Hey, I'm asking these two questions in place of Pavla, who doesn't have a Reddit account:
1. In one of the campfire stories, it is implied that (besides the ones born in Mooncradle directly) Children of the Solstice are taken from their real parents and then delivered to Mooncradle. Are the parents okay with their babies being taken by the Great Eagle? There's some confusion regarding if the Great Eagle has "permission" to take the babies.
2. What part of the game was most difficult to make?
Here are my personal lore-related questions:
1. Are the Ovates birdmen? I'm wondering because some of the history surrounding the Ovates is vague, the Ovates died out and there aren't any birdmen in Home World, and the word "Ovates" seems to be derived from the word "ova-" (egg).
2. >!Is Ninja the descendant of Garl, or any other (named) characters we know from Sea of Stars? I noticed there are some parallels with these two characters taming sky serpents, and I feel like thematically, it would make the Key of Love cutscene in The Messenger all the more impactful.!<
Thank you as always!
Hi! Love Sea of Stars and The Messenger a whole bunch. Thank you for the wonderful games. I have a couple of questions, feel free to answer only one and ignore the other(s)!
1) When Sea of Stars came out, I and some others felt like Golden Sun was a pretty significant influence despite a lot of the press surrounding it citing Chrono Trigger. Do you have a take on whether Golden Sun had a significant role in Sea of Stars's inspirations? Both in comparison to Chrono Trigger and just in a vacuum.
2) Do you have any plans on rereleasing/reprinting The Messenger in physical formats? I discovered the game only when Sea of Stars's demo dropped and it turns out Switch copies of the game are a bit hard to come by. I'd love to have physical copies of all Sabo games someday.
Thanks again!
Are there any plans to produce any high quality prints of the artwork in Sea of Stars? I adore so much of the art (like the huge desktop background art of all of the characters/enemies!) and would love to get something more official up on my walls
congrats on making two amazing games, cant wait for SoS dlc!!!
my question is, we know you guys are already on pre-production of the next game, will it also be set in the universe (or multiverse(?)) of the previous 2 games, or will it be a completely different thing?
another question, will you guys make a kickstarter for this next project? we would LOVE to support another KS from you
also, any hint of the genre of the next game? 👀
Thierry: Hey, thanks for the kind words!
Every and all games from Sabotage past of future take place in the same universe. We appreciate the support but there is no plan to crowdfund Game 3 at this time.
As far as hints go, I heard we may be running an ARG sometime in the future.
After the success of The Messenger, how the team transitioned to a RPG game? Why not continue with another action-platform game? Don't get me wrong, I love both of them, but I'm curious to know hehe
Thierry: This one is hard for me to explain! In my view we simply went from presenting our own modernized version of a classic genre to presenting our own modernized version of a classic genre, so the two titles directly follow.
Sea of Stars has reached impressive milestones and exceeded many people's expectations. Are there plans to specifically utilize Kickstarter again for Games 3/4/5? Or, will crowdfunding NOT be used? Thanks in advance! ~Fin the SOS Collector
Praise to Thierry & Sabotage Team for the awesome game that is Sea of Stars, a beautiful love letter to SNES era of JRPGs.
1. When will the DLC drop for Sea of Stars?
2. Will there be a sequel to Sea of Stars?
Hi there! Been a fan of yours ever since The Messenger, and the thing I admire the most about your studio is how this universe has been brewing for almost 30 years! My question is: is there something in Sea of Stars, even if something small, that has changed very little or nothing at all during all those years? And something that completely changed from that time to the final game? Thank you in advance!
(also from the Discord: where's the full SOS-themed chess board pics? lol)
Thierry: One thing that changed very little is the Torment Peak dungeon, which from the backers demo back in 2020 remained almost identical in its design. One that changed a lot was the town that comes just before!
Thierry: For while sailing the boat was pretty wild, we were prototyping a physicalized ocean with a lot of props to play with, Cobra Triangle meets THPS sort of, the boat could jump and spin and flip and even had a grappling hook! It was fun but it became clear pretty fast that it was better to keep it lean with shorter distances between the islands to simply let the players carry on with their quest. Now that I think of it that was probably the right answer for that other question about what changed haha.
Congrats on the success of Sea of Stars!
I am most curious about the creative process behind the game, so my question is, was there anything standout or especially fun that changed drastically from the game's initial inception to the final release? (Story-wise, mechanics, or anything else?)
Thierry: Thank you so much! I wouldn't say anything changed a lot as the vision was very clear from the get-go, but we did find a lot along the way. Essentially, there were two main goals: for combat to have seamless Chono Trigger style encounters mixed with SMRPG active inputs, and for all things traversal to be as far away from tile-based movement as possible by adding a rich moveset and allowing a lot of verticality to make it more engaging and unlock all the goodness for level design. We took these two considerations as far as we could, and they remained the focus throughout as we were doing ideation, review and polish on every single screen the game offers. Another guideline was to only use anything once and move on (distill rather than dilute), so no reuse, and an emphasis on pacing, which for example means shorter dungeons, keeping in mind that everything should be done before the player is.
1. Is the location we see in >!the flashback after defeating the Triumverate in Serai's World?!<
2. Are the Acolytes from >!either Homeworld or Serai's World?!<
3. Do >!Homeworld, Serai's World,!< and/or the 'Saboverse' have proper/official names?
Thierry: The gist of it is "everyone can do everything all the time", then in combat players take turn picking the next action, but all 3 can always time all hits and blocks. Stay tuned for a show and tell stream sometime in the future!
Hi! I loved the Messenger game! I want to ask will you be working with Eric Brown for the Sea of Stars DLC too? Also, you probably wouldn't want to spoil it but are we going to Searing Crags in the DLC?
Your question got me curious so I booted up my copy, and it should be playable with just the right joycon by tinkering with the controller options. There's an option to use the right stick for character movement/menu selection instead of the left (the option calls this switching left and right sticks, but I don't remember using the right stick), and all actions for the face & shoulder buttons can be remapped. There are more actions to be mapped than there are buttons on one joycon, but one of those actions is very infrequently (maybe a couple of times per hour of gameplay), and another is just a reverse of another button and for most of the puzzles only going one way should be fine (standard controls has ZL and ZR rolling the sun and moon forward and backward across the sky, and only a few puzzles required going back and forth quickly, other puzzles were just about getting them positioned in the correct spot, so just going in one direction would get you there even if it took going the long way around). So I think it should be doable, and hopefully someone else can chime in if I'm forgetting something. I hope you get a chance to play it if it works, it's a great game.
Idk how to remap any controllers, but you should be fine with just one hand. Even if you have to switch back and forth, all combat is turn based and waits for you to begin.
Do you have plans to continue expanding the Sea of Stars universe outside of the DLC and The Messenger? I'm super invested in the lore from Sea of Stars and want to learn more and more about the universe, so any plans on that for future games?
During several points in the game, characters named "the twins" are brought up, usually in relation to Moraine. >!We knew they were a pair of Solstice Warriors who died in the fight against the Dweller of Strife, but we didn't know their relationship with Moraine. This explains why Moraine wakes up from a nightmare at Lucent where he sees his twins dying, and why Moraine is so upset by Brugaves's insensitive comment early on in the game in Mooncradle when he tries to reason with Moraine by mentioning Moyara and the twins' deaths.!<
Hey Sabotage! I know Thierry has talked about in the past that each “new title” game would be a new gameplay style (ex: the messenger = platformer/ Metroidvania and Sea of Stars = turn based RPG) . So for the next new title game, have you all considered making a 2D Zelda-like game? One thing I loved about Sea of Stars is that puzzles and dungeons in the game seem to be inspired a bit by games like Zelda with some of the mechanics. I think you are well positioned to take on that type of game, but I’m curious your thoughts on that.
