Sea of Stars, one of the most promising JRPGs of the year, gets August release date

Sea of Stars, the long awaited JRPG follow-up from The Messenger developer Sabotage Studio, finally has a firm release date: August 29, 2023. 

The release date was revealed during today's Nintendo Direct, and the fact that this wasn't the first Nintendo event to feature Sea of Stars – it was at a previous Nintendo Indie Showcase, too – goes to show how long fans have been holding out for a release since the game's smash-hit Kickstarter. 

Fans won't have to wait long to try the game at least. Ahead of its summer launch, Sea of Stars is getting a free demo on Switch today, February 8. The demo has only been announced for Switch so far, but the release date is good for PC and PlayStation as well. 

If you've missed this particular boat, you'd best know that Sea of Stars is looking like one of the finest JRPGs we've had in some time. Proudly Chrono Trigger-inspired and set in the same universe as The Messenger, Sea of Stars promises tactical, tactile turn-based combat where timing and targeting are both key to effective attacks. You can press the action button at the right moment to hit harder or block more effectively, for example, and swap active and reserve characters without sacrificing your turn.  

From what we've seen so far, Sea of Stars' world is also downright gorgeous, fully explorable with 2.5D traversal, and filled with interactive elements like fishing spots, cooking pots, and its own in-universe tabletop game. Sabotage Studio has also promised a full-fat turn-based JRPG that doesn't have any grinding, which is music to my ears.  

Check out everything announced at the Nintendo Direct February 2023 show here, from Metroid Prime Remastered to new Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild details.