Sea of Stars unveils local co-op and more in Dawn of Equinox, a massive free update for the smash-hit ode to classic JRPGs

A year after its monumental release, stunning turn-based RPG Sea of Stars is set to get a big free update featuring everything from three-player local co-op to a relic for speedrunners.

Dawn of Equinox arrives on November 12 this year, adding countless fan-requested features to Sea of Stars ahead of Throes of the Watchmaker in 2025. Most excitingly, the entirety of the game's story will be playable by up to three players together thanks to a new couch co-op mode. That's not all that's coming for fans looking to enjoy the RPG with friends, though - the addition of co-op also marks the Co-op Timed Hits combat mechanic.

The combat in its entirety is changing, too - Mystery Locks are bringing a gameplay loop that allows players to reveal how enemies' spells may be broken upon each new encounter. Along with the "Reveal" abilities joining certain characters' special skills, Combo Points will remain even after a battle ends now. Developer Sabotage Studio is also reworking the game's balance to address past feedback and these coming combat-related changes.

Players can choose between new difficulty presets now when starting a fresh game, too, using relics. Various relics are arriving with Dawn of Equinox, with difficulty and quality-of-life related relics underway - as well as a unique speedrunner-specific one with helpful features for fans interested in landing a personal best or impressive world record. While I'm not a speedrunner myself, it's refreshing to see devs take what'd be useful to fans so seriously.

There's even more content coming with Dawn of Equinox, too - from a revamped prologue to a brand-new cinematic scene dubbed "Paths on Water," the update boasts enough to tide fans over until Throes of the Watchmaker's spring release. Sea of Stars has already proven itself as a genre gem, though, from its triumph in the Best Indie Game category at the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 to its dedicated community that harbored over four million players in under four months.

C