Stella Glow

Stella Glow is a 2015 role-playing video game developed by Imageepoch for the Nintendo 3DS. It was released in Japan by Sega, in North America by Atlus USA, and in Europe and Australia by NIS America. Its story centers around a young man who must journey to unite four witches so he can save his home town from destruction. It was the final game by Imageepoch before their bankruptcy. A witch, Hilda, has been crystallizing people all over the country.

Alto, an amnesiac, must unite the other witches and have them sing the Anthem that will undo Hilda’s efforts. Alto can tune and amplify the witches’ songs. The witches’ powers stem from Qualia crystals. Alto sets out with the Regnant Knights, led by their captain, Klaus, to search for the remaining witches. Along the way, they are harassed by Hilda and her followers, who attempt to assassinate the witches and claim that they are trying to protect the world in doing so.

In some of these battles, Alto and the witches are assisted by Angels, alien beings that are hostile to Hilda. Eventually, Alto unites the witches, they sing the Anthem, and the crystallized people recover. However, Angels attack the capital. Klaus reveals he is in league with the Angels, and he is Xeno, a companion of the ancient hero Elcrest. Gameplay is divided into different areas, free time and battle time.

During either players have the ability to purchase items and fight random monsters, however there are certain things that can only be accomplished via free time and battle time. In free time players are given three opportunities to build relationships with their teammates, perform odd jobs, or explore the surrounding area. They are also given the opportunity to “tune” the witches, a process that becomes necessary when personal strife would prevent the player from increasing their relationship with the respective witch.

Doing any of these things will cause time to pass and the extent to which a player develops a relationship can impact the game’s ending. Engaging in battle time will progress the game’s story. Battles are turn based and the extent of a character’s abilities can depend greatly on how close Alto is to the person, as a closer relationship or friendship can allow the character to unlock various abilities.