Developed by Imageepoch, Stella Glow is a turn-based strategy JRPG that sees the player in the role of Alto, a young man that is suffering from amnesia. Unofficially adopted by friend Lisette, the game’s protagonist lives peacefully in the town of Mithra Village until the Witch of Destruction turns the town — and just about everyone inside of it — into crystal via a powerful song. Grief stricken by the event, Lisette transforms into the Water Witch using a crystal Alto gives her as a birthday present.
As the story unfolds, Alto and Lisette meet up with the Regnant Knights — a group of warriors that fight on the behalf of the land’s Queen. It’s quickly learned that Hilda, The Witch of Destruction, has been turning 
the entire country into crystal, and the only way to stop her is to reunite the four witches
that symbolize the four elements. The quest ahead is challenging and perilous.
Like most JRPGs, Stella Glow starts with a simple tutorial that introduces the main characters, the in-game controls, and the nuances of combat. The first enemy encounter is a hunting mission, where the player must kill a group of wolves for ‘steak meat’ for later consumption via a cinema. The game spends little time on introductions, but rather extends the intro scene across multiple sub-chapters with combat sequences sprinkled in for good measure. This sets the pace for Stella Glow.
From there, the game takes place in Lambert (the Royal Capital) after Alto graduates from a training exercise to become a Regnant Knight. The capital is the game’s central hub to obtain story-based missions, visit vendors to purchase and/or sell items, and save the game via Alto’s bedroom. Bianca’s Armory is where the player can purchase/sell armor and weapons for their party.
The selection of weapons available range from short swords to noble lances, to name just a few. But most importantly, the game provides a ‘Buy for Storage’ feature that is not commonly seen in most role-playing games. For example: any items purchased at Bianca’s Armory can be placed in storage for later use, preventing inventory clutter. This feature is shared between all vendors.
Free Time is another feature that helps accentuates Stella Glow’s gameplay. Much like Shin Megami Tensi: Devil Survivor, the player can use Free Time to visit locations outside the storyline. Using what is called the Destiny Clock (an item that is retrieved shortly during chapter one), the player can visit the Knight’s Barracks inside the Royal Capital to spend time with allies, among other locales.
The more time the player spends ‘bonding’ with allies, the more their abilities and skills will increase via the Affinity system (a form of XP system for conversations). Allies can be anyone in Alto’s party. The conversations shared between Alto and his allies will vary based on the current events of the story.
The game also provides a part-time job system that can only be accessed during Free Time. Available at the Red Bear Tavern via a bulletin board, the player can accept jobs to obtain money and items for later use. These jobs are relatively small and offer a much-needed break from the story line. It should be mentioned that Free Time is limited and should be used wisely. Once the player uses the number of turns available for Free Time, the game will return to ‘mission’ time and the main story will continue.
The World Map is used to travel between battles and story-based events, very much like the Shin Megami Tensi series. Story events are shown as yellow icons, while battles are depicted as red icons. Safe locations like the Royal Capital appear as green icons. The player can use the D-pad to move Alto across the World Map and enter the desired location by pressing A button.
Stella Glow may seem like a standard JRPG on the surface, but what separates it from other games in the genre is its combat system. For starters, combat happens on isometric, grid-based environments that switch to gorgeous, cinematic sequences when a party member or enemy attacks.
Aside from being turn-based, where characters are limited by a certain number of moves per turn, they can also be faced in one of four directions to add a tactical approach to combat. A character that attacks an enemy from behind or from the side is more likely to inflict critical damage than during a frontal assault. This can work on multiple enemies, but only if the player studies the battlefield and their enemies closely.
Every character comes with their own signature moves and special abilities that make them useful on the battlefield. For example: Klaus, the leader of the Regnant Knights, can use a skill called Lion’s Roar that can hit multiple enemies at once (if they’re standing behind each other), while Archibald (another member of the Regnant Knights) can use ‘Arkhe’s Impact — a move that can push enemies back one square on the battlefield. Despite being a witch that possess powerful magic, Lisette plays more of a support role through a good portion of the adventure. She gains XP when healing allies, and her attack spells have a very long range.
Combat also includes ‘Special Conditions’ before each battle. These conditions can include protecting a party member or eliminating a number of enemies with a specific character, to name just a few. The player isn’t required to complete these conditions, but they do provide substantial rewards that can help in later battles.
Stella Glow also benefits from having Anime-stye illustrations, 3D environments that pop with color and detail, and some of the best English dubbing in a JPRG. The entire ensemble is complimented by a compelling story and likable, chibi-style characters that develop rapidly throughout the game.
Stella Glow is the type of role-playing game that fans of Final Fantasy Tactics crave. It provides that delicate balance of character development, game mechanics and story that is difficult to find in today’s saturated market of role-playing games. If you’re a fan of strategy-based JRPGs, Stella Glow is one game worth owning; period.
Mike Pittaro
Platform: Nintendo 3DS
Developer: Imageepoch
Publisher: Atlus
ESRB: T (Teen)
Price: $49.99
Stella Glow Official Wbesite:
http://www.atlus.com/stellaglow/
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |  |
| Brightly colored manga illustrations, chibi-style characters, and eye-pleasing environments comprise the enigmatic world of Stella Glow. | |
| Sound | |
| The English dubbing is some of the best ever heard in a JRPG. | |
| Gameplay | |
| Traditional turn-based combat and skill system. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Stella Glow - while appearing average on the surface -- benefits from having likable characters and a perplexingly deep story. | |
