The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls: Starlight Stage

Video Game Review

The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls: Starlight Stage 1

I was not someone who enjoyed smartphone games. Three years ago when I had a lot of free time on my hands, I would get what I considered to be a much more full experience via one of my home consoles than on my arguably underpowered handheld device. But spending two and a half hours on a train each day commuting to and from work changed that perspective significantly. So I spent a lot of time digging around both the Google Play and QooApp app stores looking for games that would offer a rich, attention-grabbing experience without convincing me to part with too much of my hard-earned money. The very first game that I downloaded was the Japan-exclusive The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls: Starlight Stage – a 3D rhythm game which after all this time I still find myself playing weekly.

The Idolm@ster is Bandai Namco Entertainment Japan’s long-running idol simulation series, which began its life in arcades from 2005. In later years it was ported over to multiple home consoles, and as of late has seen new life on the smartphone market with hundreds of new idol female and male idols between their properties. Arguably the most well known of these spin-off social network games is “Cinderella Girls”, originating as a card battle game and later receiving its own adaptation “Starlight Stage”. While I would argue the performance sections were one of the weakest components of the console versions, the transition to a smartphone setup worked in its favour, partnering up many fantastic songs with simple, well-timed and easy to approach rhythm gameplay.

The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls: Starlight Stage 2

Even before I begin talking about the gameplay or music, one of the most eye-catching details about Cinderella Girls: Starlight Stage is just how beautiful it looks. Each of the more than a hundred songs features unique choreography and stage, complemented by the almost 200 idols modelled in 3D with their individualistic features. In comparison to Deemo for example which favours a static, non-intrusive backdrop with their rhythmic segments, this title goes all out with the spectacle performed during each of the songs. While it may seem distracting at first, I found it possible to enjoy the performance in tandem with the gameplay mechanics. Alternatively, after completing a song, it is possible to re-watch it standalone with the characters of your choosing. For those who want a less distractful experience or want to conserve phone power, there is a 2D mode featuring static backdrops and varying degrees of animation of the 2D caricatures.

The gameplay mechanics are not that complex – and as is usually the case with smartphone games are approachable and easily addictive. When performing a song, the goal is to wrack up as many points as possible by tapping whichever of the five idol icons at the bottom screen has a note (scrolling down the screen) overlapping it. In typical rhythm game fashion, while a majority of the notes just require you to tap, there are also those that need to be swiped or held for a certain amount of time. While the gameplay is nothing revolutionary, what is nice is that each song has multiple difficulty settings ranging from Beginner to Master+. There is a good jump in difficulty with each level, meaning that there are potentially several hours in each song as one works towards improving their efficiency.

The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls: Starlight Stage 3

While a perfect combo will undoubtedly improve your high score, it also comes down to which five idols you use in your performance. There are three proficiencies in Cinderella Girls: Starlight Stage which most songs are associated with and different characters have different competency with – Cute, Cool and Passion. Therefore if you have five cool idols performing a cool song, then you are likely to get a higher score than if you chose five of the cuter idols. The other way to improve your skill is by getting a higher tier idol in your party.

Each idol in Cinderella Girls: Starlight Stage is obtainable through acquiring their card – with each idol having multiple cards spread out across the four tiers: Normal, Rare, SR (Super Rare) and SSR (Super Super Rare). While Normal and Rare idols are easy to acquire, the higher tiers are typically only obtainable through the gacha system which requires the use of gems obtained either progressively through daily unlocks/completing missions or spending real-life money. Each tier increment allows you to level up your idol a little further, ultimately giving them better stats once fully levelled. If you are like me and care more about filling your party with performers you personally like rather than achieving a high score, then you can still get an S-Rank on a song with even normal tier idols – although some idols are locked to higher tiers. SSR-tier idols come with their own unique costume, making one obtaining one to be still worth it either way.

The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls: Starlight Stage 4

Hypothetically if you were wanting to spend money on obtaining idols or one of the several purchasable costumes, how much would you be looking to pay? I would place this in the medium-high price range for gacha games. All payments are taken in yen so would require conversion into your local currency, but typically a 10x pull of gacha with one guaranteed SR Idol is 2,500 gems (3,300 yen for 2,650 gems) with costumes usually at that 2,500 gems mark as well. There are occasionally events held where you can get a choose-your-own SSR token, choose-your-own SR token and 10x pull ticket for 2,500 purchased gems as well – and are arguably a better investment than randomly pulling if there is a specific idol you want. 

Fortunately, through events, there are a few times each year where Bandai Namco Entertainment are very generous with their gems. Especially around the New Year period or the game’s anniversary, you can expect days if not weeks of daily free 10x gacha pulls. That said, it is reasonable to not spend any money and incrementally earn your gems and idols in-game. After three years I have about 40 SSR Idols, only a few resulting from money spent.

The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls: Starlight Stage 5

While other rhythm games on the smart-device market typically charge for songs, the 200ish songs currently in Starlight Stage are all available free of charge. From the extensive line-up from songs performed by the current voiced characters, available are classics such as Onegai Cinderella, new favourites like Party Time, a couple of dozen individual-idol tracks and a bevvy of other options. This line-up continually expands regularly through events and special occasions – with only a few locked behind your incrementally increasing producer level. Therefore, even if you aren’t a fan of a particular genre of music, you will be bound to find many songs to your liking. As this is a Japanese-only game though, keep in mind that all lyrics are not in English.

Cinderella Girls has new events on pretty much a monthly basis and usually fall into one of several types. These include LIVE PARADE (Where you tour your idols across Japan with set difficulty/song combinations in each area), LIVE CARNIVAL (Where you have set idol groups perform at booths across a carnival, obtaining tokens to unlock goodies along the way) and more. There are also a number of other features including but not limited to: 

  • A photography mode where you can take a snap of one of your idols in any unlocked clothing and pose (example)
  • A Room Mode where you can decorate your office and share it with others
  • A portrait-orientation mode which focuses the camera on individual idols rather than a group
  • Grand Mode which ups the difficulty considerably but adapts the music video to feature between six and fifteen idols of your choosing on-stage at any one time.
The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls: Starlight Stage 6

Cinderella Girls: Starlight Stage to this date has not been localised in English, meaning that a lot of the story sequences presented are virtually inaccessible unless you a) understand the language or b) look for an unofficial translation. The region of release also means that you cannot purchase it off the App Store or Google Play Store – requiring the use of an unofficial App Store for your device such as QooApp. Despite it not being a mainstream offering localised in English, there is still an active international community for this game through r/StarlightStage or numerous blogs. Therefore if you get lost on something, it is likely you will be able to find a solution.

Overall, The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls: Starlight Stage was a dear source of entertainment as I spent many hours of otherwise mindless commuting to and from work each day. As a gacha game, this is not a title I would recommend to those who think they have trouble controlling their spending as the regular release of new idol cards can be tempting. But for those who know their limits or don’t wish to spend a single yen, there is much to appreciate. With an extensive and diverse library of music which you don’t need to purchase, lots of adorable and distinct idols, outstanding choreography and easily approachable rhythm gameplay – this is a great game to pass the time playing and a highlight of recent The Idolm@ster releases.

9.5

out of 10

Sam
Sam
Founder of The Otaku's Study. I have been exploring this labyrinth of fandom these last fifteen years, and still nowhere close to the exit yet. Probably searching for a long time to come.

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