Thank you Visual Arts for sending us this game to review via Steam Curator!

Visual Arts/Key are well known for some of the most celebrated visual novels (VNs) of all time. While they are probably most famous for their really long epics, they have also published shorter kinetic VNs over the years; kinetic means no choices, making it more like a storybook or movie. I recently reviewed LOOPERS, for example. It was a lovely story, but I felt it was just a bit too short. Thankfully, Stella of The End is a better length, at just under ten hours. It's long enough to really let you get to know the characters and setting, while still being short enough to complete in a few sittings.

Stella of The End takes place in a distant future where humanity is well past its prime, and getting closer and closer to extinction. Mankind is divided up into small settlements of relative civilization, with other groups of primitive humans that seem more beast than person. Massive ruins can be found in many places, often abandoned for the various dangers that lie within. Giant machines roam the world, often crushing or destroying what is in their way. Mankind is no longer the dominant species, or at least that's how it appears. Trust is difficult to come by, and people often kill each other, as survival is hard; looting others can mean life or death.

Ancient technology can be hard to find, but even if found, few know how it works. Jude Gray is one of those people. He's what they call a Courier, a profession full of the smartest and most risk-taking. Jude will take even the most dangerous contracts, if it pays well enough. He's also loaded with some incredible tech, including visual overlays, scanners, and tech to keep his body alive under stress. Armed with firearms, he's a one-man army.

He is contacted by the mysterious Willem Grosvenor, who offers Jude the payment of a lifetime to secure and retrieve an android, and deliver it to him. This android accepts the name Philia. Stella of The End tells of Jude and Philia's journey across the continent, as Jude hopes to get the biggest payout of his life: more money than he could ever hope to spend, along with some of the best tech around.

The story has many challenging moments, and both characters really develop in interesting ways. There is a fair amount of killing and death, as it's required to survive in this world. There are many discoveries during their long journey, and it does a great job in developing the reality of the state of the world, and how cruel and dark it is. There are also glimpses into how things used to be.

Stella of The End's writing is remarkable in how mature and skillfully it is presented. What I mean by this is that while there is blood, it's never to excess. While there are females present, and one is shown in a gown with visible slits down the side exposing her curves, there is no commentary or disrespect shown towards her or any other woman who isn't trying to kill them. The protagonist Jude treats women with respect but is realistic; if they are dangerous to him, he will defend himself as necessary. The state of the world is shown more than preached. Unlike some Key works, which major on jokes and innuendo, this is written more seriously - and yet, even when there are moments of levity, it's always pointing to some greater purpose, lesson, or character growth. It says what it needs to without wasted words. And this all makes sense, because it was written by the great Romeo Tanaka, the writer behind one of Key's best works, Rewrite. The tone and storycrafting reflects his experience and skill.

The art and music are also excellent, as is the Japanese voice acting. The art is darker and grittier than many Key works, but is certainly up to par in quality, and is in a fairly high resolution. The music is excellent as always.

Technically, the game ran without any issues for me. While I didn't play most of it on Steam Deck, it was patched to be playable while I was reading this story, and testing it after that it ran just fine. A small amount of text, like in the main menu screen, benefits from the Deck's magnifying feature, but the story itself reads just fine. Being a VN, system specs are not a concern. The menu is fancier than many, likely mirroring the high-tech interface Jude no doubt experiences with his equipment.

Morally, I've touched on most of it already, but there is a lot of blood and violence, and it's a dark world where mercy is hard to come by. Humans who try to stop Jude and Philia may die from a sudden gunshot wound, as Jude doesn't hold back; most is arguably self-defense, though. While the dystopian environment (and some of the decisions made) can be difficult to swallow, at the same time, relationships and family becomes more important as time goes on. Curse words are surprisingly sparse, with only the occasional 'd*mn' or 'h*ll'. Sexual content is minimal; there are a couple of android females with curves or the aforementioned side-slit gown, but that's about it. I feel like older teens could enjoy this story.

Stella of The End is a thought-provoking story with excellent art, music, and voice acting that really brings this future dystopia to life. It may not have any choices, and may only be 8-10 hours depending on reading speed, but the story and characters are memorable. While I personally didn't shed any tears, I had a close call. Key still has it, and Stella of The End is one of my favorite kinetic visual novels to date. If you are looking for an interesting story that asks important questions about what really makes someone human, or the potential impacts of AI in the world, Stella of The End is worth checking out! Recommended.