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You really need to play Sea of Stars. What Yacht Club Games did to revitalize 8-bit platformers with Shovel Knight, Sabotage Studio did for retro-style RPGs with its 2023 hit. Taking cues from genre greats like Earthbound, old-school Final Fantasy, and Chrono Trigger, it’s a sublime turn-based adventure. It’s so good in fact, that it’s turned more people than I can name around on the genre of turn-based RPGs. So if you’re yet to play it or want to drag an unassuming friend along for the ride, the newly revealed Sea of Stars Dawn of Equinox update will be the perfect time.
Winner of Best Independent Game at The Game Awards in 2023, Sea of Stars is entirely deserving of that recognition. With huge DLC on the way the RPG is far from finished, and this new update is even more proof of that. Coming this November, everything I’m about to describe is being added to the game for free.
First up, the entire game will be playable in three-player co-op. Billed as a couch co-op experience, three of you can team up to traverse the world and fight the game’s monstrous creations. A new “co-op timed hits” mechanic will be introduced as well, and although we have scant information on how it works, it does sound somewhat self-explanatory. Hits will rely on timed attacks, in some form.
Sabotage is also overhauling the turn-based action of the game in what it calls “Combat 2.0.” You can use brand-new Mystery Locks to unearth ways to break enemy spells, and a new reveal function can help you delve into both the abilities of your party and your foes. The prologue has also been revamped for new players, doing away with the flashback structure in favor of directly including action at the start of the game.
There are even new difficulty presets for those starting right from the beginning. So if you want to adjust the experience before diving in for the first time, or want to use the update as an excuse to start again on a harder setting, Sabotage has you covered. There’s also a new cinematic cutscene to “accentuate a pivotal moment in the original adventure,” more options for anyone wanting to speedrun the game, and a whole host of quality-of-life improvements too.
Sabotage Studio is releasing the free Sea of Stars Dawn of Equinox update on Tuesday November 12 on all platforms.
If that’s not enough the free Sea of Stars Throes of the Watchmaker DLC is on the way in the spring of 2025. Valere and Zale will return alongside the new character Artificier, a mechanical laser-gun-toting robofrog. You’ll explore a new clockwork dimension, fight incredible foes (one’s a giant elephant with a watch face hammer), and do so with entirely new combat systems. If you’re still on the fence, our 9/10 Sea of Stars review will sort you right out.
Dawn of Equinox isn’t all you have to look forward to in 2024, as we’ve put together all the biggest upcoming PC games to watch out for. If that’s not enough, there are plenty of incredible fantasy games you can play today.
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