Stella Glow (Nintendo 3DS) Preview

Stella Glow leans on a few common JRPG/anime tropes: the primary character, called Alto, arrives in town with no memory. Taken in by a girl named Lisette and her mother, Alto soon becomes the best hunter in town, a welcomed member of society. One day, when out on a hunt, Alto hears something he shouldn't: a song. Song has disappeared from the world, and only witches can sing. Alto follows the song to find a mysterious girl, and the two of them are soon attacked by monsters.

Combat is tactical, similar to the Fire Emblem series, but from an isometric perspective and with 3D, chibi-like models. In addition to moving, attacking, and using items each turn, characters can be faced in a particular direction, which will have an effect on battle, for example, attacking an enemy from the side or behind (or being attacked by one from the side or behind) can yield a damage bonus. This adds a layer of strategy not often found in tactics games. Battle animations are charming but can get repetitive, but they can also be skipped entirely.