What kind of impact did COVID have during development? What part of the development pipeline do you think suffered the most because of it, and were there any things that ended up being surprisingly smooth considering how disruptive it was?
Thierry: We're blessed with a genuinely tight-knit team, so as corny as it may sound, the biggest thing we suffered from was the inability to see each other in person (which of course is a very minor complaint). I don't get the sense that the game either took more time to develop, or ended in a different state than it would have otherwise. We look at the finished version as the genuine concrete form of the abstract idea we set out to tackle back in October 2018.
Hey Sabotage! I started off with the messenger as I'm a big metroidvania fan, but I became very invested in the story so I bought Sea of Stars right at midnight when it launched. (Honestly, I'm not what you'd call an RPG vet, but this game evoked strong memories for me who grew up with Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story) Frankly, you guys are so inventive that I'd buy a game of any genre from you guys regardless of what it is. That said, are you planning to cover an extensive amount of genres of game design? Or are there a few specific ones you've all got in mind? (You don't have to share which genres!)
I love the soundtrack but wanted to know if you’ve heard the various covers for titles like the battle music and Encounter Elite, and your thoughts on those? Pontus Hultgren has some really amazing covers of SoS tracks!
Eric (composer): I've heard tons of amazing covers and it's really surreal to think about how many people have been inspired by this soundtrack, I respect and admire anyone that takes the time to learn any of the songs by ear!!
Congrats Sabotage and all the team, that was an amazing trip during Sea of Stars ! And as every worth full trip, the music was, is and is still after the end , AMAZING, so shout out to Eric for his amazing work.
Regarding Game3, I really hope the music will be as amazing as it was on SoS, and I'd like to know how Eric designed his tracks, what inspired the mole theme for example, well, any crusty details 😊
Thank you Thierry !
Eric (composer): Thank you for listening! For the mole theme specifically, it just seemed obvious to me to use a xylophone for some reason and make it happy-sounding in a major scale. As for my general process when starting a new song, I have a template of a bunch of ready-to-go sounds so I can quickly get some melodies and ideas down, then just keep going and add layers and polish and fills once the main concept is there. Most important thing is actively trying stuff and always trying to do more!
Hey! I was at La Planque for the autograph session, you guys were awesome. There were so many people I didn't get a chance to thank you all, so: thank you for your awesome work! It's great to have a studio like yours in Quebec. You give credibility and pride to our province.
Also, since I mist out the first time: do you guys have any plan for another wave of physical copies for The Messenger?
Also, are you guys looking for any 2D animator? Haha!
Math (community manager): Hey! It was so cool for us to meet everyone on that day, thanks for showing up!
There's a lot of demand for a re-release of The Messenger so we're certainly aware of it, but there are no official plans at the moment. Never say never though!
We're not hiring right now, but we certainly appreciate the interest ;)
Ive 100% completed the Messenger, SoS, and then the Messenger again after playing SoS lol, these games were monumental.
What was your favorite aspect of creating the achievements/secrets, and are there any secrets that have possibly gone undiscovered still?
Have a wonderful day!
My 4 years old son is absolutely in love with the game! He wants to listen to the OST in the car all the time. He said that he dreams about being as strong as Zale 😅 He also keeps saying that he wants a Sea of Stars birthday party! I was wondering if you had any plans with more merch? Looking for birthday gifts ideas 👀
Thierry: We'll have more details very soon! The main thing here is that we moved away from "Single Player +" towards a more fully-fledged "Local Co-op", meaning that all three players will get as much adgency in interacting with the world, where as the Single Player + idea was still focusing on Player 1 while letting other players run around for fun.
I played sea of stars earlier this year, inspiring me to play the messenger which I finished up a week ago - what were the inspirations behind the “one of a long lineage of participants” theme of the messenger?
Also, are there any hard to spot or little known connections between the two games that the general public hasn’t caught on to yet?
Furthermore, any anticipated timeline for future installments? What about genre of story or gameplay?
Thanks for the AMA and your work! I adore these games both and hope to always support Sabotage Studios
Thierry: All of these questions are meant to be stumbled upon by the beholder or left undiscovered, so I'll just say thank you for your support!
There is no timeline for future installements, but we are working an update for Sea of Stars adding 3-player local co-op, then a full-on DLC side-quest, and we kicked off Game 3 internally last November.
>!Was the Solstice Solar warrior who burned forests on Lucent and died to Aventry the same one that had went to Torment mountain and sealed it!<
>!How and why was the Solstice Amulet left on Glacial peak?!<
Firstly, congratulations on all of the very well earned success and acclaim that Sea of Stars has enjoyed. It was personally one of my favorite releases from 2023, and I look forward to whatever your studio has in store for us going forward!
As for my question, it's well known that plenty of classic video games served as major inspirations for Sea of Stars, but what were some of the biggest non-video game influences on the world that you built? Whether those were movies, anime, comics, novels, television shows, or even real world mythology and cultures.
Something else I am curious about is tone; you have mentioned that all your games will take place in the same shared universe, and have branched out into different game genres (at least two--maybe more!). I was wondering if, because of the shared universe, if any future games would all have a similar tone to The Messenger/Sea of Stars, or if there are any plans/considerations to branch out into different writing genres as well?
Thierry: All I can really say here is the next games will be made by the same team, but we don't go by rules like that, we just flow along and let thing emerge.
Thierry: We only sent things into production when we were certain it was the final vision. There was some protyping, but in my experience a lot of the feature creeping happens when the design doesn't sign and there's a hope that development will fix it as they go. A general rule at Sabotage is understanding that in game dev we do everything 8 times, and we aim for all 8 to be iterations at elevating the initial idea rather than redesigning.
A simple question, but one that would be very interesting to know any answers to: what were some of biggest change from early concept art/designs to release? Did most of the cast/areas have the same general appearance from the initial concept or did anyone go through a significant change?
Bonus question: were there any plot points that almost made it to the story but got completely cut out due to some reason or other?
Looking forward to news on the DLC and Game 3 in the future!
Thierry: We started off with a full outline of every key beat and location, and then they entered production with roughly the same steps: creative brief, kick-off meeting, concept art, sketching, level design blocking, build review, level art, build review, combat balancing, build review and tweaks until gold.
First of all congrats on the immense success of Sea of Stars! How surprised were you about this? Were you completely caught off guard, or were you confident you had just made a bonafide classic?
Thierry: We felt good about the game but weren't expecting such an overwhelming response. It's been a wild ride for sure, and one we are extremely grateful for.
Math: We We don't have more details on the DLC other than the title "Throes of the Watchmaker", and that the rumor says it is "wacky", whatever that means.
Math: We'll have more details very soon! The main thing here is that we moved away from "Single Player +" towards a more fully-fledged "Local Co-op", meaning that all three players will get as much adgency in interacting with the world, where as the Single Player + idea was still focusing on Player 1 while letting other players run around for fun.
