Creative Game Narratives are calling out for one name....STELA!!!

STELA

REVIEW BY JD ESTRADA

PLAYED ON THE NINTENDO SWITCH

Stela is a puzzle adventure-platform video game developed and published by SkyBox Labs. It was released on 17 October 2019 for iOS and Xbox One and for Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch on 13 March 2020
Initial release date: October 17, 2019

Developer: SkyBox Labs
Publisher: SkyBox Labs
Engine: Unreal Engine 4
Mode: Single-player video game
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, iOS, Microsoft Windows, Macintosh operating systems
Genres: Platform game, Adventure game, Puzzle, Indie game, Action game, Adventure

A semi-pic sci fi adventure with a lot of potential

When you have a game that doesn’t have an explicit narrative, there’s always the risk of missing the mark in terms of story and offering a satisfying narrative. Having played a couple of platformers, I noticed this trend in several games I’ll be reviewing.

THE STORY AND CONTROLS

The story begins with a woman emerging from a hatch and then you have to travel to a post-apocalyptic setting which includes a variety of vicious baddies who are as startling as their gory methods of dispatching you. This game plays in the vein of Limbo and like-minded platformers where you go left, right, up, down, jump, and execute actions to solve puzzles that range in difficulty and wow effect. Some puzzles literally had me pressing and trying combinations until something clicked while others were the equivalent of put rock here, open switch, take rock and put there, flip second switch. Overall the puzzles are balanced although if you ask me, the puzzles aren’t the reason to pick up the game…neither are the controls. 

STELA BE FLOATY

After playing some ultra-precise games, when you play something where the controls feel loose, floaty, or where the animation gets in the way of the gameplay, I mind. I mind a lot actually because part of the appeal of games of this nature is that when you die, it should be because you messed up, not because the controls did you wrong. It took me a bit of a while to get used to Stela’s controls though nothing that had me wanting to punch through the drywall. Let’s file this under mildly inconvenient controls on occasion. 

Like many games in the genre, there’s a LOT of trial and error, which means that by its nature, you’ll be treated to countless gruesome deaths. For more complicated sequences, it goes like this. See the environment, think you have it figured out, try something, die a miserable death, learn from the mistake and nail the second attempt. Rarely was there a section that took multiple attempts and that’s something I appreciate as well as the generous save points. Some people like a tougher challenge, I’m the type that doesn’t mind chipping away until I finish the game. But wait, if controls have a few issues and there’s no true story, then why play the game?

ATMOSPHERE, GRAPHICS, MUSIC

The feel of the game is fantastic in terms of the views, the cinematic approach to several puzzles and sequences, and overall art direction. It really takes a loving approach to those cut scenes and even if you get killed, seeing that soft pan or dolly when you eat it, or a zoom out to see the true scope of where you are is appreciated. Design wise, the graphics do a lot of subtle things that I always love. Good light sourcing, subtle entries of hazards, interesting background design, interesting color changes, and more. In short, although it’s not a graphic blockbuster like some AAA games, it definitely has its gorgeous moments. 

The music is also a high point and really drums up the sci-fi epic fantasy feels with a progressive soundtrack that matches what you see onscreen better than a lot of games I’ve played. Between graphics, design, and music, the feel of this game is something I wouldn’t mind seeing adapted at a larger scale and it wouldn’t even need dialogue. There’s a lot to infer and think about and the ending was pretty satisfying for me even if it didn’t linger too long.

HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY FOR IT?

Being honest, it’s a short game so recommending shelling out full price isn’t an option. It has some epic moments, some wonderful art direction, and a storyline that can inspire sci-fi writers to put pen to paper and flesh it out a bit more even. So if it’s on sale, check it out, but don’t feel the need to make a beeline to get it right now. I do think there were some lost opportunities in regards to puzzles but I appreciate the story-rich level design that without words tells a compelling tale.

YOU CAN PLAY THE GAME ON NINTENDO SWITCH HERE

YOU CAN PLAY THE GAME ON STEAM HERE