Above all, Sea of Stars is a nostalgic game. It’s a masterful tribute to some of the best JRPGs of the ’90s, and it presents the genre the way it’s fondly remembered: with awesome graphics, a wondrous feeling of never-ending adventure and none of the clunky gameplay fans tend to forget. Sea of Stars is like a memory of a stellar game that never existed – until now.

Sea of Stars tells a story of two warriors set on a quest to stop an ancient threat. While this is a staple of pretty much any game of the time and genre, the premise is just this – the premise. The story goes to surprising places, unexpected at first but warmly welcomed, taking the characters with it, changing them, developing their personalities, swaying away from classic archetypes. All of this is sprinkled with the stardust of humour and great writing.

Where Sea of Stars shines – sometimes literally – is in its style. The graphics uphold all the retro charm of the genre, without any of the technical limitations. Glitchy animations have been replaced with smooth, gorgeously detailed visuals that will keep you enticed to explore every nook until the end.

While the world isn’t open, it feels like it might just as well be with all the details it offers. Our favourite mechanic, graphically, is the change of the time of day, which drastically updates each scene – switching crisp blue skies and sunlit seas to rich reds and purples as the evening sets in. And of course, such a game cannot exist without great music – expect boisterous boss-fight numbers and cosy town themes.

The combat in the game is familiar and intuitive – and if you’re acquainted with the classics, much improved. Clunky moves and characters are now smoother and more diverse. Thanks to the time-based actions – simultaneously tapping the action button and hitting the enemy to trigger a bonus effect, for example – it remains engaging throughout, while still being turn-based at its core.

With abilities that heal your entire party or trigger powerful combo moves gradually unlocked as you play, the battles stay fresh. Plus, the overall progression is designed so that you don’t really have to grind, removing the need to complete monotonous tasks such as defeating monsters to level up.