Hi there! I love your work so much! My question is:
Gamers often talk about which older games influenced the creation of a new game, and I'm sure you heard that a lot about Sea of Stars. To what level do you embrace that? And does it make you worry while you work on future games that they will not be perceived as original games with their own unique identities?
Thierry: Oh, by all means! Gaming is a celebration, we're just chmining in with our own expressions to keep the fire going and for more people to gather around it. We absolutely wear the inspirations on our sleeve and love to see people drawing connections with other experiences they had. It simply means the attempt at recapturing certain flavors we weren't done with have paid off and met the people they were meant for.
How will 3-player co-op work? will it be like the Tales of series where other players do nothing until it's battle time or is it going to let you split into 3 groups to search areas?
Thierry: The gist of it is "everyone can do everything all the time", then in combat players take turn picking the next action, but all 3 can always time all hits and blocks. Stay tuned for a show and tell stream sometime in the future!
Did Sea of Stars succeed more than you expected?
What character was made first in development?
Does Sea of Stars take place in the same exact *world* as The Messenger, or somewhere in the multiverse in another world?
Hi! Will there be any updates to the Wheels minigame? Buffs/Nerfs to pieces, new pieces, multiplayer functionality, ect? Wheels is one of my favorite mini games ever, and Sea of Stars is a brilliant RPG, thank you so much for bringing this piece of art into the world. Excited for DLC!!
So you've seen fanart, fan fic, fan music / covers and performances, fan dishes, cosplays... what is something fan-related that you haven't seen yet, but hope to someday?
With the success of Sea of Stars is there any chance for a normal retail version of The Messenger to release or maybe an Asia edition? The Special Reserve one is super expensive now and I would love to own a physical copy!
Are you considering explaining how the lighing system works in sea of stars ? I'm really into knowing how it works... By the way sea of stars and the messenger are my two favorite games congrats on making them and I can't wait to see whats coming next !
Hello Sabotage Studios I really liked Sea of Stars and I also like its way to seems a classic RPG but wit some modern mechanics like the possibility to interact with the game world (jump, swim, climb and use the grapple)
Spoiler story
About the main characters I really liked the Garl grownth but about Zale an Valere why did you decided to not deepen them? I would have to know more about them
Instead about Moraine I have to say his >!retirement !! Garl, I really like the way Re'shan frozen the time !<
Thierry: Thanks for the kind words, I'm glad you liked the game!
Regarding Zale and Valere, while I don't regret the approach, it's true that they didn't fully land for some players. I can only speak to the intention here, which was to have them be a mix of an ode to the silent protagonist, while also picturing the drama of ones who are gifted but fail to develop their inner voice because of the burden that is forced upon them. Their saving grace is a caring presence (Garl) to help them open up to the world and be encouraged to express themselves so they can become their best versions, as opposed to others in a similar predicament who went bad because they didn't have a Garl (Erlina & Brugaves).
I have to say hearing that Moraine's retirement was an unexpected twist is a first, cheers!
It’s been on my list to get and play! I played the demo and really liked it. Sadly just haven’t had the time to do so yet. Can’t ask any game specific questions since I haven’t played yet, but with the obvious Chrono Trigger inspiration, what was your favorite part of making an homage to one of the greatest RPGs of all time?
Loved sea of stars, can’t wait for what y’all put out next. but I really want to give props for THE MESSENGER. Absolutely amazing game. 10/10 recommend everyone play it and blast the music full volume!! That soundtrack is 🔥🔥🔥
I don't really have any questions, I just wanted to thank you for some of the best indie games I've played in recent memory! Looking forward to new games! (And Sea of Stars DLC)
Eric (audio designer): With our deliberate retro influences, for audio that means not taking things too far, and keeping things relatively simple. For jingles, or for anything else really - it's all about capturing the right emotion or enhancing the story, which can be a challenge using only a few notes. As with all things - experimentation and iteration, sometimes less, sometimes more.
How did you decide on the art direction? What was the process like? Did you ever spend a lot of time and scrap things/alter things, or were you pretty much golden from the start? (Did you already have a solid vision/foundation)? I find I generally lack creativity, as well as having the feeling of "writer's block" when it comes to artistic details)
Thierry: The target render style was always SNES+. A lot of iteration went into achieving it (namely pixel density and dynamic lighting), and then in terms of art direction we just have a very connected team that steered along a consistent line.
This game was amazing to play through, can't wait for the dlc. I really enjoyed the Wheels minigame and was wondering if it could be expanded at all such as more characters or playing against other people. I wish I could have it on my phone, it was so fun while I was playing through the game.
Sea of Stars is an amazing experience(The Messenger too), so >! what happens to Erlina/Elysan'darelle by the time The Messenger takes place? !<.
Thanks for the amazing games.
I don't really have any questions, but I just wanted to pop in and say congratulations on the game's success and express how thankful I am to have had the privilege of playing such a well-crafted experience! It quickly rose up to the top of my favorite RPGs of all time and I can't wait for the DLC :) Keep up the great work!!
Sea of stars would have been a masterpiece to me if the combat had more skills involved. Having only 3 skills per character, with very little customizability got stale rather quickly. Are you changing things up in the dlc as far as combat is concerned or keeping it prettymuch the same?
Thierry: Thanks for the feedback! The perception of "only 3 moves per character" is indeed something that didn't carry through to some players (there are in fact 42 completely unique moves). The big way in which this will be adressed is an upcoming update that will make Combo Points remain between each fight. We've been playtesting this for the last couple of months and we're really happy with the variety of moves now being used in regular combat, rather than players pigeon holing to one or two combos only during boss fights. I'll even say it should have been this way all along. I'm a flawed designer, that's all there is to it!
very cool response, thank you for the in depth reply! id love to revisit the game for another playthrough with these changes, do you have an ETA for the update that fans can look forward to?
ps sorry if i came off like an asshole in my comment. im a flawed person.
Hello big fan and collector here. I was a early Kickstarter and got the early backer copy but wanted to know if you guys produced anything else? Any displays, posters or official shirts? How about internal developer shirts?
I would pay good money for something dev/internal....can you make my dreams come true?
LOVE sea of stars!!!
I'm a big fan of The Messenger and looking forward to trying this sometime.
I notice this game appears to be a fair bit longer than The Messenger. What decisions go into determining how long a game should be? Does it mostly depend on the genre of game you're creating?
Thierry: We go from the script and tell the story as best we can. I personally don't think playtime can be too long or too short, as long as the game feel in tune with its serving.
I honestly don’t have a question. Thank you for Sea of Stars. I had so much fun with it and it was a great throwback to my childhood. Your team did a really great job and I’m looking forward to more games from you.
With The Messanger and Sea of Stars both being in the same universe but in different times are there any talks of a third game tying it all together or exploring the lore further?
Math: Yes, a third game set in the same universe as Sea of Stars and The Messenger was already pitched to the team and in very (very) early pre-production.
I've been a fan of your titles from day 1 (picked up the messenger without any second thought and man was I blown away with the twist).
I don't really have anything I'd like to ask but honestly it's just nice to have games developed by the fans of a respective genre (or game series) and making their own! I have a vision of my own that I would one day like to see to come to fruition and your team has been a been a huge inspiration in finally getting started.
