Reviewing a gratuitous DLC is hard because it feels like I’m nitpicking everything. After all, it’s free, so what do you have to lose? Time, that is.
Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker brings to the table 8 hours of new content, andif you’re not in the mood or didn’t like the base Sea of Stars for any reason, it’s 8 hours you shouldn’t spend here.
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However, if you loved Sea of Stars, never returned to it in the last two years, and are hungering for more puzzles, platforming, turn-based combats, and some sweet, sweet boss designs, you’re in for a treat. Throes of the Watchmaker is more of the same, with a few tweaks here and there, so fans of the RPG know exactly what to expect.
After almost 8 hours of content, all trophies earned, and a secret discovered after collecting all Time Runes, I’m ready to discuss my Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker experience in this review.
Giving Love To The Protagonists
The story of Throes of the Watchmaker has us helping, well, the Watchmaker, a character who aided the Fleshmancer create the Clockwork Castle in the past. However, unaware of his evil agenda, or choosing to ignore it, the Fleshmancer hid a corrupted cog among the raw materials in the Watchmaker’s workshop.
Eventually, the Watchmaker built a clock so intricate that a world of its own was born inside it. Much to her chagrin, she used the corrupted cog planted by the Fleshmancer, which turned out to be none other than a Seed of Evil.
When the Watchmaker visited the world inside the clock, called Horloge, her essence was drained by the Seed of Evil, and from it, an evil twin was born, the Puppeteer.
That’s when the Watchmaker asks Zale and Valere for help to save the world inside Horloge. In exchange, she will restore Keenathan’s name. This simple premise motivates our warriors to embark on a new journey.
This same premise also justifies why many ofour party membersstay behind—after all, if everyone went inside Horloge, we’d have to deal with too many evil twins. That’s why the Artificer becomes our third playable member. Being an automaton, he basically has no essence.
Overall, the plot in Throes of the Watchmaker is nothing groundbreaking. We have a goal, and we achieve that goal. The real highlight here is that Sabotage Studios saw an opportunity with these evil twins to better explore Zale and Valere’s personalities and add more layers to what I always consideredrather shallow protagonists.
It doesn’t take long before we run into the protagonists' twins, oozing the darkest sides of each Solstice Warrior.
Zale’s twin is highly vain, revealing that the man only became a hero because he craved admiration. Valere’s, on the other hand, is angry and unrelenting, showing that all her discipline and resolve are just an excuse for her to go around smashing everything and everyone.
If you’re jumping into Throes of the Watchmaker looking for an unusual story or a clever plot, you might end up disappointed.
At first, it’s interesting. My major gripe with Sea of Stars was how the protagonists were so homogeneous that if you removed their portraits from the dialogue box, you wouldn’t know who was speaking. Apparently, the developer took that feedback to heart, butas much as it’s interesting to see this more fragile and negative side of both, I still feel it’s too little, too late.
No matter what the DLC strives to do, the main story of Sea of Stars remains unchanged. Zale and Valere will still be constantly overshadowed by Garl for no reason whatsoever, while only being useful because they have Solstice Warrior powers.
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I appreciate the effort to give them more identity, but since the DLC is entirely optional content, it feels like sugarcoating a problem that, unfortunately, cannot be fixed anymore.
If you’re jumping into Throes of the Watchmaker looking for an unusual story or a clever plot, you might end up disappointed. There’s heart and dedication here, but ultimately, it’s still not enough to make up for the main campaign’s issues, and the new narrative is nothing to write about.
Fresh Character, New Classes, Same Battle
Right off the bat, the DLC carefully resets all your characters' progression. No levels, no equipment, no skills, or combos. Zale and Valere take on new classes, while Arty, the third and new character, naturally starts from scratch.
This was great because it had been two years since I last booted up Sea of Stars, so it really helped me get my bearings again. At the same time, it doesn’t take long before we start learning new skills or leveling up.
Like in the base game, the level is shared across the party, so everyone gets stronger when we hit an XP threshold. But unlike before,we don’t choose an individual stat to upgrade for each character. Now they all grow automatically.
There are also only six levels in total, called Renown. Each level teaches new skills and combos to the group, expanding our toolkit and gameplay variety since each skill comes with itsown battle gimmick.
Zale is now a Juggler, and one of his skills has him tossing torches at the enemy, getting more hits the better we nail the timing. Valere is an Acrobat with acrobatic skills, while Arty is a robot that does robot stuff.
At first, the protagonists' new classes feel like a breath of fresh air. It helped me get back into the swing of combat without overwhelming me with too many options. I quickly remembered how the lock system, combos, and boosting worked, and I could effortlessly enjoy this nostalgicturn-based combatonce again.
But then, it hit me. Throes of the Watchmaker felt entirely dedicated to getting me reacquainted with the world of Sea of Stars. It’s like it knew I had been away from the game for years and gradually reintroduced me to its systems in a measured way, but not so hand-holding as if it were my first time. This extended not only to the battle and progression systems but to the whole DLC.
Re-Learning The Ropes
Right in the first area, the DLC threw a grappling spot my way, reminding me that I had a grappling hook. After that, it showed some boxes that could be pushed with a burst of air, plus pressure platforms that required me to fall from above to activate. It was basically a second tutorial.
I may be entirely wrong, but I sense that Throes of the Watchmaker is not a DLC designed for Sea of Stars first timers. Instead,its content is clearly made for longtime fans who’ve been away from the game.
If it were my first time playing Sea of Stars and I jumped into the world of Horloge, its design would’ve felt redundant, maybe even patronizing. I don’t say this in a bad way. In fact, I appreciated these constant reminders, but it’s worth pointing out for anyone thinking of giving the DLC a shot.
It was an absolute joy revisiting Sea of Stars through Throes of the Watchmaker, but that’s because I was already someone who loved the base game.
Of course, there are novelties and some new features in Throes of the Watchmaker. In the first town, there are three minigames that use gimmicks of certain party members' skills. The Wheels minigame returns, and now we have the Warlock, a new piece.
In the second dungeon, we find a new tool that unlocks a whole new type of puzzle, which is highly creative, might I say. However, by the end of the DLC, I noticed I had just played the same game but with a new skin.
And almost literally a new skin, because Zale and Valere even change outfits when they switch classes. There are new enemies, each with their own abilities, new beautiful soundtracks composed by Eric Barone and the glorious Yasunori Mitsuda, and a whole set of unique cinematics that really bring out all that nostalgic, charming beauty of Sea of Stars.
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On a side note, extra points for the boss’s designs. One boss uses the Wheels minigame as its battle mechanic, which is extremely lore-fitting while being utterly entertaining.
It was an absolute joy revisiting Sea of Stars through Throes of the Watchmaker, but that’s because I was already someone who loved the base game. Those engaging with the game for the first time or who dropped it midway might be better off skipping the DLC. Otherwise, it’ll feel like a bloated re-experience instead of that longtime reunion with an old love, like it was for me.
Closing Thoughts
Throes of the Watchmaker feels like a love letter from Sabotage Studios to all the players and fans who believed in, funded, and engaged with Sea of Stars. The DLC doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, and despite introducing new features, the essence and gameplay loop are the same as the base game. The highlight of the DLC is how it tries to give more personality to the protagonists, Zale and Valere. While it succeeds in doing so in isolation, it still feels like sugarcoating an unfixable problem. If you miss Sea of Stars, try Throes of the Watchmaker. Otherwise, it might not be worth your time.
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