Stella Deus: The Gate of Eternity

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stella Deus: The Gate of Eternity
Developer(s)	Pinegrow
Publisher(s)	Atlus 505 Games
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2
Release date	JP 2004-10-28 NA 2005-04-26 PAL 2006-03-17
Genre(s)	Tactical RPG
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	CERO: All ages ESRB: Teen PEGI: 12+
Media	DVD-ROM

Stella Deus: The Gate of Eternity is a game for PlayStation 2 published in North America by Atlus USA and in Europe by 505 Games. It is a Tactical RPG genre game with highly stylized artwork and animated cutscenes.

Contents 1 Premise 2 Plot 3 Gameplay 4 Reception 5 Characters 5.1 Plot critical 5.2 Hidden and secret characters 6 Bosses and Nemeses 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Premise

Stella Deus takes place in a world called Solum, which is slowly being swallowed by "Miasma," a mist-like substance that destroys all life it touches. Against this creeping apocalypse, several groups have developed responses. The Aeque Church, led by High Priestess Lumena, believes that the Miasma is God's will, sent to bring the world to an end, not with a bang, but a whimper. A warlord, Dignus, has taken to ravaging the countryside with his armies, imposing the law of the jungle: he who will not fight for his life does not to deserve to live. And finally, an alchemist named Viser is using Dignus's patronage to hunt the world's Spirits (polygonal creatures whose nature is unknown), draining their life-force to fuel his alchemic inventions, which he is sure will save the world. His friend and deputy, Spero, is the game's protagonist. Spero must make his way through this muddy political situation and see if he can save Solum.

[edit] Plot

Spero's two best friends and companions in the hunt for Spirits are Adara, a woman who lost her arm and had it replaced by an alchemic limb, an "argyrion," and Grey, a free-wheeling jokester who rags on Adara constantly. Early in the game, they meet Linea, a member of the nearly-extinct Anima culture, and a shaman: she can talk to Spirits. She informs them that the constant death of Spirits is what is bringing on the Miasma, and that the only way to save Solum is to open the "Gate of Eternity," which will bring a fresh crop of Spirits in and push the Miasma back. Spero agrees to help her with her quest, which involves securing the aid of four elemental Summon Spirits before opening the actual Gate.

Their primary resistance comes from Lord Dignus and his lieutenants (including Viser), but allies also arrive in the form of Avis, the last heir of a kingdom Dignus destroyed, and Lumena's lover; he leads the official resistance against Dignus, along with Linea's Anima clan, and eventually brings Lumena's Meridies faction into the fold. However, the Nox faction of the Aeque becomes a major thorn in Spero's side, as its leader, Nebula, is dedicated to bringing about Solum's destruction by summoning God himself: Dies Irae, the God of Destruction. Spero must stop Nebula and Dignus both to cement the victory begun with the opening of the Gate.

[edit] Gameplay

Stella Deus, marketed as a spiritual sequel to Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth, plays the same as most T/RPGs. The player is presented with a grid-based map, shaped and decorated to resemble a physical location (a corner of a town, the courtyard of a temple, a single enormous sand dune) and can deploy up to six characters with which to complete the map's objective (frequently "Defeat all enemies," though variations do exist). Characters and enemies must be moved to close physical proximity before they can attack each other, and maneuvering around or behind an enemy can decrease the likelihood of them dodging. Outside of battle, the player is given the option to manage and customize the characters' equipment, passive skills (like "move farther" or "dodge better"), active abilities ("barrage of sword slashes," "healing magic," "steal the target's purse") and even, to some extent, their statistics.

