After watching a Youtube video on Stella Deus for the PS2, I decided to give the game a try, as I did have some memories about playing it when I was younger (when I had time to play RPGs).

The review did mention that the beginning of the game was a bit rough, with some mechanics that were not properly explained... and damn they were right, this games just throws you at the wolves from the get go!

Not in a "this game is super hard" way, more in a overwhelming way. As in, you finish your first/second mission and you are hit with:

• A shop with new equipment that you can (and probably should) already buy
• A bunch of sub-quests, where some quests let you recruit new characters
• An item fusion system
• A way to spend points to learn new skills
• A way to use the same points to increase stats
• A dungeon to grind
• A first boss with a passive ability to inflict "fear" when you get near him (your character can't attack for N turns)

I keep having moments like "Are you telling my that I could have (recruited a healer/used a better weapon/had better stats/learn immunity to fear/...)? That would have made that battle so much easier!"

This game could have used a slightly larger intro chapter to gradually introduce the game mechanics

And yes, I know there's a Tutorial in the main menu that you can read, but I still felt overwhelmed.