Much as Clair Obscure Expedition 33 has forged a new path for what JRPGs can be in 2025, so Sea of Stars did two years prior. The stunning pixel-art adventure from Canadian team Sabotage Studio shares a lot of common ground with Sandfall Interactive's masterpiece. It draws tremendous inspiration from genre classics, with Chrono Trigger in particular a clear influence, then builds on those concepts with fresh ideas of its own, garnishes them with satisfying combat, and wraps them in beautiful art direction. Now, as Sabotage unleashes a major story DLC for free, you can get Sea of Stars at its lowest price yet on Steam.
turn-based RPG space, and even more so if you're looking for that next thrill after the incredible rush of Clair Obscur Expedition 33. Much like the French hit, it boasts an immensely likeable cast, ambiguous, shades-of-gray antagonists, a story that packs in ridiculous levity and heart-wrenching emotions in equal measure, a soundtrack that will be stuck in your head within seconds of hearing it, and combat that fuses a turn-based core with distinctive, character-specific action prompts to keep you on your toes.
Sabotage has spent nearly two years crafting a free expansion "as a heartfelt thank you to our fans." Throes of the Watchmaker is out now, and available as a free to anyone who owns the original. It's set after the events of the main story, so you'll need to finish that first, at which point you can return to the world map where you'll be sent a missive from Hortence to return to the Vespertine, kicking the events of the new story into action.
In case the title didn't give it away, Throes of the Watchmaker sends you into a miniaturized, clockwork world built by the eponymous engineer and sealed to lock away a dangerous curse that plagues it. This circus-themed land plays by unique rules, forcing protagonists Zale and Valere to adopt new skill sets; the former becomes a Juggler, while the latter takes up the role of an Acrobat. They're ed by another, beloved familiar face from the main story, now elevated to the status of playable character.
Throes of the Watchmaker includes more than eight hours of new environments, NPCs, dungeons, enemies, bosses, and of course another narrative to uncover. Eric W. Brown returns with a fresh soundtrack, ed by the guest appearance of legendary Chrono Trigger composer Yasunori Mitsuda. The DLC also s the couch co-op mode introduced to the base game, allowing each player to control one party member in combat.
Sea of Stars is 35% off on Steam until Tuesday June 3, meaning you'll pay just $22.74 / £19.17 for your copy. Subscribers to PC Game can also access it via the Xbox app. The Throes of the Watchmaker DLC is available now as a free for all players. Find it right here and prepare to take on another unforgettable journey.
Alternatively, keep your eyes out for more of the best RPGs on PC right now, to make sure you aren't missing anything special.
You can follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides. We've also got a vibrant community Discord server, where you can chat about this story with of the team and fellow readers.