Stella Deus differs from traditional T/RPGs by its use of the AP Gauge, a revised form of Hoshigami's RAP Gauge. In most T/RPGs, a character moves when their Count gauge has reached 100, can move a specific number of squares per turn, and can attack or use an ability once per turn. In Stella Deus each character takes their turn when they have 100 Action Points in their AP Gauge, and depletes it by any combination of moving, attacking or using abilities. The amount of depletion depends on the "Cost" of the weapon, the Cost of the spell, or the character's "Move" stat (a complex equation factoring the Weight of the character's equipment, their Strength statistic and their Evasion statistic). The AP Gauge allows significant freedom of action; on one gauge and with a Move score of 20, Spero can run five squares forward, or run three squares forward and attack once, or run one square forward and attack twice, or even stand still and attack three times. Any unused AP simply hastens the onset of Spero's next turn. The AP Gauge and Move score also work together to limit each character's equipment: the game releases "new" equipment on a regular basis, which tends to weigh more and inflate the Move stat. The player must choose between mobile, lightly-armored characters and slow-but-well-defended ones. Then, as Experience points and statistics pile up, increases in Strength and Evasion make the character able to shoulder more Weight, allowing them to "grow into" the latest gear; then the game releases new equipment, and the process starts over again.

Finally, Stella Deus adds "Zone Effects" to its characters. Each character has a predetermined zone around them; they can exert influence on anyone within that radius. Each character has several Effects that can be applied to their Zone, which the player may choose from; a few examples of include Spero's "Allies Dodge Better," Gallant's "Allies Regain Magic Points," and Lumena's "Enemies' Move score goes up by 20." Zones also affect the "Team Attack" system, which replaces Hoshigami's billiards-like "Session" system. Any character may initiate or participate in a Team Attack, in which multiple characters all beat up on one enemy for extra damage; the only requirement is that the enemy target be within each participant's Effect Zone. Involving all six characters in one Team Attack can be tricky, especially as not all characters' Zones are the same shape, but the resulting damage is unparalleled, and enemies so slain may leave equipment or items behind. As an added bonus, when certain characters participate in a Team Attack, they invoke a special character-based combination attack (for instance, Avis and Lumena use "Burning Hearts" if they are the only two participants in a Team Attack), which does more damage than a conventional Team Attack.

[edit] Reception

Stella Deus received moderately favorable reviews at the time of its release, with a 75/100 score from the aggregate review site Metacritic^[1]. (In comparison, genre powerhouse Final Fantasy Tactics has an aggregate score of 83^[2], while unexpected success Disgaea: Hour of Darkness received an 84^[3].) Many reviewers praised the game's art direction and visual style, even as they lamented its poor voice acting^[4]. Frequent mention was made of the game's relatively low difficulty level, which was variously described as appealing to genre newcomers and alienating to hardcore fans.

[edit] Characters

Stella Deus has a total of 21 recruitable characters, of which eight are mandatory, four are hidden, and nine are named versions of generic enemy characters. Each has their own skill sets, armament and abilities, and can be sent through a "Rank Up" process to raise stats, change class (along a linear progression) and unlock new abilities.

Note: Characters are listed according to their order in the game's Party menu, regardless of when and how they are recruited.

[edit] Plot critical

• Spero: the main character; dual-wields katanas. Though his world-view is not especially complex, it is he who leads the quest to open the Gate of Eternity, as each of the other characters in the party is loyal primarily to him, and is generally busy keeping everyone motivated and calming hostilities. His two swords, ability to strike three times in one turn (most characters can only manage two), high dodging ability and high mobility make him an extremely gifted front-line fighter. His Japanese name was Sfida.
• Linea: the other main character; a shaman who fights with a bow and offensive magic. Though a fairly stereotypical "let's save the world!" RPG leading lady, she shows great fortitude and is never kidnapped by bad guys (thus avoiding the equally common damsel in distress stereotype). Her attack range, striking power and variety of spells make her, arguably, the single most useful character in the game. The game's epilogue reveals a budding romance between her and Spero.
• Avis: prince and heir-apparent to the kingdom of Fortuna. Wears long blonde hair and a blue dress. Dignus destroyed Fortuna, and Avis has sworn revenge. His other great obsession is Lumena, whom he loves dearly (but is not above manipulating when he needs her to do something distasteful, such as entering the war). Wields a longsword, but pales in comparison to Spero.
• Lumena: the High Priestess of the Aeque (their Pope, in other words); wears a voluminous robe and a skin-tight suit. Though pacifistic and highly spiritual, she is an implacable foe when roused, and owns one of the best offensive magic spells in the game ("Glimmering Shaft"), as well as an array of healing magics and a staff for corporeal punishment.
• Grey: Grey's passive abilities allow him to walk farther in one turn than most other characters, and his spear allows him to strike two enemies at the same time. Despite his name, his hair, clothing and ultimate weapon are solid blue. The Ron Weasley to Spero's Harry Potter, Grey is flippant and prone to speaking before he thinks, often leading to bickering with Adara (Hermione Granger), though the epilogue confirms their strong friendship and hints at a romantic attachment.
• Adara: an alchemist who lost an arm in an experiment by the wicked alchemist Malkar; her mechanical replacement from Viser, an "argyrion", doubles as her battle weapon. She possesses a wide range of both offensive and defensive magics, making her a capable ally on the battlefield, and is one of only two magic-users (Linea being the other) with an emphasis on attack spells. Outside of battle, Adara is kind-hearted and upbeat, but ashamed of her prosthetic arm.
• Gallant: a taciturn man of dark skin and pale hair, Gallant is an axe-wielder and the first character in the game to deliver truly outstanding damage. He is later revealed to be, like Linea, a member of the Anima people, though he does not share her affinity with Spirits. Though an extremely heavy hitter, he suffers from a deficiency in accuracy; due to a quirk of gameplay design, his high strength can lead to extraordinary mobility at higher levels, outstripping even Grey.
• Prier: an eleven-year-old girl and Lumena's most faithful attendant, she is sent along with the party early in the game; though she insists on Aeque doctrine at first, Spero eventually teaches her not to passively wait for a peaceful end. Essentially a smaller version of Lumena, she uses a staff and many of the same spells.

