Sea Horizon Review: Set Sail With a Refreshing Rogue Deckbuilder

Over the years, I’ve covered a lot of games from publisher Eastasiasoft. Some good, some bad, and a few that were great. I appreciate their willingness to support a variety of different styles and genres, as well as occasionally tackling the rare mature-themed game. But the one thing I’ve never encountered from them was rogue deckbuilders, AKA one of my favorite genres. Well, now they’ve teamed up with Softstar and 45 Studio to bring just that in Sea Horizon. Though I took the project on a whim, I’m happy to report that not only was it a satisfying deckbuilding experience, but it’s also one of the best games I’ve covered yet from Eastasiasoft.

Rogues Gallery

If you’ve ever played games like Slay the Spire, the basic thrust of how Sea Horizon plays should be very familiar. Each playable character has a distinct combat style represented by a deck of cards. As you play and accrue experience, you’ll add more cards to the mix that can be found in future runs. That’s all great, and something I keep coming back to the genre for. But one way this game helps differentiate itself is with the energy required to utilize said cards.

So Much Loot

Every article of equipment, from your swords and guns to shields and accessories and even armor, has a different dice rating associated with it. Both in the number of dice that will be rolled if you equip that item, but also in the energy that may potentially show up on dice faces once the roll happens. Though you don’t directly control how the dice rolls, the computer does a reasonable job of automatically rolling it at the start of every turn. Your goal is to get enough energy to play as many cards from your hand as possible. Many possible rolls will feature a big fat X, which gives you nothing. You can affect that by equipping items with less X tiles, though you’ll generally always have a few to worry about.

Besides those horrible tiles, there are several other possibilities, from green leaves to blue squiggles. I don’t know the actual names of these energy symbols, but what matters is recognizing them on the cards in your deck, as well as making sure your equipped items don’t roll potential energy your cards can’t use. If that sounds complex, that’s because it is. It takes the RNG found in most deckbuilders and adds another layer of it, which may be frustrating for some players. And I won’t lie, this makes an already tough genre even harder. Despite that, I found myself really drawn in by Sea Horizon, and kept playing to get a little farther each run.

Clear Cut Controls

One reason I enjoyed the game so much was that it is pretty upfront about how everything works. You can select enemy units to see how they’re going to attack each turn, for example. The game also does an excellent job of explaining different status ailments. Hell, it even does a good job with the satiation mechanic, wherein it costs food to move on the map, and if you run out, it’s game over. Which honestly reminds me fondly of classics like Oregon Trail.

Besides the generally clear-cut mechanics and understandable gameplay, Sea Horizon also succeeds with a good range of playable characters. By playing through their stories, you’ll unlock new characters. Once you have a few, you can try different modes, such as tackling dungeons with more than one hero or a more open-ended exploration mode. There’s just a lot to do in the game, and the more you play, the more you’ll unlock. It’s a really commendable feedback loop that helps keep players invested.

Papercraft Pretty

Visually, Sea Horizon uses a simplistic yet attractive cel-shaded art style. While units lack a lot of intricate details, such as facial features, they nevertheless look unique and can be easily differentiated from others. The boss characters are generally cool-looking, such as one noteworthy demonic owl. Musically the game is a bit on the quiet side, which can sometimes be disappointing. Overall the art and music do a good job of drawing you in and keeping you playing.

Nearly Perfect

I have very few serious complaints about Sea Horizon, but one that surprised me was the mediocre translation. Though there are not too many grammatical errors, it nevertheless comes across awkwardly a lot of the time. In turn, this made me much less invested in the stakes set against my ragtag band of heroes. Other than that, though, I can’t really think of anything that held the game back. Just be sure to pay attention to which cards and items you have equipped at all times, and make them conform to your preferred playstyle.

Adventure Calls

Ultimately Sea Horizon was a very solid and enjoyable experience. While the quite steep difficulty and dual-component RNG can be tricky to deal with, and may push some gamers away, this is sure to appeal to hardcore fans of the deckbuilding genre. If you’re looking for something challenging and unique, I’d give Sea Horizon a shot.

Final Verdict: 4.5/5

Available on: Nintendo Switch (reviewed), PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Series X|S; Publisher: eastasiasoft, Softstar; Developer: 45 Studio; Players: 1; Released: October 20, 2022; ESRB: T for Teen – Blood, Violence; MSRP: $14.99

Editor’s note: The publisher provided a review copy to Hey Poor Player.