There’s no shortage of games on sale during Black Friday week, but if you’re in the mood for an old-school RPG with gorgeous 16-bit pixel-art aesthetics, Sea of Stars is an easy recommendation. A tribute to a bygone era of video games, it’s a fun adventure that offers nostalgic action and a riveting story.
$25 (was $35)
Normally $35 for its physical edition, you can grab it for just $25 currently on Switch, PS5, or Xbox Series X. This is also a good time to jump into the game, as a recent free update added three-player couch co-op mode, updated combat, and numerous quality-of-life tweaks.
“Sea Of Stars is a classic SNES-era turn-based RPG that holds up next to the titans of the era,” Jason Fanelli wrote in GameSpot’s Sea of Stars review. “There are bits and pieces of those classics scattered throughout this game, but Sea Of Stars doesn’t just rest on the laurels of its predecessors. In a crowded year of big-budget AAA releases, Sea Of Stars has an impeccable sense of craft that helps it stand tall alongside them.”
Something that’ll pair very nicely with the game is its official art book. Full of beautiful illustrations done by lead concept artist Bryce Kho, this book was released earlier this year and it’s currently priced at $39 (was $50).
This a hardcover 272-page book, and inside you’ll find illustrations of the characters, worlds, and lore of the game. The cover is especially nice, as it features metallic accents on top of the artwork of the game’s protagonists Valere and Zale.
Sea of Stars is just one of several JRPGs on sale during Black Friday, and for anyone looking for more games in this genre, there’s a lot to choose from. One of the biggest games in this category, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, is on sale for $40 (was $70), and other games like Persona 5 Royal on PS5 and Star Ocean: The Second Story R are just $20 each.