[edit] Hidden and secret characters

• Tia: a cat-girl who makes her presence known from the very beginning of the game by sending Spero helpful tutorials in the mail. She was rescued from starvation by Viser and spends a good part of the game trying to get the two of them to be friends again. Tia fights with "gloves" (brass knuckles or gauntlets) and is second only to Gallant in striking power. However, because she joins the party so late in the game, her skill set is somewhat bare. Voiced by Momoi Haruko (Japanese only)
• Jade: a mercenary/thief who is introduced to the party as a boss character persecuting Gallant. Though he causes trouble for the party several times, it isn't personal, and after faking his own death in Chapter 3 he can be recruited at the very end of the game. He combines Spero's agility with Grey's mobility, but his knives lack the attacking flexibility of either. His skill set is also pretty thin.
• Echidna: a buxom woman and one of Dignus's primary lieutenants. She takes Spero's father's sword from him at the beginning of the game. Upon arriving at end-game, the player has a choice of whether to defeat her directly, or to undertake a sidequest first. Doing the sidequest allows Spero to recruit Echidna instead of mortally wounding her during the battle. She uses a single katana in the iaido (quick-draw) style, and otherwise is rather similar to Spero, except for the reduced skill set.
• Viser: the master alchemist himself is by far the most difficult character to recruit, requiring the player to fulfill a special condition in five or more specific boss battles. He wields a roster of spells similar to Adara's, as well as a lightsaber-like sword for enhanced physical attacks.

[edit] Bosses and Nemeses

• Viper: a mad axe-man and one of Dignus's lieutenants, he kills for the joy of it and shows no remorse. His cackling retorts and inner monologues are an unexpected touch of humor in a game that, for the most part, takes itself very seriously. Fought and defeated in Chapter 1.
• Croire: an archer with wide-reaching magical attacks that can often catch the entire party in one blast... But are notoriously expensive, relegating him to three uses or less per battle. Fixated on becoming the best and greatest of Dignus's lieutenants. Fought in Chapter 2, defeated in Chapter 5.
• Nebula: uses Lumena's spells but a two-range whip, as well as a number of status-affliction spells. The head of the Nox faction of the Aeque Church, which is dedicated to bringing the world to an end—peaceful, messy or otherwise. First encountered in Chapter 3; killed in Chapter 4 and again in Chapter 5.
• Dignus: the warlord himself, who has brought chaos, blood and life to the impoverished masses of Solum. By refusing to kill any foe who is actually challenging to fight, he gained the allegiance (or at least fear) of his three main lieutenants. Fought and defeated in Chapter 5.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Product Website
• Stella Deus: The Gate of Eternity at MobyGames
• Audio Atrocities - Stella Deus Voice Samples