Stella Glow Reviews
As we come to the end of the year, I figured there'd be an Atlus-published strategy RPG on my game of the year list; I just never imagined there'd be two. But Stella Glow made beautiful music with my heart, and you definitely need to pick it up and get that soundtrack CD. Good night, Imageepoch – sadly, there will be no encores.
Stella Glow is influenced by traditional tactics games through and through, but Imageepoch's distinctive contributions to the genre and glossy finish prove that it's stellar on its own terms. It's as if the company wrapped up its love for the industry in its masterwork and issued an open challenge to top it.
Needless to say, I had a ball with Stella Glow. From the opening moments in Mithra Village the game had me hooked to it's satisfying story, rich characters, and rewarding strategic gameplay. That writing this review is the only thing keeping me from continuing my adventures with the 9th Regiment is perhaps the best way I can convey the utter delight I feel while playing. While the knowledge that the company that brought this game to life are defunct is sobering, at the very least the team at Imageepoch got to say goodbye with a fantastic effort. Who would have though witches and upbeat pop music could be such a winning combination?
A fitting swan song for imageepoch and another gem in the 3DS' legendary RPG lineup, Stella Glow is smart, stylish, and seriously satisfying. Fans of SRPGs will get a kick out of the combat, characters, and strategy, the fun, fast-paced story will keep you entertained to the end, and the musical motif works wonderfully, winding its way through the gameplay and presentation with ease. A few interface wobbles keep it from being a totally perfect show, but they're minor concerns in an otherwise spellbinding performance. Stella Glow is absolutely worth singing about.
It is an excellent game all around, and an amazing surprise coming from a developer with a history a middling games and a turbulent ending. You would be missing out if you don't it a shot.
Stella Glow is a good Strategy-RPG that doesn't do anything to push the genre forward, partially because the genre is already so forward to begin with. For fans of anime, J-Pop or Strategy role-playing in general, the game is definitely worth checking out. The game packs plenty of content as it can take you between 30-50 hours to finish, depending on how much you like to grind.
Succinctly summarizing Stella Glow has proven surprisingly difficult. In many ways it feels like your average JRPG strategy game, and in some places it even stumbles over itself with attempts at being cute or sexy. However, there are also enough strong points that really shine through and make the game stand out from the crowd, even if its best features are reminiscent of ideas from more noteworthy titles.