Stela Reviews
When it all clicks together, Stela makes for some beautiful platformer moments. When it doesn't, it's frustrating and obtuse.
Stela’s tight platforming and beautiful yet oppressive atmosphere can only go so far when the game as a whole does little to impress.
Stela is a nice break from the hectic shooters and other competitive style games. It opts for impeccable sounds and visual design in order to convey emotion throughout the three-hour playtime. But, don't let the overall length steer you away from something that's more akin to a short story than a full, AAA produced title. It's a worthy experience from start to finish, providing the right escape for those without a lot of free time on their hands.
As a fan of cinematic platformers, I rather enjoyed playing Stela from start to finish. Be that as it may, it didn't take me long at all, hence one of my leading (but not my only) concerns. At under three hours, and with little replay value to speak of, $19.99 is a lot to launch for on the Nintendo Switch. On sale, this would be one to consider for sure, depending on how burnt out you might be on the subgenre.
Stela feels like a golem, crafted from the bones and sinew of better titles. Sometimes, this can be a successful experiment: Darksiders, for example, may not contain a single unique gameplay concept but manages to forge its own path through its worldbuilding, characters, and art direction. Stela accomplishes no such feat, and so I spent most of my playtime wishing I was playing its inspirations instead.
There's no doubt that among the many influential indie games made over time Limbo is pretty high up there...
Stela is a platform-puzzler that's quite clearly been made in Inside's (and indeed Limbo’s) image. It's a serviceable approximation of Playdead's work, with a beautifully strange world and even a couple of neat ideas of its own. But it fails to immerse you in its world in quite the same way courtesy of some unfortunate flat spots.
Stela’s adventure is incredibly atmospheric and I certainly enjoyed playing through it, though the short run-time and slightly high price may put some gamers off. It offers a beautiful yet desolate world to explore and the brilliant sound design helps bring every intense moment to life, whilst each encounter with the grim creatures that ravage the environment will certainly keep you on the edge of your seat as you fight for your survival. Just don’t expect to be tested too much throughout the game, with most of Stela’s puzzles and platforming sequences feeling a little bit too simple in design and offering little challenge to the player.
Stela is a nice looking, but completely soulless game that tries to grab a piece of fame from popular developments, but is not able to offer anything new. This is the case when the graphics and music do not draw out a weak story against the background of too simple puzzles. However, we never had any illusions about this game.
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Overall though, even with how short it is, Stela is worth a playthrough if for only the visual and the musical presentation. It won’t take long to go through, but this is definitely something that should have the sound system on high and the lights turned low to allow yourself to immerse into the world as Stela runs and puzzles her way through it.
You won’t be disappointed in any way shape or form with this as a complete product.
It took me the best part of a month to come back to Stela in order to finish this review. I’m glad I did, as it still had some astonishing sights left to show me. But it was a close call.
Overall, Stela is a beautifully well-made game, with the score and the background creating a wonderfully immersive atmosphere. Its mysterious setup creates curiosity that would have been lost with a comprehensive storyline, allowing for an unique sensation despite its fairly common game style. While the puzzles aren't overly tough, keeping yourself levelheaded enough in real life to keep going was more than enough challenge for me, making Stela as interesting and fun as it is beautiful and immersive.
The only thing that could affect the beautiful art, the incredible music and the simple gameplay of Stela is the fact that it ends much sooner than it should.
A beautiful atmosphere paired with a lacklustre narrative and light gameplay make Stela feel like a mixture of great ideas that never reaches its potential.
Whilst the story that surrounds Stella went over my head, the world it built combined with an outstanding soundtrack still managed to touch me in ways I didn't consent to.
Stela is the sort of dark and moody platformer you’ll want to play after being saturated by colorful traps in Super Mario Maker 2. It does nothing new, and don’t expect to walk away from the experience with a new sense of profound realization. Nonetheless, you’ll enjoy the time you have with it, even if the ending is disappointing and the game requires a fair degree of trial and error.
Stela is an atmospheric platformer that offers solid puzzles and mechanics that will genuinely challenge the player, but may leave them wanting more than what is ultimately offered.