While Expedition 33 has us all hyped about turn-based RPGs, one of the genre’s recent greats is getting a big, free DLC next month

As a long-time fan of turn-based RPGs, it’s been amazing to see Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and its devs get all sorts of praise. And now, I hope that praise can turn into more success for the genre, and here is an early chance for it to do so for one of its recent best titles.

Announced this morning, Throes of the Watchmaker is a free DLC expansion for the 2023 RPG Sea of Stars, featuring over eight hours of new areas, enemies, bosses, puzzles, and more, like new playable classes for existing characters and a new playable character named Arty.

To put it plainly, Sea of Stars is a game that deserves your attention, much like Expedition 33. As many gamers have had a “wait, I like this” moment with the game after thinking they were not fans of turn-based RPGs, I think that Sea of Stars is another one that should get the same open-mindedness.

The similarities between Expedition 33 and Sea of Stars are pretty cool. Both are turn-based RPGs from small studios, both put a twist on the combat by adding timing and parrying, and both are priced lower than they probably should be (Expedition 33 is $49.99 and Sea of Stars is $34.99).

While Expedition 33 has made waves for being such a stellar game in the genre, and rightfully so, there hasn’t been a shortage of really strong turn-based RPGs in recent years. Sea of Stars was one of my favorites that I played for a handful of hours after it launched, but I ended up in the hospital for a few weeks not long after that and have never found the time to go back and play it again. Hopefully, this DLC changes that.

Sea of Stars features a gorgeous retro aesthetic to go along with its turn-based battles, and it even has three-player couch co-op, which seems pretty unheard of these days. All of it makes for a very interesting prospect.

Throes of the Watchmaker is endgame content, so you won’t be able to play it right away if you pick up Sea of Stars now, but it’s most likely going to be a worthwhile investment. While its retro graphics may turn others away, especially considering how attractive Expedition 33’s gorgeous AAA visuals are by comparison, I don’t think it should. Give it a chance and you may find another favorite.

Sea of Stars is currently on sale on Xbox, but it’s also included with Game Pass (and available on Steam and PS5 as well), so there’s nothing to lose when it comes to giving it a shot. Throes of the Watchmaker launches on May 20.