Stella Deus
Posted April 26, 2005
Publisher Atlus has been sticking their foot in the door of the RPG genre. Games like Disgaea, Shin Megami Tensei and Tactics Ogre are putting them on the map with fans of role playing and strategy games. Their newest project Stella Deus: The Gate of Eternity has finally been released and strategy RPG (SRPG) fans everywhere will want to get their hands on it.
Stella Deus tells the tale of the world of Solum and the turmoil it finds itself in. On one hand you have an evil overlord named Dignus trying to take over the globe and destroy humanity (with a name like Dignus, you'd be evil too). On the other you have a deadly mist called the Miasma that is spreading throughout the land killing all in its path and leaving nothing but desert behind.
Our protagonist; Spero, finds himself stuck between a rock and a hard place and must choose what side will truly save the world. Will it be the Imperial army to which he has sworn allegiance? Or will it be the rebels he finds himself in the company of? Full of plot twists and a rich world, Stella Deus will keep you glued to your seat until the final Chapter unfolds.
Gameplay:
If you have played Disgaea you will feel comfortable right away with Stella Deus. While you may find the game is not as involved as the aforementioned titles you will find that all of the standards of the SRPG genre are here.
Gameplay is set up exactly like every other game of this type and at first you may think that the game doesn't break any new ground. It's a little deceiving though because you can choose between command and direct control. Command is basically the SRPG standard and direct assigns actions to buttons making for easy access. Both are equally useful so it's up to you to pick your poison.
One thing that brings uniqueness to this game is the fact that your movements, attacks and magic all share action points. That means that if you move a character to the peak distance they can go in a turn, that will use their points and they will not be able to attack. But if the enemy is right next to you and you don't move your character and choose to attack, you will get an extra strike. Each character is different so you really need to experiment with how far they can go and still retain the ability to cast that spell you need them to. Keep in mind that your enemies are bound by the same laws, so if they don't have to move their position they can get extra attacks too.
Your people gain Experience (EXP) and Skill Points (SP) as they attack and destroy the opposing forces. The amount they gain is directly related to what their level is. That means if you are level ten and you hit a level fifteen character you will net a lot more points than if you hit a level two. Once a character reaches one hundred EXP they will level up and all of their stats will rise. Keep your eye on the amount of SP you collect too because you need those to learn new abilities.
Once you have reached the required amount of SP it's time to open the Power Up screen and gain some new skills. There are three different ability types to learn and those are Action, Support and Zone. Action skills are attacks and spells that you can use on command while Support operates just like it sounds and adds innate abilities to your character.
The Zone skills are interesting because they affect the area around that character. For example a character equipped with the Zone EVA ability will increase his allies evade if they are near him. There are many different Zone abilities that provide bonuses for your party or negatives for your enemies. While you are only allowed a certain amount of slots for skills you do have the ability to interchange them so experimentation is key.
Raising someone's rank is a great way to bump up their stats and open up more actions slots. To give someone a promotion you have to meet certain requirements and have a special item for their job type. Unfortunately you aren't allowed to change a characters job, but by fusing items you may be able to give them abilities they wouldn't normally achieve.
At a place called the Guild you can fuse two items together and get a new product. You can create anything from weapons and armor to items and ability scrolls. It's those scrolls that can buy you more skills, assuming you have enough SP for that character. The Guild also offers a wide variety of quests to undertake and is a great way to gain items, party members or money.
There are no random encounters so the only way to fight outside of the plot is to visit the Guild for a quest or trudge through the Catacombs. Featuring multiple levels of challenge the Catacombs are the place to level up characters and get cash to buy stuff with. Visiting this is a must and if you don't you will probably die at the next boss encounter. Stella Deus is challenging, but not impossible as long as you stop to level up.
