If you’re a fan of old school turn-based RPGs, you shouldn’t pass up on last year’s Sea of Stars. The retro-inspired game by Sabotage Studio harkens back to classic titles like Chrono Trigger and Dragon Quest. And now’s as good a time as ever to get it, because Sabotage Studio has just released two physical editions.
So which version should you get? Well, unlike many exclusive physical releases in which one version comes with goodies and the other comes with those and more, this release sees two distinct versions for roughly the same price. The two editions come courtesy of iam8bit, a production emporium that sells all kinds of game collectible, particularly vinyl records. For Sea of Stars, the company offers the Retail Version and the iam8bit Exclusive Edition.
The Retail Version of Sea of Stars does in fact retail at most major stores. You can get it at Amazon, Best Buy, Target, Gamestop, and Walmart. For those who pre-ordered it, the game includes a digital download of the soundtrack. Though this option no longer appears to be available as this version released on May 10th. However, buyers will still get a striking double-sided poster featuring art by Bryce Kho. This version costs $39.99.
True to its name, the iam8bit Exclusive Edition of Sea of Stars only appears for pre-order on the iam8bit store page. It has a release of Quarter 2, 2024. This version includes a retro-inspired game manual, a collectible slipcase, a collectible poster with a map, four sticker sheets, and a digital download of the soundtrack. It’s even region free. It does not, however, come with the Bryce Kho poster. Still, you get a lot for just five bucks more, as this version costs $44.99.
In short, you can’t go wrong with either one. The Exclusive Edition gives you a great bang for your buck, with a host of physical goodies thrown in. That said, the poster with the map pales in comparison to the Retail Version’s artwork of the Bryce Kho poster, which features two striking images of heroes Valere, Zale, and Garl. I do wish there was a version that contained all of these collectibles, even if it cost a bit more. But hey, you could even get both and gift one of the games to a friend—or a mom. Happy Mother’s Day!
Though you’ll only need one copy to play with others, as Sabotage Studio confirmed that local three-player co-op is on the way. In the meantime, Sea of Stars is stellar as a single-player title alone. In our review, we praised it for “amazing art, music, characters, a great narrative, and an addicting gameplay system,” and awarded it a perfect score. We even ranked it as one of the best games of 2023.
All this is to say, now’s a great time to play Sea of Stars. Whichever physical edition you pick up, you can get it for PlayStation 4 or 5, Xbox Series X/S, or Nintendo Switch. The Exclusive Edition appears to be selling fast, with the Xbox and Switch versions currently sold out at time of writing.
