Simulation RPG "BAR Stella Abyss" Review! An ambitious work that skillfully connects the unique combination of alcohol and RPG through its worldview and system!

The main character searches for dead shakers in "Yoy's World" to recover his stolen face and arms.

The protagonist happens to pick up a flyer flying in the wind, and is led to a bar called Stella Abyss, where he drinks a cocktail as recommended by the master. When he wakes up from a drunken slumber, he finds himself in a mysterious world called "Yoi's World.

Samayoi, who had his face and arms stolen from him before he knew it, decides to cooperate with Tipsy, a mysterious creature he meets in Yoyi's World who claims to be a servant of God. The two set out on an adventure across the "worlds of awakening" that dot Yoyi's world in pursuit of the Deadshaker, the protagonist in order to track down the criminal who took his face and arm, and Tipsy in order to defeat the one who threatens his world. This is the synopsis of the film.

For reasons unknown, the protagonist is confined to the bar after entering Yoyi's world and cannot go outside the bar. Therefore, he basically spends his time in the bar, drinks, falls asleep, and explores in the world of yoyi that lies beyond his awakening. In other words, in this work, the player goes back and forth between the bar and the world of Yoy.

In the bar, the player engages in conversation with regular customers over drinks, while in the world of Yoy, the player strolls through fields rich in nature, fights enemies, and collects items. The player will repeat this process to uncover the mysteries of Yoyi's world and the events that took place there in the pursuit of the Dead Shaker. The two seemingly unrelated worlds are closely intertwined, not only in terms of worldview and story, but also in terms of systems.

Furthermore, the atmosphere of the stories in the bar and the world of Yoy are very different. The bar is an adult space with a pleasant piano playing, and the story progresses quietly, centering on conversations with customers. However, the main character is under house arrest in the bar, and as the story progresses, disturbing phenomena begin to occur in the bar.

On the other hand, the world of Yoyi, with its lush natural surroundings, gives the impression of a very festive atmosphere in contrast to the bar. The enemies that appear in the field, such as slimes and giant statues, are all fantastical in nature, including Tipsy, who calls herself a servant of God. The development of chasing the Dead Shaker, a mysterious enemy, around the world is a typical development in RPGs.

The only people who can enter the world of Yoy are those who have had a drink at the Stella Abyss bar and fallen asleep drunk. In other words, the two worlds are closely related, and the connection between them gradually becomes apparent as the story progresses. The game is also littered with foreshadowing from the very beginning, which is also a centripetal force, and during the course of the game I was constantly wondering what was going to happen next.

At the bar, the player appropriately matches his or her partner's words and enlivens the conversation.

Stella Abyss is visited by regulars from a variety of backgrounds, including college students and distributors. After choosing the person they want to talk to, they ask for a drink and proceed to have a conversation. The most important part of the conversation is the "aizuchi," which is the response to a question from the other party, which can be an "aye," a "no," a "laugh," or a "doubt. The impression value at the bottom of the screen changes during the conversation. If the impression is good, the diamond-shaped icon toward the right increases, and if the impression is bad, it decreases.

The icons on the screen indicate the stage of the conversation, and the number of questions will be asked. If you make a "toast" before entering a conversation, you will use one of the slots. Therefore, the number of questions is actually the number of icons minus one. The toast is like a pre-conversation promise, and it is also the basis for making a good impression on the other party. My personal impression is that it is better to make a toast if there is no particular intention.

You can drink one alcoholic beverage up to three times during a conversation, but if you drink consecutively, drowsiness accumulates, and when it reaches a certain value, you fall asleep on the spot and are forced to go to the world of yoyi. The trick is to alternate between drinking and talking if you want to keep the conversation going to the end. If you end the conversation well, you can ask each other for more drinks and continue the conversation further.

There are two specific benefits to sharing a drink with someone. One is the strengthening of oneself through drinking. Depending on the type of alcohol you order before the conversation, cocktails can have a variety of effects, such as disabling poison, disabling terrain, and allowing you to escape at any time. The type of alcohol that can be ordered can be increased by spending money.

The second is "kizuna," which, when raised to a higher level, enhances the status of the main character and the person with whom he or she is speaking. In other words, drinking alcohol while sharing a drink with someone will give you enhancements that will help you in your adventures in Yoy's world. In the world of Yoyi, regular customers of Stella Abyss may appear as companions, so the enhancements of the people you sit with are also very meaningful.

While you are trying to make a good impression on your partner by enlivening the conversation, you should drink moderately so that you don't fall asleep. This sounds difficult to write, but it is not so when you actually try it. Especially in conversations in the early stages of the story, it is sufficient to first make a toast, and then answer questions with an "aye" or a "smile," and to drink only after the questioning is over. Drinking while being asked a question may be perceived as ignoring or being silent, and may lower the impression value of the other party.

This lean system, which not only allows you to enjoy your time at the bar, but also gives you useful enhancements in the world of yoyi, is a unique attraction of this work. As you converse with your friends, your feelings for them will grow stronger, and information about the mysterious Stella Abyss bar will be revealed, which will help you to understand the storyline. It is a very useful system. Incidentally, whether you get drunk or not is only a matter of whether you are in the middle of a conversation. As long as there are customers, you can sit with them as many times as you like, so don't worry about that.

In Yoyo's world, it is a simulation RPG with a turn-based system.

If you get drunk during a conversation or choose "sleep" at the counter after drinking, you can go to Yoy's world. Yoy's world itself is composed of multiple awakening worlds, each of which is a dungeon with a series of maps for each level. The structure changes each time you enter.

