They have done it again, Sabotage Studios has earned another shining golden star for the latest foray into the world of Sea of Stars! JRPG fans rejoice for your chance to experience a new story, gameplay and world found in the latest DLC Throes of the Watchmaker! Venture into the world of the Watchmaker, a maddening carnival of clockwork under the thumb of the Puppeteer.
Tick Tok Goes the Clock
Throes of the Watchmaker is a self-contained, 8-hour story that opens with the tale of the famed Clockwork Tower and the engineers who built it. However, its construction failed to escape the corruption of Aephorul, leading to the Watchmaker calling for the Solstice Warriors’ aid. Dive into a clockwork world outside the realm of Sea of Stars, where nothing is as it seems, new challenges await, and you face the inner demons of our beloved solstice warrior,s Valere and Zale!
Wacky new characters burst onto the scene, including the puppeteer and her two clown sidekicks, Pif and Pouf—my personal favourite NPCs from Throes of the Watchmaker. Instead of relying on the familiar ‘chosen one (two)’ arcs from Sea of Stars, the story dives deeper into the psyches of both Valere and Zale. We also get a fantastic side character in Artificer, who joins you. The storytelling prowess of Sea of Stars is still in full display, with dazzling cutscenes and excellent world-building.
A Clockwork Ocean
The carnival style within a clockwork realm was at first a little jarring and difficult to acclimate yourself to. The spectacle of the clockwork world fades into the background, overshadowed by the rich atmosphere and setting crafted by the artists and developers at Sabotage. It’s a true testament to how thoughtfully and seamlessly this world comes together. Furthermore, I came to understand why the backdrop was a carnival. To bring you out of the high fantasy JRPG style you’ve grown accustomed to and give you a truly unique, almost uncomfortable, experience. This is clearly a hostile place to fight your way through, and I wholeheartedly commend this DLC for doing that! Veteran composers Eric W. Brown and Yasunori Mitsuda return to once again to deliver another solid score for this DLC.
Like Clockwork
As previously stated, the world of the Watchmaker is an uncomfortable one, and this is reflected in the gameplay. Prepare for a higher difficulty curve with some fearsome and hard-hitting bosses and mobs. For all you lower difficulty players, remember to set your relics! Throes of the Watchmaker delightfully flips the script by giving Valere and Zale completely revamped playstyles, so don’t expect your endgame characters to steamroll. A whole new set of skills is given to our heroes with a Cirque du solstice twist. As with most JRPGs, the real spectacle is in the extraordinary boss fight set pieces found in this DLC. Some wickedly creative bosses (and one extremely bland!) with engaging and challenging turn-based combat to boot. The highly touted and polished rhythmic combat returns with a vengence to Throes of the Watchmaker.
Verdict Throes of the Stars
This free DLC is a welcome addition to the Sea of Stars title. It being the first as well makes it all the more impressive. There are very few weak points to speak of here. With some great set pieces and story, Throes of the Watchmaker is a must for any Sea of Stars fan.
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