Sadly there are some prominent flaws with Stella Deus that can't be ignored. The game is linear with no real branching plot lines and you are pushed from point A to B. Enemy AI is pretty spotty at times and don't be surprised if you see a foe just walk back and forth on a turn instead of doing something productive. The intelligence seems to come and go at times and the true challenge of this game comes from the action point system and getting relentlessly pounded on by a powerful enemy, not strong AI.
Graphics:
Filled with sprites and beautifully animated cut scenes, Stella Deus is a feast for the eyes. Featuring attractive and detailed character designs, the inhabitance of Solum are unique and full of personality. Conversations play out with dialogue and an image of the character's face to display emotion and even though there are few cut scenes they are amazing looking.
The in-game sprite models of characters have a lot of attention to detail and are akin to the visuals of Disgaea. While the look may be a little more mature than those two games the anime style stays throughout. Animations are pretty slick and the same can be said for special effects when skills are used. While the sprite models graphics are pretty good, don't expect to see Halo 2 quality here.
Audio:
With musical scores befitting the genre, the tunes listed here work with whatever mood the game is trying to convey but at the end of the day you won't be running out to look for a soundtrack. From title theme to background instrumentals the songs do their job but don't stand out on their own. The same can be said about the voiceovers.
The amount of voice work housed in Stella Deus is vast and several characters that you interact with will speak. For the most part the actors do a fine job representing their character and bringing the emotion out, but there are some that don't do justice to the game. One that sticks out in my mind the most is the guy that plays Spero. He is just so dead pan without any emotion, sense of urgency or personality. There are some truly great roles played out here and it's really sad that the lead is one of the worst.
Some may be interested in knowing that there is no option for the original Japanese voiceovers. At least you can drop the volume for the voices through the option menu if they get on your nerves too much.
Conclusion:
Stella Deus is a strong addition to the SRPG genre. It's a lengthy adventure with several new treats that it brings to the table. Unfortunately even with these new ideas there is still a prevailing sense of deja vu with the gameplay that is just too hard to shake. Issues like spotty AI, linearity, PS 1-ish graphics and some iffy voice performances also hold this game back.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't check it out though if you enjoy the genre. Despite its' faults there are plenty of things to like about Stella Deus and it has many strong points and memorable characters. Give this one a try if you are looking for something to pass the time, just don't be expecting a ground breaking experience.
Stella Deus tells the tale of the world of Solum and the turmoil it finds itself in. On one hand you have an evil overlord named Dignus trying to take over the globe and destroy humanity (with a name like Dignus, you'd be evil too). On the other you have a deadly mist called the Miasma that is spreading throughout the land killing all in its path and leaving nothing but desert behind.
Our protagonist; Spero, finds himself stuck between a rock and a hard place and must choose what side will truly save the world. Will it be the Imperial army to which he has sworn allegiance? Or will it be the rebels he finds himself in the company of? Full of plot twists and a rich world, Stella Deus will keep you glued to your seat until the final Chapter unfolds.
Gameplay:
If you have played Disgaea you will feel comfortable right away with Stella Deus. While you may find the game is not as involved as the aforementioned titles you will find that all of the standards of the SRPG genre are here.
Gameplay is set up exactly like every other game of this type and at first you may think that the game doesn't break any new ground. It's a little deceiving though because you can choose between command and direct control. Command is basically the SRPG standard and direct assigns actions to buttons making for easy access. Both are equally useful so it's up to you to pick your poison.
One thing that brings uniqueness to this game is the fact that your movements, attacks and magic all share action points. That means that if you move a character to the peak distance they can go in a turn, that will use their points and they will not be able to attack. But if the enemy is right next to you and you don't move your character and choose to attack, you will get an extra strike. Each character is different so you really need to experiment with how far they can go and still retain the ability to cast that spell you need them to. Keep in mind that your enemies are bound by the same laws, so if they don't have to move their position they can get extra attacks too.
Your people gain Experience (EXP) and Skill Points (SP) as they attack and destroy the opposing forces. The amount they gain is directly related to what their level is. That means if you are level ten and you hit a level fifteen character you will net a lot more points than if you hit a level two. Once a character reaches one hundred EXP they will level up and all of their stats will rise. Keep your eye on the amount of SP you collect too because you need those to learn new abilities.
