views on push and hardly ever being challenged on them. This used to be the most open site, but thats changed.
As for reviews, I believe the reviewers on push are a little harsher, but they are stating it as they see it. My own views seem to align more with the reviewers here than push, but I believe all the staff are giving their honest views. Except Sammy, who will manipulate his view and articles to get hits (despite not admitting to it).
I still yearn for a time where gamers dont look for reasons to fight, but its a forlorn hope, tribalism is an inevetable outcome of the alogrithims that determine the information we consume.
Im still early in this game, but I suspect this will be a 9 for me. So far, the story is just like every other jrpg Ive ever played and im struggling to see an inventiveness that I believe a 10 would need 😀 Happy to be playing though!
Let's stay on topic, please
@Kidfried Couldn't agree more. It's idiotic, especially in this case, that Push Square gets called out for an 8/10 when literally the review listed right underneath it is also an 8/10. I'm late to the "party" so to speak, so I'll leave it at that.
I look forward to playing this at some point though on PS5. It won't be now as I'm already in the middle of another game, but I'm glad to see it turned out to be really good.
I've just downloaded this to my console so I can jump straight in when I get home from work. However I fear when Starfield is ready to play, it might get pushed to one side for a while.
@Moonglow feel the same there. Backlog is big enough as it is Starfield is not going to help lol.
I played a few hours last night and really enjoyed it. The level design and art style is just brilliant.
Awesome game so far. I do find the story a tad bit boring though.
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