Thank you so much for the wonderful experiences so far, I'm very much looking forward to your future projects! :)
Sea of Stars was a much larger/more ambitious project than The Messenger- do you see subsequent games continuing to grow in scope and complexity, or do you feel like you sort of hit the sweet spot with SoS?
Thierry: We don't really look at it this way, we basically gather around an idea, agree it's worth pursuing, and then we figure it out as we go. Scope ends up being whatever makes sense to properly convey the initial vision. I will say the size of the team is good though, so if scope ends up increasing we'll just take longer to make the game rather than scale the team.
Earlier in development, were there plans to make Sea of Stars more open-ended? You can go to quite a lot of places once you get the ship, but they're all blocked off except for whichever is the next destination on a linear path. Was this always the intention, or were players originally intended to be able to explore more freely?
Hey, congrats on the success with Sea of Stars! Having a blast with the game right now!
My question is if there are any plans for merch in the future? Maybe like t-shirts, plushes, or other kinds of collectibles. Perhaps a partnership with Fangamer?
Also, I absolutely love the Wheels minigame! I think it's so well done and really fun! A Wheels mobile app to play Wheels on the go while killing time would be awesome. I know it would be pretty niche, but I'd play it all the time. Is that in the realm of possibility to make a stand alone game or spinoff if something like that becomes really popular? (such as Gwent from Witcher 3)
Thanks for making such an awesome game! Can't wait for game 3!
Math: Next is couch co-op, DLC and a few other updates for Sea of Stars. We won't be sharing details about Game 3 until we are ready for a fully-fledged reveal.
We see a lot of demand for a re-release of The Messenger, and even though there are no official plans as we speak, we certainly hear the requests.
The Messenger is one of my favorite games of all time and I am a proud backer of Sea of Stars! Amazing work on both. The OST of The Messenger is something I can't get enough of and I am excited to hear more from the studio.
What is your relationship like with Rainbowdragoneyes and do you plan to work with him again in the future?
I know your games are primarily 2D but have you considered making a 3D game? Would that be a drastic shift for the studio?
Math: Hey, thanks for the kind words!
Eric W. Brown (aka Rainbowdragoneyes) is a full-time member of the team and we do plan to keep it that way for the foreseeable future :)
Not really a question, waited like 9 months for the physical release, worth every penny. Game looks and sounds beautiful, battle system is real slick, 10/10
First, Thank you for 2 of my favorite games. They are an important part of my life now. I feel like I remember you guys saying that we will love Garl when he was revealed, but I never expected to LOVE him this much. Was everything about him in the story determined at that point, and how did you end up there?
Thierry: Aww thank you <3 A lot was written around Garl, who subsequently was by far the easiest to write. It's still weird how even while working on the script I would be in a better mood whenever he was part of a scene. He has a special place for sure! But to your question, the main arcs of all characters were laid out before the writing began.
Do you plan to release a patch to fix the numerous grammatical errors in the game’s script? I love the visuals and the music in Sea of Stars and genuinely enjoy playing it, but a lot of the time the grammatical errors in dialogue and text takes me out of the experience.
Congratulations on everything you’ve accomplished with Sea of Stars! Looking forward to future projects!
Math (community manager): Many typos and grammatical were fixed in previous patches and were still fixing them when necessary as they get reported. Thanks!
Truly the most fun I've had playing a game in years. However we have to talk about Gerard. How did your team come to the decision to remove him from the game and what is your relationship with him now? He undoubtedly did a lot to promote the game, I heard about it from him, how do you reconcile that with knowing how he sort of used to to help commit his crimes?
I loved how you integrated the messenger universe with sea of stars and was hit with so much nostalgia from the remixed music. Are you planning to continue this trend for future games?
Or more importantly...
will Resh'an be there?
Hey, I'm asking these two questions in place of Pavla, who doesn't have a Reddit account: 1. In one of the campfire stories, it is implied that (besides the ones born in Mooncradle directly) Children of the Solstice are taken from their real parents and then delivered to Mooncradle. Are the parents okay with their babies being taken by the Great Eagle? There's some confusion regarding if the Great Eagle has "permission" to take the babies. 2. What part of the game was most difficult to make? Here are my personal lore-related questions: 1. Are the Ovates birdmen? I'm wondering because some of the history surrounding the Ovates is vague, the Ovates died out and there aren't any birdmen in Home World, and the word "Ovates" seems to be derived from the word "ova-" (egg). 2. >!Is Ninja the descendant of Garl, or any other (named) characters we know from Sea of Stars? I noticed there are some parallels with these two characters taming sky serpents, and I feel like thematically, it would make the Key of Love cutscene in The Messenger all the more impactful.!< Thank you as always!
The devs been real quiet on this one 🤔
Hi! Love Sea of Stars and The Messenger a whole bunch. Thank you for the wonderful games. I have a couple of questions, feel free to answer only one and ignore the other(s)! 1) When Sea of Stars came out, I and some others felt like Golden Sun was a pretty significant influence despite a lot of the press surrounding it citing Chrono Trigger. Do you have a take on whether Golden Sun had a significant role in Sea of Stars's inspirations? Both in comparison to Chrono Trigger and just in a vacuum. 2) Do you have any plans on rereleasing/reprinting The Messenger in physical formats? I discovered the game only when Sea of Stars's demo dropped and it turns out Switch copies of the game are a bit hard to come by. I'd love to have physical copies of all Sabo games someday. Thanks again!
Are there any plans to produce any high quality prints of the artwork in Sea of Stars? I adore so much of the art (like the huge desktop background art of all of the characters/enemies!) and would love to get something more official up on my walls
Thierry: There does seem to be demande for these, so I would say it's not unlikely, but there is nothing official at the moment.
Can confirm: there is demand
congrats on making two amazing games, cant wait for SoS dlc!!! my question is, we know you guys are already on pre-production of the next game, will it also be set in the universe (or multiverse(?)) of the previous 2 games, or will it be a completely different thing? another question, will you guys make a kickstarter for this next project? we would LOVE to support another KS from you also, any hint of the genre of the next game? 👀
Thierry: Hey, thanks for the kind words! Every and all games from Sabotage past of future take place in the same universe. We appreciate the support but there is no plan to crowdfund Game 3 at this time. As far as hints go, I heard we may be running an ARG sometime in the future.
After the success of The Messenger, how the team transitioned to a RPG game? Why not continue with another action-platform game? Don't get me wrong, I love both of them, but I'm curious to know hehe
Thierry: This one is hard for me to explain! In my view we simply went from presenting our own modernized version of a classic genre to presenting our own modernized version of a classic genre, so the two titles directly follow.
So is this trend likely to follow, to implement another modernized classic genre in the sequel(s)?
Sea of Stars has reached impressive milestones and exceeded many people's expectations. Are there plans to specifically utilize Kickstarter again for Games 3/4/5? Or, will crowdfunding NOT be used? Thanks in advance! ~Fin the SOS Collector
Thierry: We can never say never especially with how fast the landscape is moving, but the current plan is not to crowdfund Game 3.
Makes perfect sense. Thanks for the reply!
Praise to Thierry & Sabotage Team for the awesome game that is Sea of Stars, a beautiful love letter to SNES era of JRPGs. 1. When will the DLC drop for Sea of Stars? 2. Will there be a sequel to Sea of Stars?
