Project Stella Focuses on “Mecha + Cute Girls” Concept; Aims for “Photoreal + Pop Culture” Graphics

Kadokawa Games has been teasing its new strategy JRPG for consoles code-named Project Stella for quite a while, yet, we know almost nothing about it. 

In order to know more, we talked directly with Kadokawa Games President and Game Director Yoshimi Yasuda at the studio’s headquarters in Tokyo.

The game will be a successor for the developer’s now-closed mobile game Starly Girls: Episode Starsia, which focused on the “mecha + cute girls” concept. Yet, for now, we have only seen the mecha, no cute girls in sight. 

Luckily, Yasuda-san mentioned that this will be corrected down the line, and the game is still based on the same “mecha + cute girls” concept.

“The design and direction may have changed, but the basic concept is still “mecha + cute girls.” We’ll definitely introduce the “cute girls” later on, so please look forward to it.”

We also hear that the developer is aiming to implement better graphics compared to their previous strategy RPG, God Wars.

“We are definitely aiming to enhance the quality of the graphics for the game. We believe that this will let us connect with more fans and appeal to a wider audience.

My two sources of inspiration are Star Wars and the Battlefield series. They’re great examples of advanced graphics.

That being said, instead of aiming simply for photorealism, I’d like to add a touch of “pop culture” to the graphics. Basically, the concept for the graphics is “photoreal + pop culture””

Yasuda-san then mentioned that the game will provide players with all the data required to make informed decisions about strategy, which is the core of the genre. Yet, it will also aim to include something new.

“One thing that’s great about SRPGs is having all the data exposed to the players, providing them with all the options and data to think about the strategies they need to complete the game.

I believe that’s the core of this kind of games, and it’s very important.

That being said, while I want to implement this core in Project Stella, I would also like to add an element of revolution to make it even more exciting and fun.”

If you want to know more, stay tuned on Twinfinite. The full interview will be published tomorrow.

Kadokawa Games will host its Grand Festival 2019 event on October 19, and that’s when we’re likely to hear more about Project Stella.