Stella Deus is a tactical role-playing strategy game in the tradition of games like Final Fantasy Tactics and Disgaea that doesn't strive to be too awfully unique but does offer just enough variation to stand on its own merits. The game is driven by a serious storyline and lack of cuteness that does make it stand out slightly from the latest pack of Japanese RPGs to make it stateside this year.

The Miasma

Stella Deus tells the story of a world that is on its last legs. Set in the land of Solum, the world is slowly being choked to death by a deadly mist called the Miasma, which turns everything it touches to nothingness. No one knows for sure how the Miasma started but several groups in the world have theories about how to deal with it (and how not to deal with it). The Aeque religion believed that the Miasma is the will of god, can not be stopped and that it represents the peaceful end of the world. Many of the people embraced this doctrine, and freed themselves from the fear of death that the Miasma would inevitably bring, but in the place of that fear came apathy towards life itself.

But not everyone believed in the Aeque doctrine. A mighty man named Dingus stepped forward and formed an unstoppable army that slaughtered the peaceful and apathetic masses, waging a war against all the ruling classes of the land and declaring himself overlord. Caught between the Aeque and the Imperial Legion, it would seem that the world has more than one problem to contend with - as if fading into the nothingness that the Miasma promises was not enough.

The player takes on the role of several characters (chiefly Spero, Grey and Adara) that are tied to both groups as the story reveals itself. These heroes (as fate would have it) learn that there may very well be a way to defeat the Miasma. Doing so may put them at odds with the Imperial Army, a powerful alchemist named Viser and the Overlord himself, but saving the world is worth the personal consequences. Thus begins the tale of Stella Deus and a serious tale it is to the very end. Unlike Disgaea and many other fine tactical RPGs on the market, Stella Deus is a serious adult themed adventure that doesn't try to be cute or funny.

The Gameplay

Stella Deus uses the traditional isometric view and grid-based map system associated with most tactical RPGs. If you've played Disgaea, Phantom Brave, Final Fantasy Tactics or countless other games in the genre then you'll feel right at home with the gameplay in this one. What Stella Deus does do differently is use a point system that governs everything you can do with your characters on the battlefield. All your actions require the consumption of Action Points (AP). How much AP a character has determines when (or if, as the case may be) you can move, attack, use your special abilities, cast spells, use items, etc. At first glance this might seem like a very restrictive system, but playing a handful of battles will quickly reveal how a player that thinks conservatively can annihilate his or her enemies. Strategy plays a major role when using this system, giving players who don't race across the map a distinct advantage over AI controlled enemies. For example, a player that moves carefully across the map conserving points will make enemies come to them - and when they are in range - allow them to take them out using special attacks, spells etc with conserved AP. Luckily AP does regenerate each turn, and those with the most AP get the best initiative, so strategic gameplay and conservative thinking are important.

As you win battles on the world map and in the catacombs (more on this in a minute), you'll gain experience and skills points to grow your characters as you see fit. Experience points obviously go towards leveling up your characters and skill points are spent by each character to get active and passive abilities and EZ, or Effect Zone skills. Leveling up is obviously very important (going up against higher level bad guys is certain death in this game) and "buying" certain skills is never a bad idea - any edge you can get in the game is a good thing, naturally.

Skills points can be used to buy a variety of special attacks, stats enhancement abilities and EZ skills that help your group or hurt your enemies. Some examples of the skills include a boost to attack power, immunity to certain status effects, etc. Effect Zone powers might give allies close to you a slight boost to evade or accuracy, or regenerate health slightly every turn. Offensive EZ skills adversely affect nearby enemies with a variety of status effects.

Skills, spells and EZ effects tend to vary by class but many of them are shared across the board. Since there are so many different classes to choose from from all the characters you'll meet along the way, players shouldn't have a problem experimenting and claiming several classes (and skill sets) as their favorites.

No matter what class you decide to bring into the team, you'll be able to upgrade with a specific special item for each class. This upgrade gives the character more skill slots to use and a new set of skills to learn. The nice thing about Stella Deus is that when you upgrade a class it doesn't reset the stats or level of the class, it simply gives more skill slots and skills to use. I wish more tactical RPGS would embrace this approach..

Stella Deus takes place on a large world map that generally points players in a story-driven, specific direction; there are no random encounters in the game at all, and the main battles can never be replayed like in other games. The battles in the game are varied, sometimes epic in scope and are always driven by the overarching and serious storyline. But that's not all there is to do in the game. In every location on the map there is an access point to the "Catacomb of Trials," a multi-level dungeon where players can explore and gather experience, skills points and cold hard cash. While the battles aren't random even in the catacombs, once a player has cleared a level they can revisit it as many times as they like. The monsters occupying each level are as strong as the level they reside in- for example, a monster "on" level one would "be" level one, while a monster "on" level 13 would "be" level 13. The only drawback to the catacombs is that, after awhile it's simply a level grind. But it's certainly a more convenient way of leveling up, as opposed to having to rely on a random encounter or the main storyline's battles.