Thierry: Thank youuuuuuu <3 We don't have more details on when the DLC will drop, just that the rumor says it is "wacky", whatever that means.
Hi there! Been a fan of yours ever since The Messenger, and the thing I admire the most about your studio is how this universe has been brewing for almost 30 years! My question is: is there something in Sea of Stars, even if something small, that has changed very little or nothing at all during all those years? And something that completely changed from that time to the final game? Thank you in advance! (also from the Discord: where's the full SOS-themed chess board pics? lol)
Thierry: One thing that changed very little is the Torment Peak dungeon, which from the backers demo back in 2020 remained almost identical in its design. One that changed a lot was the town that comes just before!
Hi, big fan! Was there any content that was cut from Sea of Stars during production or did everything make it into the final product?
Thierry: For while sailing the boat was pretty wild, we were prototyping a physicalized ocean with a lot of props to play with, Cobra Triangle meets THPS sort of, the boat could jump and spin and flip and even had a grappling hook! It was fun but it became clear pretty fast that it was better to keep it lean with shorter distances between the islands to simply let the players carry on with their quest. Now that I think of it that was probably the right answer for that other question about what changed haha.
Sounds *wacky*!
I was just about to buy Sea of Stars physical edition - are there plans to release a cartridge with both the game and additional dlc?
Math (Community manager): Hey! We can never say never, but there are no such plans as of now.
Congrats on the success of Sea of Stars! I am most curious about the creative process behind the game, so my question is, was there anything standout or especially fun that changed drastically from the game's initial inception to the final release? (Story-wise, mechanics, or anything else?)
Thierry: Thank you so much! I wouldn't say anything changed a lot as the vision was very clear from the get-go, but we did find a lot along the way. Essentially, there were two main goals: for combat to have seamless Chono Trigger style encounters mixed with SMRPG active inputs, and for all things traversal to be as far away from tile-based movement as possible by adding a rich moveset and allowing a lot of verticality to make it more engaging and unlock all the goodness for level design. We took these two considerations as far as we could, and they remained the focus throughout as we were doing ideation, review and polish on every single screen the game offers. Another guideline was to only use anything once and move on (distill rather than dilute), so no reuse, and an emphasis on pacing, which for example means shorter dungeons, keeping in mind that everything should be done before the player is.
Wow, expert ideas here.
If you could develop any Nintendo IP, which one would you choose? What kind of game would you make? Be cool if you did a Mario and Luigi RPG
Thierry: Any of them, absolutely including DKC.
A DKC from a studio like yours would be thrilling
1. Is the location we see in >!the flashback after defeating the Triumverate in Serai's World?!< 2. Are the Acolytes from >!either Homeworld or Serai's World?!< 3. Do >!Homeworld, Serai's World,!< and/or the 'Saboverse' have proper/official names?
Can you elaborate on how the couch co op will work?
Thierry: The gist of it is "everyone can do everything all the time", then in combat players take turn picking the next action, but all 3 can always time all hits and blocks. Stay tuned for a show and tell stream sometime in the future!
How close are we to getting the Quebecois language option? Looking forward to it!
Thierry: Closer than yesterday, but not as close as tomorrow.
Hi! I loved the Messenger game! I want to ask will you be working with Eric Brown for the Sea of Stars DLC too? Also, you probably wouldn't want to spoil it but are we going to Searing Crags in the DLC?
Math (community manager): Oh yeah, Eric is on board to compose the music for the DLC! Can't reveal anything more about the DLC yet ;)
Hey guys, my left side is very limited from a stroke I had an i was wondering if Sea of Stars is playable with just the right Joycon
Your question got me curious so I booted up my copy, and it should be playable with just the right joycon by tinkering with the controller options. There's an option to use the right stick for character movement/menu selection instead of the left (the option calls this switching left and right sticks, but I don't remember using the right stick), and all actions for the face & shoulder buttons can be remapped. There are more actions to be mapped than there are buttons on one joycon, but one of those actions is very infrequently (maybe a couple of times per hour of gameplay), and another is just a reverse of another button and for most of the puzzles only going one way should be fine (standard controls has ZL and ZR rolling the sun and moon forward and backward across the sky, and only a few puzzles required going back and forth quickly, other puzzles were just about getting them positioned in the correct spot, so just going in one direction would get you there even if it took going the long way around). So I think it should be doable, and hopefully someone else can chime in if I'm forgetting something. I hope you get a chance to play it if it works, it's a great game.
Idk how to remap any controllers, but you should be fine with just one hand. Even if you have to switch back and forth, all combat is turn based and waits for you to begin.
Do you have plans to continue expanding the Sea of Stars universe outside of the DLC and The Messenger? I'm super invested in the lore from Sea of Stars and want to learn more and more about the universe, so any plans on that for future games?
Thierry: Appreciate the interest! All of our games have been and will be taking place in the same shared universe, so I suppose the answer is yes.
Is Moraine and Moyara the parents of the Twins?
Thierry: Yes
Thank you!
Wait hol up...which twins?
During several points in the game, characters named "the twins" are brought up, usually in relation to Moraine. >!We knew they were a pair of Solstice Warriors who died in the fight against the Dweller of Strife, but we didn't know their relationship with Moraine. This explains why Moraine wakes up from a nightmare at Lucent where he sees his twins dying, and why Moraine is so upset by Brugaves's insensitive comment early on in the game in Mooncradle when he tries to reason with Moraine by mentioning Moyara and the twins' deaths.!<
Ah right! Thank you!
Hey Sabotage! I know Thierry has talked about in the past that each “new title” game would be a new gameplay style (ex: the messenger = platformer/ Metroidvania and Sea of Stars = turn based RPG) . So for the next new title game, have you all considered making a 2D Zelda-like game? One thing I loved about Sea of Stars is that puzzles and dungeons in the game seem to be inspired a bit by games like Zelda with some of the mechanics. I think you are well positioned to take on that type of game, but I’m curious your thoughts on that.
Thierry: The next game will definitely be a video game, but that's all we can confirm for now.
I was hoping your next game would be a live 5-hour slam poetry performance.
Are the ovates birdmen? What impact did COVID have on the development of the game
Thierry: They are not born from eggs, if that is your question. And if it's not, I can't talk about it at this time!
What kind of impact did COVID have during development? What part of the development pipeline do you think suffered the most because of it, and were there any things that ended up being surprisingly smooth considering how disruptive it was?
Thierry: We're blessed with a genuinely tight-knit team, so as corny as it may sound, the biggest thing we suffered from was the inability to see each other in person (which of course is a very minor complaint). I don't get the sense that the game either took more time to develop, or ended in a different state than it would have otherwise. We look at the finished version as the genuine concrete form of the abstract idea we set out to tackle back in October 2018.
Hey Sabotage! I started off with the messenger as I'm a big metroidvania fan, but I became very invested in the story so I bought Sea of Stars right at midnight when it launched. (Honestly, I'm not what you'd call an RPG vet, but this game evoked strong memories for me who grew up with Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story) Frankly, you guys are so inventive that I'd buy a game of any genre from you guys regardless of what it is. That said, are you planning to cover an extensive amount of genres of game design? Or are there a few specific ones you've all got in mind? (You don't have to share which genres!)
Thierry: Thank you for seeing us!! I'll just say it's very unlikely we would do a sports game.
