The lovely Sea of Stars from 2023 is getting a sizable free update called Throes of the Watchmaker on May 20, 2025. The DLC takes Solstice Warriors Valere and Zale on a side adventure to the miniature clockwork world of Horloge. There, a cursed carnival threatens its residents and the Solstice Warriors will have to play by foreign rules set by the mischievous Puppeteer. Throes of the Watchmaker was originally announced as a stretch goal for the game’s Kickstarter campaign, but developer Sabotage Studio has decided to offer it for free to thank all their fans.
Sea of Stars fans can look forward to returning to the game as the DLC offers over eight hours of completely new areas, music, dungeons, mini-games, enemies, bosses, and puzzles. Sabotage’s composer, Eric W. Brown, returns along with guest composer Yasunori Mitsuda to deliver a new set of tracks for the world of Horloge. For this adventure, both Valere and Zale get new playable classes. Zale uses his agility to become a Juggler, while Valere takes advantage of her balance to be an Acrobat. Tying into the circus theme of the DLC, both Zale and Valere unlock a completely new set of attacks, damage types, skills, and combos.
The two Solstice Warriors will be joined by a new playable character named Arty—the Artificer. The friendly engineer robot unlocks the laser-shooting capabilities of his construct, helping Zale and Valere fight to save Horloge. The newly added couch co-op mode in the base game will also be available for Throes of the Watchmaker, allowing up to three players to play together.
As someone who grew up playing JRPGs like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, and Dragon Quest, I loved my time with Sea of Stars. The game offers a contemporary twist on a classic formula, serving as a gateway for an entirely new generation to explore a genre that defined my 1990s childhood.
