PlayStation Plus Game Catalog Gets A New Day-One Release In August

PlayStation Plus Extra and Deluxe subscribers are getting a nostalgic RPG to add to their libraries in August, as Sea of Stars will be available as a day-one release on that service. A love letter to JRPGs of SNES and Sega Genesis era, Sea of Stars will join the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog catalog on August 29, and a demo is now available on PS5 and PS4.

According to developer Sabotage Studio, Sea of Stars combines retro aesthetics and modern design to create an experience that is nostalgic but isn't held back by some of the more troublesome game design decisions of the past. One of the other big features in the game is its traversal system, which Sabotage says was designed to be more varied and seamless.

"Too often, we have fought epic monsters only to have then go out of our way to reach the next objective because a fallen tree was blocking the way," Sabotage explained in a PS Blog update. "With Sea of Stars, we set out to move as far away from tile-based movement as possible to create something that would feel lighter and more seamless, while allowing for a more varied moveset, and in turn, offer more opportunities for players to interact with the environment during their adventures. We wanted exploration to be as fully fleshed out as combat."

For the demo, players can explore areas that will be part of the final game, several of the gameplay systems, and mechanics focused on dungeon-crawling and combat. While PS Plus gets Sea of Stars and several other games in August, it'll also be losing a few titles to make space. Next month, you can say goodbye to the Yakuza series and Borderlands 3.

Sea of Stars will also be coming to Xbox Game Pass next month as a day-one release. We've also now learned the full PlayStation Plus Essential lineup for August 2023.