Surprisingly, Final Fantasy XVI did not end up being my favorite game actually released in 2023. That would actually go to a little indie game that wound up winning Best Indie Game at the Game Awards a few weeks ago!
Sea of Stars is a goddamn MASTERPIECE. You play as either Valere or Zale (this choice does not affect anything and does not even really matter that much but it is a choice you get to make), the new Solstice Warriors. They harness the power of the Moon/Sun respectively. At the start of the game, your main objective is to finish training at the academy and prepare to fight the last of the Dwellers, the Dweller of Woe, which will effectively bring peace to the world and prevent the return of the Fleshmancer. Again, this encounter is at the very start of the game, so you can figure out what happens next lmao.
Now, the Fleshmancer is an immortal being, having drank the elixir of life. How do you kill an immortal being? That is a very good question! All this and more will be answered along the way. Also along the way you meet a fun cast of characters, from a wacky group of pirates, to a sentient blob, to a Solstice Warriors fangirl, to the goddamn person that's been narrating up to that point, lmao. Everyone you meet is super memorable in their own ways, whether good or bad.
Also, the visuals in this game are simply stunning. Some of the screencaps I took and sent to friends or posted on my Twitter have been breathtaking. This game is GORGEOUS. The devs made the most of the retro art style and the ability to control the time of day (yes that's a thing they can do lol) to make every single location you visit POP. This game is a feast for the senses, as the music is also one of the best soundtracks to a game I played this year.
The combat in this game is fantastic too, it's a unique system I haven't seen done anywhere else before. It's turn based like most other rpgs, but where this game differs is choosing the order your party goes in and working around the timers and locks of the enemies. You can completely cancel an opponent's turn by hitting them with the right elemental/physical attacks enough times! You can also take advantage of Live Mana (which spawns after physically attacking an enemy) to either charge up your next magic attack or add your character's element to their physical attack.
OK, I wanted to see how much I could say about this game without mentioning Garl even once, and I think I made it a fair ways in! So let's talk about the best goddamn character in this game now. Garl is the beating heart of your adventure. He may seem like just comic relief at the start, but that is NOT the case at all. This man is a bonafide warrior in his own right, or I suppose warrior-cook is what the game calls him, since he's also a chef to some degree. It becomes very easy to get attached to this man, and while I can't say too much without spoiling the game, his arc is one you will never forget.
Unlike the other 2 games this is tied with, I don't think there's a single element that could be improved on in this game and have never heard anyone argue that point in any of the discussions I've had about it. Sea of Stars is a masterpiece which will make your life a little better for having played it.