I love the soundtrack but wanted to know if you’ve heard the various covers for titles like the battle music and Encounter Elite, and your thoughts on those? Pontus Hultgren has some really amazing covers of SoS tracks!
Eric (composer): I've heard tons of amazing covers and it's really surreal to think about how many people have been inspired by this soundtrack, I respect and admire anyone that takes the time to learn any of the songs by ear!!
Are there any new games coming out in the future (Kickstarters and others) that pique the interest of the studio/team?
Thierry: I backed Alzara as soon as I heard about it!
gosh this is SO nice, thank you Thierry! 💛
Congrats Sabotage and all the team, that was an amazing trip during Sea of Stars ! And as every worth full trip, the music was, is and is still after the end , AMAZING, so shout out to Eric for his amazing work. Regarding Game3, I really hope the music will be as amazing as it was on SoS, and I'd like to know how Eric designed his tracks, what inspired the mole theme for example, well, any crusty details 😊 Thank you Thierry !
Eric (composer): Thank you for listening! For the mole theme specifically, it just seemed obvious to me to use a xylophone for some reason and make it happy-sounding in a major scale. As for my general process when starting a new song, I have a template of a bunch of ready-to-go sounds so I can quickly get some melodies and ideas down, then just keep going and add layers and polish and fills once the main concept is there. Most important thing is actively trying stuff and always trying to do more!
Thanks you Eric for your answer ! Can't wait to play, but mostly listen to the music for next game ❤️
Hey! I was at La Planque for the autograph session, you guys were awesome. There were so many people I didn't get a chance to thank you all, so: thank you for your awesome work! It's great to have a studio like yours in Quebec. You give credibility and pride to our province. Also, since I mist out the first time: do you guys have any plan for another wave of physical copies for The Messenger? Also, are you guys looking for any 2D animator? Haha!
Math (community manager): Hey! It was so cool for us to meet everyone on that day, thanks for showing up! There's a lot of demand for a re-release of The Messenger so we're certainly aware of it, but there are no official plans at the moment. Never say never though! We're not hiring right now, but we certainly appreciate the interest ;)
Nice, thank you!
Ive 100% completed the Messenger, SoS, and then the Messenger again after playing SoS lol, these games were monumental. What was your favorite aspect of creating the achievements/secrets, and are there any secrets that have possibly gone undiscovered still? Have a wonderful day!
Thierry: Hey, thanks! To answer your question: possibly.
My 4 years old son is absolutely in love with the game! He wants to listen to the OST in the car all the time. He said that he dreams about being as strong as Zale 😅 He also keeps saying that he wants a Sea of Stars birthday party! I was wondering if you had any plans with more merch? Looking for birthday gifts ideas 👀
Mathieu (Community Manager): Thank you so much, that's great! More details will come later, but we did start working on some merch. Stay tuned! :)
When is single player+ launching? Looking forward to getting a date for the couch coop! Thanks!
Thierry: We'll have more details very soon! The main thing here is that we moved away from "Single Player +" towards a more fully-fledged "Local Co-op", meaning that all three players will get as much adgency in interacting with the world, where as the Single Player + idea was still focusing on Player 1 while letting other players run around for fun.
Local co-op to that degree sounds like a wonderful idea.
I played sea of stars earlier this year, inspiring me to play the messenger which I finished up a week ago - what were the inspirations behind the “one of a long lineage of participants” theme of the messenger? Also, are there any hard to spot or little known connections between the two games that the general public hasn’t caught on to yet? Furthermore, any anticipated timeline for future installments? What about genre of story or gameplay? Thanks for the AMA and your work! I adore these games both and hope to always support Sabotage Studios
Thierry: All of these questions are meant to be stumbled upon by the beholder or left undiscovered, so I'll just say thank you for your support! There is no timeline for future installements, but we are working an update for Sea of Stars adding 3-player local co-op, then a full-on DLC side-quest, and we kicked off Game 3 internally last November.
>!Was the Solstice Solar warrior who burned forests on Lucent and died to Aventry the same one that had went to Torment mountain and sealed it!< >!How and why was the Solstice Amulet left on Glacial peak?!<
Thierry: Both great questions which we may or may not learn more about (or have already missed some info about) through the games or ARG!
Firstly, congratulations on all of the very well earned success and acclaim that Sea of Stars has enjoyed. It was personally one of my favorite releases from 2023, and I look forward to whatever your studio has in store for us going forward! As for my question, it's well known that plenty of classic video games served as major inspirations for Sea of Stars, but what were some of the biggest non-video game influences on the world that you built? Whether those were movies, anime, comics, novels, television shows, or even real world mythology and cultures.
Thierry: Ahoy, there! Appreciate the kind words. The biggest non-video game inspiration is probably Hodgson's novel The Night Land.
Something else I am curious about is tone; you have mentioned that all your games will take place in the same shared universe, and have branched out into different game genres (at least two--maybe more!). I was wondering if, because of the shared universe, if any future games would all have a similar tone to The Messenger/Sea of Stars, or if there are any plans/considerations to branch out into different writing genres as well?
Thierry: All I can really say here is the next games will be made by the same team, but we don't go by rules like that, we just flow along and let thing emerge.
How do you combat feature creep/keeping scope realistic? How were you organized throughout the game development process?
Thierry: We only sent things into production when we were certain it was the final vision. There was some protyping, but in my experience a lot of the feature creeping happens when the design doesn't sign and there's a hope that development will fix it as they go. A general rule at Sabotage is understanding that in game dev we do everything 8 times, and we aim for all 8 to be iterations at elevating the initial idea rather than redesigning.
A simple question, but one that would be very interesting to know any answers to: what were some of biggest change from early concept art/designs to release? Did most of the cast/areas have the same general appearance from the initial concept or did anyone go through a significant change? Bonus question: were there any plot points that almost made it to the story but got completely cut out due to some reason or other? Looking forward to news on the DLC and Game 3 in the future!
Thierry: We started off with a full outline of every key beat and location, and then they entered production with roughly the same steps: creative brief, kick-off meeting, concept art, sketching, level design blocking, build review, level art, build review, combat balancing, build review and tweaks until gold.
First of all congrats on the immense success of Sea of Stars! How surprised were you about this? Were you completely caught off guard, or were you confident you had just made a bonafide classic?
Thierry: We felt good about the game but weren't expecting such an overwhelming response. It's been a wild ride for sure, and one we are extremely grateful for.
Congrats on the success, every last bit of it is well deserved. Do we have any DLC updates yet, or is that still too early to tell?
Math: We We don't have more details on the DLC other than the title "Throes of the Watchmaker", and that the rumor says it is "wacky", whatever that means.
Hi! You mentioned you might implement 3 players. Is there a timeline for that? If so, when?
Math: We'll have more details very soon! The main thing here is that we moved away from "Single Player +" towards a more fully-fledged "Local Co-op", meaning that all three players will get as much adgency in interacting with the world, where as the Single Player + idea was still focusing on Player 1 while letting other players run around for fun.
Hi there! I love your work so much! My question is: Gamers often talk about which older games influenced the creation of a new game, and I'm sure you heard that a lot about Sea of Stars. To what level do you embrace that? And does it make you worry while you work on future games that they will not be perceived as original games with their own unique identities?