Once you have reached the required amount of SP it's time to open the Power Up screen and gain some new skills. There are three different ability types to learn and those are Action, Support and Zone. Action skills are attacks and spells that you can use on command while Support operates just like it sounds and adds innate abilities to your character.
The Zone skills are interesting because they affect the area around that character. For example a character equipped with the Zone EVA ability will increase his allies evade if they are near him. There are many different Zone abilities that provide bonuses for your party or negatives for your enemies. While you are only allowed a certain amount of slots for skills you do have the ability to interchange them so experimentation is key.
Raising someone's rank is a great way to bump up their stats and open up more actions slots. To give someone a promotion you have to meet certain requirements and have a special item for their job type. Unfortunately you aren't allowed to change a characters job, but by fusing items you may be able to give them abilities they wouldn't normally achieve.
At a place called the Guild you can fuse two items together and get a new product. You can create anything from weapons and armor to items and ability scrolls. It's those scrolls that can buy you more skills, assuming you have enough SP for that character. The Guild also offers a wide variety of quests to undertake and is a great way to gain items, party members or money.
There are no random encounters so the only way to fight outside of the plot is to visit the Guild for a quest or trudge through the Catacombs. Featuring multiple levels of challenge the Catacombs are the place to level up characters and get cash to buy stuff with. Visiting this is a must and if you don't you will probably die at the next boss encounter. Stella Deus is challenging, but not impossible as long as you stop to level up.
Sadly there are some prominent flaws with Stella Deus that can't be ignored. The game is linear with no real branching plot lines and you are pushed from point A to B. Enemy AI is pretty spotty at times and don't be surprised if you see a foe just walk back and forth on a turn instead of doing something productive. The intelligence seems to come and go at times and the true challenge of this game comes from the action point system and getting relentlessly pounded on by a powerful enemy, not strong AI.
Graphics:
Filled with sprites and beautifully animated cut scenes, Stella Deus is a feast for the eyes. Featuring attractive and detailed character designs, the inhabitance of Solum are unique and full of personality. Conversations play out with dialogue and an image of the character's face to display emotion and even though there are few cut scenes they are amazing looking.
The in-game sprite models of characters have a lot of attention to detail and are akin to the visuals of Disgaea. While the look may be a little more mature than those two games the anime style stays throughout. Animations are pretty slick and the same can be said for special effects when skills are used. While the sprite models graphics are pretty good, don't expect to see Halo 2 quality here.
Audio:
With musical scores befitting the genre, the tunes listed here work with whatever mood the game is trying to convey but at the end of the day you won't be running out to look for a soundtrack. From title theme to background instrumentals the songs do their job but don't stand out on their own. The same can be said about the voiceovers.
The amount of voice work housed in Stella Deus is vast and several characters that you interact with will speak. For the most part the actors do a fine job representing their character and bringing the emotion out, but there are some that don't do justice to the game. One that sticks out in my mind the most is the guy that plays Spero. He is just so dead pan without any emotion, sense of urgency or personality. There are some truly great roles played out here and it's really sad that the lead is one of the worst.
Some may be interested in knowing that there is no option for the original Japanese voiceovers. At least you can drop the volume for the voices through the option menu if they get on your nerves too much.
Conclusion:
Stella Deus is a strong addition to the SRPG genre. It's a lengthy adventure with several new treats that it brings to the table. Unfortunately even with these new ideas there is still a prevailing sense of deja vu with the gameplay that is just too hard to shake. Issues like spotty AI, linearity, PS 1-ish graphics and some iffy voice performances also hold this game back.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't check it out though if you enjoy the genre. Despite its' faults there are plenty of things to like about Stella Deus and it has many strong points and memorable characters. Give this one a try if you are looking for something to pass the time, just don't be expecting a ground breaking experience.