Led by Shunsuke Minowa and Yu Mizokami with Mio Katsumata on character design, Bar Stella Abyss is a roguelike with turn-based combat featuring the misadventures of a slightly lost protagonist who arrives in a well-hidden bar at the end of an alley to escape a tired day. Allowing himself to taste the cocktail offered by the owner of the place, our hero dozes off to wake up in a dream world in which he finds himself trapped in addition to having lost his face and his arm. Big hangover, then.
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Far from being alone in his alcoholic misadventures, the player will meet many characters, such as the bar owner, a flying creature named Tipsy and a certain number of counter pillars who can become comrades during the exploration of the world. In the wild, the fights will take place like those of a turn-based tactical role-playing game, taking into account the weaknesses of the enemies, the positioning of the characters or even the effects of the terrain.
The skill system relies on obtaining Stella, which represent the powers of the zodiac constellations. The player will be able to randomly come across some 130 Stella during his exploration, but will only be able to equip 4 at a time, which still leaves quite a few possible combinations. Roguelike obliges, the Stella are one of these bonuses which will inevitably disappear upon the loss of your character, who will also wake up burst in the bar toilets.
From there to say that Nippon Ichi Software made this game to denounce alcohol abuse, not sure, because it is around numerous cocktails that we will find ourselves having conversations with the other characters in order to obtain their support during the next expedition. All associated with a sign of the zodiac, these regulars are eight in number and the goal will be to select the appropriate reaction (Agree, Disagree, Laugh, Doubt, Drink) during conversations while trying to understand the personality of each. Abusing the “Drink” option can also end trades prematurely due to the effects of alcohol. There are 300 of them, however, the cocktails will be of great help in obtaining hidden advantages, for example additional experience gain.
Nippon Ichi Software has not yet announced whether Bar Stella Abyss will be released in the West. In Japan, the game will be available on February 29, 2024 on PS5, PS4 and Switch.