Sabotage Studio has announced that Sea of Stars is coming to PS4 and PS5, joining previously confirmed platforms Nintendo Switch and PC. A new trailer has been released while additional information on the combat has been provided via the PlayStation Blog.
Sea of Stars doesn’t have random encounters or grinding. The transition from navigation to combat is also seamless. The turn-based combat also doesn’t have any time bars, letting players make their decisions without any pressure. There are six playable characters with each having four spells/skills that can be combined with others. Each has one or two different damage types with AoE and multi-hit attacks provided by skills and spells.
While you’ll be relying on spells to deal big damage, MP is regenerated with physical attacks. Locks are an interesting mechanic see for enemy spells and skills. If you break the locks on the displayed bar, the spell/skill is weakened. Break all of them and you can cancel the attack.
Combo Points are also earned with successive attacks. These can be converted into dual attacks which combine the damage types and patterns of two characters. Since Combo Points are lost at the end of a battle, it’s worth using them whenever the opportunity arises (and they cost no MP).
There are also timed hits where pressing the action button at the right time will either reduce damage taken or increase damage dealt. You can also send projectiles back or even obtain an improved food item from your backpack. The action button can influence every combat action.
Finally, there’s Boosting. “Live mana” generated by regular attacks can be absorbed by a party member. This can stack up to three times and add some magic attack to one’s next action. So if you’re out of MP but still need to cause damage with a specific character’s magic type, this will be useful. It’s also worth noting that three characters can participate in battle at once but you can switch out party members without losing a turn.
Sea of Stars releases in 2023. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.