Book Review: Sea of Stars: The Concept Art of Bryce Kho
Old school JRPG nostalgia hits back
Sea of Stars is the RPG released in 2023 by Sabotage Studios.
When I saw the artworks for the first time, I was reminded of the concept art for Secret of Mana, more specifically Seiken Densetsu 3 (Trials of Mana). The nostalgia of old-school JRGPs hit hard as I look at the manga-style character and enemy designs.
This large format 272-page hardcover video game companion artbook is published by 3dtotal Publishing.
Bulk of the book is filled with beautiful hand-drawn concept art by Bryce Kho for the characters and monsters, with only a few pages for the environments. I don't see many props. There is no separate section just for weapons, and weapons are always held by the characters and monsters.
Highlight of this artbook is definitely the charm on hand-drawn character designs. I love the dynamism and variety of the designs. You can get a good sense of that even on the busy cover art. The last few pages with the full page splash or poster artworks are absolutely gorgeous.
The pages are also filled with commentary from Bryce Kho and Thierry Boulanger, creative director at Sabotage Studios. If you like game development, or you're a fan of this game, this book is for you.
This is a fantastic artbook. I've to add it to my list of 2024 favourites.
Here are direct links to the book:
Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.de | Amazon.fr | Amazon.it | Amazon.es | Amazon.com.au | Amazon.co.jp
This book was borrowed from Basheer Graphic Books for review purposes. You can order the book from them. Check with Basheer on Facebook.
Comments
This review perfectly…
This review perfectly captures the magic of Sea of Stars and its nostalgic connection to classic JRPGs! The comparison to Secret of Mana and Seiken Densetsu 3 really resonates, as the art style truly evokes that old-school charm. I love how the focus is on hand-drawn character and enemy designs—Bryce Kho's dynamic artistry really shines through, even just from the cover art. It's a bit of a shame that there's less emphasis on environments and props, but it sounds like the character designs more than make up for it. I can’t wait to get my hands on this artbook and dive deeper into the world of Sea of Stars! Thanks for the detailed review—it’s definitely moving up my must-buy list!
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