VGChartz's Lee Mehr: "“Take a drink every time he references either of Playdead’s titles.” If any reader took up said deal, I apologize for hospitalizing you. But it’s tough not to continually compare when SkyBox Labs brazenly imitates so often. That in and of itself isn’t egregious—especially since it’s such a polished example. Refinement this rare, in such an exploited platformer phylum, is the focal point of why I typically felt engaged. However, it’s also tough to elevate it among prestigious counterparts when nuanced ideas aren’t fully realized and are often mired by abstruse symbolism. If INSIDE demonstrates a poignant story can be shouldered solely through unstated background details, thick atmosphere, and a depressive art style, Stela demonstrates it’s tougher than it looks."
Stela is a beautiful cinematic platformer that's ambiguous on details but absolutely bursting with mood, style, and fiendish puzzles.
KellysKranium from TGA says "If I ask you to think of a game that you play laterally, and which uses silhouettes and 2.5D graphics, then you would probably think of a game like Limbo or Inside. If you are a fan of those games, then you may enjoy Stela."
TSA writes: "You are awoken in a dimly lit cave, the world shaking around you. You get up, climb out of the cave, and then, you run. Stela follows the life of an unnamed woman in the final days of a dying world. No words are spoken from start to end, and no words are need. The background shows a landscape crumbling and creatures ready to kill you for food. The suspense in Stela is continuous and unrelenting, death is around every corner."
