Face me now, Solstice Warriors - Sea of Stars announced for PlayStation in 2023

I'll be honest here - just the music alone in this new Sea of Stars trailer makes my heart do a little dance of joy. If there is one thing I love, it's a throwback JRPG, and Sabotage Studio's latest offering is looking like one of the best we've seen in a long, long time.

Sea of Stars was today announced for PlayStation consoles in 2023. Telling the story of two Children of the Solstice, the game follows them on their quest to become legendary Solstice Warriors. With music from Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Trigger) and in-studio composer Eric W. Brown, the soundtrack to this one seems like it's going to be an absolute banger.

Interestingly, the footage in this trailer all seems to be from fairly early in the game. Check out the Hit Points shown in the battle sequences; these are some pretty new Solstice Warrior wannabes. 

There are a lot of interesting key features in today's press release, but these are the two that really caught my attention:

• All Fun, No Tedium: Enjoy combat without fear of hitting a wall and having to grind for experience or items; in Sea of Stars, defeat requires a change in battle plans, not hours of repetition to better the odds in a rematch.

• A World You Can Touch: There are many ways to hang out in the world of Sea of Stars if you feel inclined to change the pace during your adventures. Sailing, cooking, fishing, stopping by a tavern to listen to a song or play the infamous tabletop game known as "Wheels" … every system has been designed to deliver an experience that pays respect to retro classics, while rethinking in some areas to offer a smooth and modernized experience.

Sounds great, right? We'll be keeping an eye on this one as we move closer to release. In the meantime, start practicing your Eclipse Powers now to be ready when the game drops next year.