After Clair Obscur's hype, another J-inspired RPG with timing-based combat just launched a massive, free, and acclaimed new expansion

Sea of Stars is one of my favorite throwback RPGs of recent times, taking almost everything good about classic JRPGs of yesteryear and giving them a nice, modernised remix. And now, shortly after Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 did the same thing, Sea of Stars just released a massive, acclaimed expansion that's completely free for all existing owners.

We've known about Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker for a while, but the big expansion is now live across PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. If you already own the game or are subscribed to Xbox Game Pass, you also automatically gain access to Throes of the Watchmaker free of charge.

What's most impressive about the DLC is probably the reaction to it, however. Sea of Stars was already a huge hit when it came out in 2023, but the Throes of the Watchmaker DLC has a 100% perfect Steam score based on over 100 user reviews and counting.

"How - HOW was this free?" one user review reads. "It's absolutely magnificent stuff, clowning from start to finish (presumably, I'm yet to finish it, but goodness I love this.)" Others echo the same shocked sentiment: it's an expansion that adds an unbelievable amount to the game for no cost of entry.

For those unfamiliar, Throes of the Watchmaker introduces an entirely new area set inside a miniature clockwork world to the game. It kind of exists in the same way that Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty or The Outer Wilds' Echoes of the Eye does in the sense that you can enter at almost any point you choose from within the existing map.

"Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker is a wonderful addition to an already first-rate turn-based RPG," GamesRadar's James Daley wrote in his hands-on impressions. "Taking characters we know and sending them through the looking glass into a twisted world with a new party member and refreshing the game's combat is all the incentive needed for fans to return. As for newcomers, there's never been a better time to try this outstanding title."

Sea of Stars developer Sabotage Studio is mainly inspired by two things: Nintendo, and "every single game ever"