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They say imitation is one of the best compliments, so Playdead should praise SkyBox Labs' latest work as the most successful game. Stela is a side-scrolling game that follows the value of redundancy in independent games such as Inside or Limbo, as it draws on many of the mechanics and themes of these games, demonstrating that they are the true inspiration for generations of designers.
The secret element of a suggestion like Stela is instant accessibility. Generally, platform games encounter some difficulties, but here they are replaced by labeled narrative elements and lightweight puzzles. These puzzles and puzzles will not make people frustrated, but will make players happy with solving them. After completing the challenge, we received a short endorphin. Stela attracts everyone who tries it, thanks to the theme of the day of the final judgment, which exists on all levels, and the moment that fits everything and makes you feel like you are embroidering everything.
Visually, the game conveys a different atmosphere in each level, new challenges and terrible situations await us as we move forward. We don't need to solve everything and become global heroes, but the opposite is true. In most cases, we will do our best to save lives and avoid killing killable creatures, and everything will be thrown into badges around us. It is dark, depressing and desolate, and due to the wise use of color and shadows, we will immerse ourselves in this dull world without realizing it.
Music helps to expand the drama, and we really like the soundtrack. We played it on the iPad, so the sound quality was not sufficient due to the device's smaller speakers, which was resolved when we decided to wear headphones. This is where Stela grabs us, the sound effects that surround us at the peak keep us suspenseful at the peak.
The perspective used by SkyBox is also worth mentioning. The movement here is not entirely linear, as the character winds its way between obstacles on the path when moving to the right side of the screen, which at some times looks enjoyable. Some creatures can move from the bottom of the screen to the front of the screen, while some parts of the platform use 2.5-dimensional designs in a very smart way, which allows us to zoom and move to sites that are usually not achievable.
It all sounds great, but there are some factors that prevent us from admiring Stela: she lacks consistency. When we look at each stage of the game separately, we can say that this title is a valuable crown heir left by PlayDead-at least for now-but if we look at it together, the lack of coherence will prevent us from falling in love with this adventure .
As far as the location of stories and events, Stela is a mess. It's that simple. This led to an unexpected discord between the events in the title and the main story, which transcended the overwhelming atmosphere that conveyed the audiovisual design of the game. We don't want to provide too much detail, because we don't want to spoil the plot, but we can't find any meaning or reflect upon completing the game. Places, enemies, logic and the world itself lack links that can satisfactorily link them, so we cannot find a proper conclusion.
Who is Stela? If we stick to the definition of the word, then we will talk about decorative stones or monuments. What does that have to do with a woman in white exploring a dirty, dangerous, and overwhelming world? Have we not encountered any important roles in achieving our goals? In games, when we find someone, everything is ambiguous and it is impossible to learn more about him or what is happening. Does the game happen on Earth or on another planet? If we are in another world … what happened, why do we sometimes think that everything is a medieval fantasy? What are these strange creatures? Why do they kill us at all costs? Why does everything seem to be ready for us in what seems to be the end of the world? Because sometimes history seems to follow the mediocre mysteries we encounter, history is just the opposite.
As you can see, after overcoming Stela in two hours, we encountered more questions than answers. Oddly, a game so dependent on plot is a disaster in terms of coherence and ambiguity. It's a pity, because there are many positive factors, but in the end they are finally covered up by mysterious stories. Here, the rule that the whole is the sum of its parts cannot be implemented, because a single Stela will be implemented more than when it is completed. In the best movie horizontal scrolling game, everything is tied tightly at the end, and then the whole puzzle is suitable, you will understand why everything is overcome, which adds a purpose to the trip. But in the end, we can only see with frustration that this promising title eventually becomes another soulless clone. It will definitely stay with the greats like Inside or Limbo.
