In 2023, Sabotage released Sea of Stars, a role-playing game set thousands of years before the studio’s previous game The Messenger. Packed with puzzles, engaging turn-based combat, and a classic art style, the title saw universal acclaim, with many critics comparing it to heavy hitters like Super Mario RPG and Chrono Trigger.
To celebrate five million players, the devs took to the official Sabotage website to announce the upcoming three-player couch co-op mode, also including a brief teaser trailer.
The new mode, called Single Player+, will allow three players to venture across the world together, engaging in exploration and combat as a team. The mode is currently in active development and a release date is expected soon.
Combat will also be upgraded in Single Player+, with players needing to get used to a new ‘co-op timed hits’ mechanic.
In Sea of Stars, players control Valere and Zale, Solstice Warriors who utilize the power of the sun and moon to fight a god-like alchemist called the Fleshmancer. They are joined on their quest by Garl, a warrior-cook and childhood friend, Seraï, an assassin, B’st, a golem, and Resh’an, an immortal alchemist.
The game won Best Indie Game at the 2023 Golden Joystick Awards and Best Independent Game at The Game Awards 2023.
Sea of Stars is available for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The game was released in 2023 after a delay to prioritize the dev team’s health and ensure that the title was properly completed to the company’s standards.
The game is free to Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass subscribers. It’s also available on PlayStation Plus’ Extra and Premium membership tiers.