Stela

I’ve enjoyed my time playing Stela, and I don’t doubt that I’ll talk about it in the same breath as the Oddworld games or Heart of Darkness when going forward. While it lacks in the story department, and the PC version could do with and some texture work, it doubles-down in atmosphere and pacing. This is a stellar cinematic platformer which made me reminisce about the sub-genres’ early days. It’s undeniably not for everybody; people will be deterred by its numbing tension or willingness to kill, but it’s definitely one for those who enjoy environmentally pleasing puzzlers and don’t mind their games a smidge macabre.

The shelf life is short and leaves a taste of unfinished business even if the journey is nonetheless captivating.

Though not as memorable as its acclaimed puzzle-platforming inspirations, Stela manages to carve out an identity of its own and is worth playing for its interesting world, atmosphere and excellent music.

Stela was an excellent experience for me, I loved the atmosphere, music, storytelling, and found it very relaxing to play. The downsides though hold me back from recommending it for everyone. Between the very simple gameplay mechanics, at times temperamental controls, low difficulty (additional difficulty levels would have been nice), and short playtime you may be better off waiting for a sale. On the plus side if you are reading this review within a few days of its publishing date Stella is currently on the Steam summer sale for a great price. Hopefully, if the developers decide to make a sequel to the game they can improve and/or correct some of the issues noted above.

Stela’s world decay, the desperation of its inhabitants and the environmental connotations that come along with them strikes a fine note and it’s supported by an engaging playstyle and attractive aesthetic — the problem is that several other games have walked the same path before it, and many of them do it better.

Although the story has good moments and is pleasantly surreal, it’s hard to empathise with the protagonist as her actions don’t make much sense. It doesn’t help that the game is rather short. [05/2020, p.51]

Stela is a beautiful visual experience. The sound design is magnificent too and, together with the art direction, they create a beautiful world. But while it is not a bad game, it is bland and even boring. There is nothing special about Stela, specially if we compare it with all those similar platformers such as Limbo, Inside or even Another World.