The Underrated 87 Metacritic RPG That Proved Turn-Based Games Aren’t Going Anywhere (Well Before Expedition 33)

Turn-based RPGs aren’t for everyone, and that has become even more true in the modern age of gaming and digital media. These days, it only takes a few seconds for someone to decide whether a video on YouTube or TikTok is worth their time, so when a turn-based RPG asks them to stop after every action to contemplate the next one, they might find the slower pace equally hard to engage with. This is largely due to how modern audiences have been conditioned to expect constant momentum and instant feedback, rather than regular pauses that encourage patience and thought. Even so, an underrated RPG with a score of 87 on Metacritic proved a few years ago that turn-based games aren’t going anywhere, and yet the success of such games continues to surprise.

In 2023, indie developer Sabotage Studios released the turn-based RPG Sea of Stars to rave reviews, with the Nintendo Switch version even achieving universal acclaim according to Metacritic. From roughly the mid-2010s onward, turn-based RPGs were often labeled as slow, dated, or too demanding for broader audiences, so publishers began pivoting away from them in favor of real-time combat that felt more cinematic, modern, and accessible. Turn-based RPGs weren’t dead in the water, by any means, with games like Persona 5 and Divinity: Original Sin 2 being proof of that. However, the success of Sea of Stars showed that the genre’s problem was never relevance, but perception. Yet, every time a turn-based RPG finds real success, it still seems to catch people off guard.

Sea of Stars Metacritic Scores By Platform

• PC – 87
• PS5 – 87
• Xbox Series X|S – 89
• Nintendo Switch – 90

For Some Reason, the Success of Turn-Based Games Continues to Surprise

The latest example of this phenomenon is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a 2025 turn-based RPG that has gone on to win more Game of the Year awards than Elden Ring, the previous record-holder. Naturally, many were surprised by its success, as turn-based systems were increasingly perceived as niche and irrelevant. Even the game’s developer was taken aback, with creative director Guillaume Broche stating in an interview with Edge Magazine (via GamesRadar) that Clair Obscur‘s success was “completely unexpected from pretty much everybody.”

Still, its initial success gradually led to even more, as many of those who once dismissed the game for one reason or another told a different story after picking it up. Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek, for example, was vocal about his disinterest in Expedition 33 and not wanting it to win at the Game Awards, and even lobbied for another game to win instead. However, he didn’t play it at all early on, and his public stance was shaped more by preference and hype around other titles than actual experience with the RPG. Then, after the game won multiple awards and people in his community urged him to try it, Shroud finally streamed Expedition 33 and admitted he enjoyed it more than he expected.

An All-Too-Familiar Pattern That Doesn’t Really Make Sense

At this point, that pattern of turn-based RPG, surprise, turn-based RPG, surprise is all too familiar. A promising title is revealed, expectations are modest, skepticism follows, then it launches, and everyone acts like something completely unexpected just happened. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and even Sea of Stars are better classified as hybrid turn-based RPGs that still require players to stay on their toes at all times. Persona 5 isn’t hybrid, though, and it’s widely considered one of the greatest games ever made.

Again, this just proves that the “downfall” of turn-based RPGs comes down to perception more than anything. Sure, there are people out there who simply don’t like the turn-based formula and probably never will, but that’s true of any genre. The idea that it is entirely irrelevant because of modern digital conditioning simply isn’t true because, not only will there always be an audience for it, but the RPG genre also finds its roots there. The problem comes when publishers and developers continue reinforcing that idea by releasing non-turn-based games under the pretense that the genre is dead. Games like Final Fantasy 16 come to mind here, which was the first mainline Final Fantasy game to be fully real-time action with no turn-based or hybrid systems underneath, all because the developer felt that players didn’t like turn-based games anymore. Ironically, it launched just two months before Sea of Stars.

Sea of Stars Proved Turn-Based Games Weren’t Dead Before Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Left Its Mark

So, how did Sea of Stars manage to find the success that it did, especially in an industry that is supposedly hostile toward turn-based RPGs? A big part of that comes down to how it met modern gamers halfway. While it, like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, is unmistakably turn-based, it rarely allows players a moment to pause. Timed attacks, active blocking, visible enemy intent, and a constant emphasis on rhythm and flow keep combat moving even when the turn-based design slows things down. Essentially, it respects the genre’s foundations without asking players to tolerate long stretches of inactivity.

Presentation also played a major role in Sea of Stars‘ positive reception. Its vibrant pixel art and expressive animations were only half of it too, as the soundtrack was praised as one of the game’s standout elements. It’s clearly not trying to simply be a nostalgic throwback, though, but instead something that is immediately readable and inviting, even for players who might normally shy away from turn-based RPGs. Considering first impressions are everything these days, a game’s presentation almost matters more than how it executes its gameplay.

Most importantly, however, Sea of Stars proved that the audience for turn-based RPGs hasn’t gone anywhere. Today, that honor might be given to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, but games like Sea of Stars and even Persona 5 or Chained Echoes before it (yet another highly acclaimed turn-based RPG) helped make that point clear well ahead of time. None of these games succeeded by accident or in spite of being turn-based. Turn-based RPGs succeed when developers stop treating the format like a liability and start designing around it with confidence. Sea of Stars wasn’t a sign of life for the genre because turn-based games clearly never died. More than anything else, it seems that it has simply been misunderstood and shoved aside.

Released

August 29, 2023

ESRB

E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language

Developer(s)

Sabotage

Publisher(s)

Sabotage