Stella Glow on the Nintendo 3DS was the last game ever developed by Imageepoch. Truth be told, I was late to the party, only had played through the game the last month. The game strongly resembles the Luminous Arc series, also from Imageepoch. Yet, from memory, Stella Glow offers a stronger cast and improved experience than Luminous Arc 1 and Luminous Arc 2 -- Luminous Arc 3 cannot be compared to as I haven't played it yet.
The game is a tactical RPG with a cast consisting of knights, witches, and characters with other types of jobs. The player is first introduced to Alto and Lisette, two unassuming villagers residing in Mithra. There, they encounter Hilda, the Witch of Destruction, singing her signature song of destruction. As the village becomes crystals -- a process called crystallization -- the duo fight to protect the village that they love. But as one can assume, two common villagers are not up to task. That is, until Lisette becomes a witch herself. Thus, the story of Alto and his would-be companions begin.
The story becomes much more entertaining after the prologue, but the typical anime tropes are still present. Yet, the every plot point and character come together to perform a solid story.
The characters and skills are diverse. For a tactical RPG, that is a huge plus. After the prologue, the player gains 3 units. With 5 units in total, the player can already mix up their strategies in the early game. Admittedly, Lisette in my team was relegated as a healer first and a magic attacker second. Klaus, a great character in the early game, can also be utilized for either offense and defense.
As the player progresses, he will be introduced to more characters and game mechanics. He will also soon discover that status effects and songs are instrumental to each main quest battles. Some characters, like Nonoka the Ninja and Keith the Mercenary, have abilities to improve the odds of inflicting status effects on enemies. Nonoka even has a passive ability that deals a fixed damage to all enemies adjacent to her. Songs, on the other hand, are activated when Alto conducts any of the five witches. They may deal enemy damage and debuffs, heal and buff allies, or both.
The main story can be split into two. The first part includes the first ensemble song; the second part, with the second ensemble song. The battles in the former feel varied and fair. However, the battles in latter become much more grueling but duller. The second part will make up for the boring battles with the penultimate and ultimate battles.
With so much characters, some tend to be sidelined for the development of Alto and the five witches. But those who wish to see more of their favorite characters have the chance to do so by spending Alto's free time with the character of their choosing. By doing so, Alto's relationship with the character improves. At certain levels, the character will learn or improve their existing abilities.
A lot of the game mechanics and plot points of Stella Glow are not unique. But, they do come together to form a great experience for the user, cementing the game as a strong recommendation for RPG and casual players.