The party consists of three people, including the main character, which means that up to two friends can be added. There is also the question of which of the bar's regular customers will join the party, and whether two of them can join the party in the first place in this challenge. The game is characterized by its unpredictability and constant tension.

The way the maps are connected, as well as the enemies and items that appear, change each time. As you progress through each level, you fight enemies to raise your level, cut grass along the way, find money and items to strengthen yourself and your party, and fight the boss waiting for you at the deepest level to win. This is the basic strategy of Yoyo's world. When a player completes the game, he or she can bring back all the money, equipment, and items he or she has, but if he or she is defeated by an enemy and returns home, all but the items are lost.

In any case, the level of experience accumulated up to that point and the "stellar" described below will also be reset.

Of particular importance in the strategy are the battles.

When you touch an enemy in the field, you enter a battle. Battles are turn-based, with allies and enemies moving alternately. The field is divided by squares, and all movement and attack ranges are based on the squares.

Attack techniques are called stelae, and in addition to basic stelae that attack in front of, around, and several squares away, there are also types of stelae that can be used to add additional effects.

Up to three additional types of stelae can be set in slots 1, 2, and 3, and they are activated in the order in which they are set.

This is the core of the battle in this work. Depending on the order in which the stelae are set, the attack methods and effects can diverge in various ways.

For example, there are two types of stelae: one that increases the power against enemies on specific terrain, and the other that generates electric shocks in the attack area. If the former is equipped in slot 1 and the latter in slot 2, the strengths of both cannot be utilized, because when the first is activated, there is no terrain effect on the square where the enemy is located. After the second turn, the first Stella can be used because of the blitz terrain created by the second Stella, but it is inefficient to waste a turn in this turn-based game.

If the two stelae are set in reverse, the blitz is now generated by the first stela, so the condition for increasing the power of 2 can be met. You don't have to wait for a turn, the combo is established in one turn and by yourself. This way, you don't waste a turn, and you can efficiently deal damage to the enemy.

However, the problem is that the more additional stelas you add to the basic stela, or the stronger the stela itself, the higher the MP required to activate the stela. Even if you blindly add a strong stela, it is no good if you don't have MP to begin with. In addition, in Yoyo's world, the available stelas are random, so the above combo may not work every time. It is necessary to check the contents of each challenge and find an effective combination in a flexible manner.

There is a lot to think about, and at first it is very difficult to achieve the above balance. However, as you become accustomed to creating your own combos and handling unknown stelae, the act of racking your brains to find the best possible battle with the stelae you have at hand itself becomes fun.

There are several different routes to advance through each level.

The tension of not knowing what will happen next and the replayability of enjoying trial-and-error are the main selling points of this game.

As mentioned above, in Yoyo's world, every element happens randomly, and luck is involved in the battle to conquer each level of the world of awakening.

Sometimes there are a lot of well-seasoned stellar players who can use powerful combos from the beginning, and other times, no matter how much grass you cut, you may not be able to find any recovery items, and you may be wiped out in an unexpected battle without being able to fight a good battle. In particular, the bosses that await you in the various realms of awakening, you never know what kind of attacks they will make until you try them, so it is safe to say that you are supposed to learn by dying once. If you are not feeling lucky, it is recommended that you do not try to clear the game, but rather try out new combos and fighting styles as a form of practice.

However, as you learn and practice various techniques, such as strengthening yourself by drinking powerful alcoholic beverages at the bar before going on a quest, attacking enemies on the field first to start a battle with an advantage, or defeating as many enemies as possible to strengthen all your allies since levels are shared by the entire party, you will find that your luck, which you were wielding at first, will gradually become a factor in your success. The element of luck, which had been wielding itself, gradually recedes, and eventually there will be more and more situations that can be handled with technique.

Another key point is that whether you defeat the boss or get killed in the middle of the road, you can carry over your money and the equipment you are wearing.

You can use the money you bring back to release new cocktails with more powerful effects, or you can raise your Kizuna level while drinking the cocktails, and then join your partner in the world of Yoy and fight together. Repeatedly challenging them and finding stronger equipment will give you an advantage in the early stages of the game in the subsequent world of yoyi.

With the rule that no two developments will be the same, it is normal to get beaten up along the way in "Stellar Abyss," which is hard to pattern because you have to learn the basics of search and consider effective positioning and battle strategies against the enemy. I would say that trial and error is the prerequisite.

However, as mentioned above, there are elements that can be carried over even if you die, and as you break through the Awakening Realm, boxes for storing items you have brought will be released, increasing what you can do. The game is challenging in its own way, but if you try repeatedly, the path will open up little by little, so the most important thing is to have the spirit of not giving up.

With its setting in a different world that can only be reached by drinking, and a system that allows players to strengthen themselves and their friends by drinking and talking, "Stellar Abyss" is an unlikely combination of alcohol and a simulation RPG that holds together well.

The unsettling but intriguing storyline motivates the player, and the difficult and random elements of the RPG part of the game motivate the player to play more. This game is recommended not only for those who are looking for a challenging game, but also for those who like adventure games that allow players to enjoy conversations.

• Title Information
• BAR Stella Abyss
• Genre: Simulation RPG
• Compatibility: PS5/PS4/Switch
• Number of players: 1
• Release date: 2024/2/29
• Price: 7,920 yen (tax included)
• Publisher：Nippon Ichi Software, Inc.

©2024 Nippon Ichi Software, Inc.