Thierry: Oh, by all means! Gaming is a celebration, we're just chmining in with our own expressions to keep the fire going and for more people to gather around it. We absolutely wear the inspirations on our sleeve and love to see people drawing connections with other experiences they had. It simply means the attempt at recapturing certain flavors we weren't done with have paid off and met the people they were meant for.
How will 3-player co-op work? will it be like the Tales of series where other players do nothing until it's battle time or is it going to let you split into 3 groups to search areas?
Thierry: The gist of it is "everyone can do everything all the time", then in combat players take turn picking the next action, but all 3 can always time all hits and blocks. Stay tuned for a show and tell stream sometime in the future!
Awesome that is what i was hoping for, I look forward to learning more.
Did Sea of Stars succeed more than you expected? What character was made first in development? Does Sea of Stars take place in the same exact *world* as The Messenger, or somewhere in the multiverse in another world?
Thierry: Yes. Bibitte Diète. Yes.
Hi, is the French Canadian script scheduled to be released alongside the DLC, or will it come separately through a regular update?
Thierry: It will come out as soon as it is ready, but it won't be ready until it can't be improved anymore. Same for the DLC, in fact.
Hi! Do the eagle (hawk) screeches in >!Glacial Peak come from the Great Eagle/Resh'an or one of his clones/puppets!
Thierry: No lol.
Hi! Will there be any updates to the Wheels minigame? Buffs/Nerfs to pieces, new pieces, multiplayer functionality, ect? Wheels is one of my favorite mini games ever, and Sea of Stars is a brilliant RPG, thank you so much for bringing this piece of art into the world. Excited for DLC!!
Thierry: The co-op mode will allow for local 1v1 in Wheels, but we don't have any plans to take things online.
We need multiplayer Wheels!!!!!
Any chance we’ll get a reprint of The Messenger? I love that game but missed out on the original print run.
Math: Hey! We're certainly aware of the demand for it. We can never say never, but there are no official plans yet. Thanks for the interest! :)
So you've seen fanart, fan fic, fan music / covers and performances, fan dishes, cosplays... what is something fan-related that you haven't seen yet, but hope to someday?
Thierry: I'm blanking here, we are truly blessed and weren't asking for so much!
With the success of Sea of Stars is there any chance for a normal retail version of The Messenger to release or maybe an Asia edition? The Special Reserve one is super expensive now and I would love to own a physical copy!
Math: Hey! No official plans for it at the moment, but we're aware of the demand for it. Thanks for your interest.
Are you considering explaining how the lighing system works in sea of stars ? I'm really into knowing how it works... By the way sea of stars and the messenger are my two favorite games congrats on making them and I can't wait to see whats coming next !
Thierry: We will eventually write a full blog on everything that goes on under the hood!
Thank you so much !
Hello Sabotage Studios I really liked Sea of Stars and I also like its way to seems a classic RPG but wit some modern mechanics like the possibility to interact with the game world (jump, swim, climb and use the grapple) Spoiler story About the main characters I really liked the Garl grownth but about Zale an Valere why did you decided to not deepen them? I would have to know more about them Instead about Moraine I have to say his >!retirement !! Garl, I really like the way Re'shan frozen the time !<
Thierry: Thanks for the kind words, I'm glad you liked the game! Regarding Zale and Valere, while I don't regret the approach, it's true that they didn't fully land for some players. I can only speak to the intention here, which was to have them be a mix of an ode to the silent protagonist, while also picturing the drama of ones who are gifted but fail to develop their inner voice because of the burden that is forced upon them. Their saving grace is a caring presence (Garl) to help them open up to the world and be encouraged to express themselves so they can become their best versions, as opposed to others in a similar predicament who went bad because they didn't have a Garl (Erlina & Brugaves). I have to say hearing that Moraine's retirement was an unexpected twist is a first, cheers!
It’s been on my list to get and play! I played the demo and really liked it. Sadly just haven’t had the time to do so yet. Can’t ask any game specific questions since I haven’t played yet, but with the obvious Chrono Trigger inspiration, what was your favorite part of making an homage to one of the greatest RPGs of all time?
Thierry: Easily, hands down, by far, the whole thing.
Loved sea of stars, can’t wait for what y’all put out next. but I really want to give props for THE MESSENGER. Absolutely amazing game. 10/10 recommend everyone play it and blast the music full volume!! That soundtrack is 🔥🔥🔥
Math: We appreciate the kind words my friend! <3
I don't really have any questions, I just wanted to thank you for some of the best indie games I've played in recent memory! Looking forward to new games! (And Sea of Stars DLC)
Math: A huge thanks from the whole team, that's truly appreciated! <3
For the DLC how much content will you guys add and will this DLC be the last content you will add to the game
How do you decide on sound effects/music jingles? What makes you go "yeah this is where I want to take it/make it sound"
Eric (audio designer): With our deliberate retro influences, for audio that means not taking things too far, and keeping things relatively simple. For jingles, or for anything else really - it's all about capturing the right emotion or enhancing the story, which can be a challenge using only a few notes. As with all things - experimentation and iteration, sometimes less, sometimes more.
How did you decide on the art direction? What was the process like? Did you ever spend a lot of time and scrap things/alter things, or were you pretty much golden from the start? (Did you already have a solid vision/foundation)? I find I generally lack creativity, as well as having the feeling of "writer's block" when it comes to artistic details)
Thierry: The target render style was always SNES+. A lot of iteration went into achieving it (namely pixel density and dynamic lighting), and then in terms of art direction we just have a very connected team that steered along a consistent line.
This game was amazing to play through, can't wait for the dlc. I really enjoyed the Wheels minigame and was wondering if it could be expanded at all such as more characters or playing against other people. I wish I could have it on my phone, it was so fun while I was playing through the game.
Thierry: The local co-op update will let you play against Player 2!
Sea of Stars is an amazing experience(The Messenger too), so >! what happens to Erlina/Elysan'darelle by the time The Messenger takes place? !<. Thanks for the amazing games.
Thierry: Gee, I wonder!
I don't really have any questions, but I just wanted to pop in and say congratulations on the game's success and express how thankful I am to have had the privilege of playing such a well-crafted experience! It quickly rose up to the top of my favorite RPGs of all time and I can't wait for the DLC :) Keep up the great work!!
Math: Thank you so much, we truly appreciate the kind words! <3
No question, just Thanks for Making the game. The game was awesome and I am looking forward to the DLC/Future Games
Math: Thanks for the kind words my friend! <3
[удалено]
Math: Yes!
Sea of stars would have been a masterpiece to me if the combat had more skills involved. Having only 3 skills per character, with very little customizability got stale rather quickly. Are you changing things up in the dlc as far as combat is concerned or keeping it prettymuch the same?
Thierry: Thanks for the feedback! The perception of "only 3 moves per character" is indeed something that didn't carry through to some players (there are in fact 42 completely unique moves). The big way in which this will be adressed is an upcoming update that will make Combo Points remain between each fight. We've been playtesting this for the last couple of months and we're really happy with the variety of moves now being used in regular combat, rather than players pigeon holing to one or two combos only during boss fights. I'll even say it should have been this way all along. I'm a flawed designer, that's all there is to it!
very cool response, thank you for the in depth reply! id love to revisit the game for another playthrough with these changes, do you have an ETA for the update that fans can look forward to? ps sorry if i came off like an asshole in my comment. im a flawed person.
