Stella Glow

 3DS
  • Publisher: Atlus
  • Release Date: Nov 17, 2015
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 130 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 106 out of 130
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 130
  3. Negative: 12 out of 130
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  1. MeleeHD
    Apr 28, 2018
    7
    this game is not so bad if you're looking to scratch an itch for tactical RPG games. For anyone wondering, this game is also much closer in comparison to Final Fantasy Tactics, rather than Fire Emblem (which personal i don't really like the style of). I am a fan of anime, but the characters in this game were nothing special and I didn't really feel like I could emotionally connect with anythis game is not so bad if you're looking to scratch an itch for tactical RPG games. For anyone wondering, this game is also much closer in comparison to Final Fantasy Tactics, rather than Fire Emblem (which personal i don't really like the style of). I am a fan of anime, but the characters in this game were nothing special and I didn't really feel like I could emotionally connect with any of them (until almost the end of the game), the characters along with the writing was very bland. The story though, wasn't that bad, i enjoyed it to the end (no spoilers, but i thought the ending was kind of weird...). Characters do get more bearable as you play more, but this game is kind of slow towards the beginning.

    Gameplay; it was fun to play and fills the void if you're looking for games closer to FFT. The only SUPER MAJOR flaw this game has in gameplay is that the enemy A.I. and placement is so stupid. Essentially, most battles start with a few groups of 3-5 enemies grouped together on different ends of the map. Every battle feel like you're just taking out 1 group at a time (unless you get too close). The enemy A.I. is programmed to SIT AND WAIT for you until you get close enough to them. This makes the game a lot less interesting and gets annoying really fast because they just waste your time. This game is not bad at all, and the gameplay can still be quite fun/challenging (except for the major A.I. flaw).

    The music is really good in this game though, i must admit, i really enjoyed the music and voice acting in cut scenes, despite not being so fond of the writing.

    it is also a pretty long game too -- but as for it's worth, it is definitely NOT worth the original MSRP $50, buy it on sale for > $20. In fact, right now at this moment, it is $15 on the eShop, and there is also a demo to try out if you want a feel for it.    … Expand
  2. DevilS13
    Dec 7, 2018
    6
    Story is very well written, characters are very anime-cliche but they do have a lot of background to them.

    Everyone in this game is very genuinely liked, but the amount of time it takes to advance in the game cutscenes especially in the later half of the game take forever to advance through. I really wish the developers took the time to plan this out better and just have them as better    Story is very well written, characters are very anime-cliche but they do have a lot of background to them.

    Everyone in this game is very genuinely liked, but the amount of time it takes to advance in the game cutscenes especially in the later half of the game take forever to advance through. I really wish the developers took the time to plan this out better and just have them as better timed to get through.

    Overall reminds me of final fantasy tactics advance. but the cutscenes in that game are much more spaced out.    … Expand
  3. vahn
    May 8, 2016
    7
    Talk about let down. I had such high hopes for this game, especially after playing for quite a bit, but eventually it turns out to be quite a chore of a game, with a lot of issues that while don't cause too many issues with the game itself, I couldn't stop cringing at them and as of now I still have a lot of trouble playing it.

    I want to say something first however: the game is good.    Talk about let down. I had such high hopes for this game, especially after playing for quite a bit, but eventually it turns out to be quite a chore of a game, with a lot of issues that while don't cause too many issues with the game itself, I couldn't stop cringing at them and as of now I still have a lot of trouble playing it.

    I want to say something first however: the game is good. It's solid, it has a good story, the characters are likeable, the combat is solid and overall there's no major issues. Infact this review will mostly note all the nitpicks I found during the game, nitpicks that really mined my experience with what could've been one of the best games of the 3ds so far.

    Let me start with the most basic thing: the story, while it starts very strong and it's engaging, it has quite a twist that REALLY feels like a slap in the face, so much that I couldn't believe it was so silly. A lot of the plot twists in the game like that and tends to be very hard to follow, especially with your first enemy that you meet. I won't spoil anything but, shockingly, the real enemy isn't who you think it is...but during the entire game it will make you THINK they are, making you believe that they're wrong...and it could've been solved by simply telling everyone the truth, OR AT LEAST pacing the twist with some subtlety (that it's totally missing).

    Fun fact: the "enemy" will even tell you "do you think they'd believe us if we told the truth?"
    Let me just say that, with a spell called "Song of Destruction", and how your army is filled with bloodthirsty members who wants to kill everyone...yeah you see the problem?

    Secondly, the game is too slow paced. It's a common thing for Tactical RPGs but this is way, WAY to slow for my tastes, as they have made an animation for every single action in the entire game, enemy included. Sure this can be removed but then it feels so empty that it loses a lot of the charm.
    On the other hand, certain spells can't be skipped for some reason.

    Third, the main character is one of the worst fighters in the entire, but for the wrong reasons. Alto, the main character, is actually a strong fighter with overall well balanced stats...except his agility, which makes him attack so few times, makes him easily a target for enemy and this can be a problem when EVERY SINGLE FIGHT IN THE ENTIRE GAME (except random fights on the map), requires him to be present! Sure he doesn't die often BUT I could've picked a better character to suit the occasion: for example Rusty and Nonoka, due to their speed, are the best fighters in the game and Archibald, while being one of the slowest, his passive makes him one of the strongest tank in the game. Alto? He can parry and counter but he has nothing special, but he has "other" abilities that makes him a requirement for these fights. However because of this issue you can put the entire fight in danger, since his death means game over. Again, he has to fight in every major fight, and if HE dies it's game over. I wished he was a tad stronger than he currently is, because he feels useless due to his speed (Lisette has the same speed but she's a healer) and also a danger due to the constant game over issue, forcing you to put him away from fights and let everyone else fight. At least you won't get a game over...

    In addition, the game is also impossible to finish 100% at your first playthrough as the game doesn't give you enough time to maximize everyone's rank, resorting to use the NG+ feature that will make the game "easier" on certain levels..but I'm struggling to play it the first time and, honestly, there's so much padding and so much cheesyness I can take (Lisette's inability to sing is one of the biggest, dumbest facepalm moments in my entire gaming life).

    Still, it's a good game and also well balanced for the most part (FOR THE MOST PART, expect some unfairness from time to time), but due to the slow paced nature of the game, the bad-yet- expected twist at late game, and overall a certain lack of character's detail (some are well done, like Rusty and Archibaldn, but others like Keith and Mordimort are boring and uninteresting) makes this a very hard game to play after a long time.

    I highly recommend this game, but play it on short bursts or else you'll get tired very easily.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

16
#16 Best 3DS Game of 2015
11
#11 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2015
7
#7 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 32
  3. Negative: 0 out of 32
  1. CD-Action
    Jun 29, 2016
    85
    A surprisingly solid tactical game with interesting characters and well-written (even if sometimes too long) dialogues. [06/2016, p.64]
  2. Areajugones
    Apr 12, 2016
    90
    Expectations have been exceeded once again with this tactical RPG game that stands out in every way. It has great duration, but above all, a story that will make us want to play in order to enjoy the game as much as possible, even if it only features one language, English.
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  3. XGN
    Apr 11, 2016
    80
    Stella Glow turns out to be a very pleasant surprise. The story and characters are written well and while the gameplay isn't very innovative, it's highly addictive. If you like story-based tactical JRPG's, we can recommend you pick up Stella Glow.
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