I would usually have said Earthbound or Chrono Trigger, but this year I’ve been playing Sea of Stars and it truly seems better. I never thought I’d say it. The writing, art, music, gameplay, movement, puzzles, characters, all are aimed in the exact same direction as what CT was trying to do and it goes farther in every way.
They were pretty deliberate about having very similar creative aims, standing on the shoulders; they even got Yasunori Mitsuda to help with their soundtrack. The game keeps on surprising me with its self awareness, beauty, and a depth of gameplay that keeps unfolding long after you have the measure of it.