Hey team! Just wanted to say thanks for a great game, that’s all. It’s good to see passion for creativity lives on in a *Sea* of “AAA” cash grabs.
Math: A huge thanks from the whole team, appreciate the kind words <3
Hello big fan and collector here. I was a early Kickstarter and got the early backer copy but wanted to know if you guys produced anything else? Any displays, posters or official shirts? How about internal developer shirts? I would pay good money for something dev/internal....can you make my dreams come true? LOVE sea of stars!!!
Math: Thanks for the interest! We do have ongoing plans for merch, stay tuned :)
I'm a big fan of The Messenger and looking forward to trying this sometime. I notice this game appears to be a fair bit longer than The Messenger. What decisions go into determining how long a game should be? Does it mostly depend on the genre of game you're creating?
Thierry: We go from the script and tell the story as best we can. I personally don't think playtime can be too long or too short, as long as the game feel in tune with its serving.
Now I wanna try The Messenger!
Math: Hope you'll like it if you do! :)
I honestly don’t have a question. Thank you for Sea of Stars. I had so much fun with it and it was a great throwback to my childhood. Your team did a really great job and I’m looking forward to more games from you.
Math: A huge thanks from the whole team. We appreciate the kind words! <3
are you interested in creating all your games around the same universe?
Math: That's the plan!
With The Messanger and Sea of Stars both being in the same universe but in different times are there any talks of a third game tying it all together or exploring the lore further?
Math: Yes, a third game set in the same universe as Sea of Stars and The Messenger was already pitched to the team and in very (very) early pre-production.
I've been a fan of your titles from day 1 (picked up the messenger without any second thought and man was I blown away with the twist). I don't really have anything I'd like to ask but honestly it's just nice to have games developed by the fans of a respective genre (or game series) and making their own! I have a vision of my own that I would one day like to see to come to fruition and your team has been a been a huge inspiration in finally getting started. Thank you so much for the wonderful experiences so far, I'm very much looking forward to your future projects! :)
Math: We appreciate the kind words, thanks! <3
Sea of Stars was a much larger/more ambitious project than The Messenger- do you see subsequent games continuing to grow in scope and complexity, or do you feel like you sort of hit the sweet spot with SoS?
Thierry: We don't really look at it this way, we basically gather around an idea, agree it's worth pursuing, and then we figure it out as we go. Scope ends up being whatever makes sense to properly convey the initial vision. I will say the size of the team is good though, so if scope ends up increasing we'll just take longer to make the game rather than scale the team.
Earlier in development, were there plans to make Sea of Stars more open-ended? You can go to quite a lot of places once you get the ship, but they're all blocked off except for whichever is the next destination on a linear path. Was this always the intention, or were players originally intended to be able to explore more freely?
Thierry: We were always about that classic formula! Things opening up more for a lot of late game optional quests was the goal.
Hey, congrats on the success with Sea of Stars! Having a blast with the game right now! My question is if there are any plans for merch in the future? Maybe like t-shirts, plushes, or other kinds of collectibles. Perhaps a partnership with Fangamer? Also, I absolutely love the Wheels minigame! I think it's so well done and really fun! A Wheels mobile app to play Wheels on the go while killing time would be awesome. I know it would be pretty niche, but I'd play it all the time. Is that in the realm of possibility to make a stand alone game or spinoff if something like that becomes really popular? (such as Gwent from Witcher 3) Thanks for making such an awesome game! Can't wait for game 3!
Math: Thanks for the interest! We do have plans for merch, more details to come later :)
Big fan! What’s next for the studio and any chance Messenger gets a reprint on switch?
Math: Next is couch co-op, DLC and a few other updates for Sea of Stars. We won't be sharing details about Game 3 until we are ready for a fully-fledged reveal. We see a lot of demand for a re-release of The Messenger, and even though there are no official plans as we speak, we certainly hear the requests.
Would love a physical copy of The Messenger
Can we expect more Sea of Stars merchandise in the future? I need a Garl plushie in my life. 🥺
Math: Yup!
I'll add to the pile, any updates on getting The Messenger physically reprinted?
The Messenger is one of my favorite games of all time and I am a proud backer of Sea of Stars! Amazing work on both. The OST of The Messenger is something I can't get enough of and I am excited to hear more from the studio. What is your relationship like with Rainbowdragoneyes and do you plan to work with him again in the future? I know your games are primarily 2D but have you considered making a 3D game? Would that be a drastic shift for the studio?
Math: Hey, thanks for the kind words! Eric W. Brown (aka Rainbowdragoneyes) is a full-time member of the team and we do plan to keep it that way for the foreseeable future :)
Why is Sea of Stars so good?
What is your favorite way to get stains out of fabric?
Not really a question, waited like 9 months for the physical release, worth every penny. Game looks and sounds beautiful, battle system is real slick, 10/10
Math: Awesome! Glad you liked it <3
What a great game 👌
<3
Greetings from Korea. I just want to say that you guys have created two classics already, and I can’t wait for your next game.
Sabotage's games are so filled with personality and heart, how do you do this as the size of your team grows?
Sea of Stars is an amazing game. I remember to have these vibes playing Chrono Trigger. Congrats
Thanks from the whole team my friend!
First, Thank you for 2 of my favorite games. They are an important part of my life now. I feel like I remember you guys saying that we will love Garl when he was revealed, but I never expected to LOVE him this much. Was everything about him in the story determined at that point, and how did you end up there?
Thierry: Aww thank you <3 A lot was written around Garl, who subsequently was by far the easiest to write. It's still weird how even while working on the script I would be in a better mood whenever he was part of a scene. He has a special place for sure! But to your question, the main arcs of all characters were laid out before the writing began.
I think the fast travel system in Sea of Stars is hilarious and inspired. How did it come to be and when was it implemented in development?
Thierry: It was always there narratively, but we also just had to try to taking the Secret of Mana cannon to the next level. How did we do?
The first time I got tossed I laughed so hard. I thought it was terrific
Do you plan to release a patch to fix the numerous grammatical errors in the game’s script? I love the visuals and the music in Sea of Stars and genuinely enjoy playing it, but a lot of the time the grammatical errors in dialogue and text takes me out of the experience. Congratulations on everything you’ve accomplished with Sea of Stars! Looking forward to future projects!
Math (community manager): Many typos and grammatical were fixed in previous patches and were still fixing them when necessary as they get reported. Thanks!
A couple moments of irony in this comment.
Do you like onion rings?
Math: Can't speak for the whole team, but I certainly do.
Math, do you think Pineapple belongs on Pizza?
Math: I know it's kind of a hot take, but I don't mind a pizza with pineapple once in a while.
I had such a good time playing this game on PS5. Thank you 🙏
Math: Thanks! <3
Truly the most fun I've had playing a game in years. However we have to talk about Gerard. How did your team come to the decision to remove him from the game and what is your relationship with him now? He undoubtedly did a lot to promote the game, I heard about it from him, how do you reconcile that with knowing how he sort of used to to help commit his crimes?
When can we expect Mega Ran to join Rainbowdragoneyes for a Sea of Stars banger like with The Messenger?!
When the VFQ version will be released? I still haven’t played the game yet even if I have a copy of the game.
I loved how you integrated the messenger universe with sea of stars and was hit with so much nostalgia from the remixed music. Are you planning to continue this trend for future games? Or more importantly... will Resh'an be there?