Stella Glow

Genre: Turn-Based Strategy-RPG

Players: 1

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Review:

Stella Glow is a Turn-Based Strategy-RPG released in 2015, the last game released by developer Imageepoch before they shut their doors. This game is told from the perspective of a young amnesiac man, Alto, raised in a village that one day finds its people turned to crystal by a mysterious witch, and he resolves to head out to save the townsfolk, aided by his childhood friend, who transforms into a witch herself during the events that transpired in the village.

The story of Stella Glow isn’t an especially original one within the genre, following some pretty typical anime-style storytelling beats within a medieval fantasy world, but the story is at least decently well-written and well-localized, and benefits from some very good voice acting. In addition, the soundtrack, partly by Chrono Trigger/Cross and Xenogears composer Yasunori Mitsuda, is excellent, with some really catchy songs that fit well within the anime aesthetic and fantasy setting. Some standout tracks include Alto’s Determination, Battle – South Valley, To the Sea, Rusty Key, and The Moon, to name a few.

The graphical presentation here is not technically impressive, but it is at least nicely-polished, featuring some very nice anime-style artwork and anime cutscenes in-between battles, and simple but detailed 3D artwork in the battles themselves, with 3D chibi-style versions of the characters that look decent enough, but certainly nothing special.

As for the gameplay itself, Stella Glow is a solid but not especially original entry within the genre. The game uses pretty standard Tactics-style Strategy-RPG gameplay, and in between battles it utilizes a limited time element and a character relationship mechanic that will seem familiar to players of more recent games in the Fire Emblem series. There’s nothing here that takes any missteps, but there’s also nothing here that really tries something new and original.

There is one major complaint I have, though. This game is very story-focused, and this can mean that you could go for quite a long while in the game without seeing any actual gameplay. This is particularly frustrating in the first hour or two of the game, when you haven’t yet opened up many of the gameplay elements that give you some degree of freedom. Thankfully things improve somewhat after the lengthy prologue, but be aware that the pacing in this game overall could use some tightening up.

All things considered though, Stella Glow is a solid entry in the Strategy-RPG genre. It may not be especially original, but what it lacks in originality, it makes up for with a delightful presentation and solid gameplay. If you’re a fan of the genre who owns a Nintendo 3DS, this is definitely a game you’ll want to consider adding to your collection.

tl;dr – Stella Glow is a Turn-Based Strategy-RPG where players follow the story of a young man and his childhood friend as they try to revive their village after an attack by a mysterious witch. The core gameplay and presentation here are both very good, albeit nothing truly extraordinary. And the only major flaw here is some pacing issues, especially at the start of the game. However, overall this is a fine entry in the genre well worth seeking out by genre fans.

Grade: B

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