Final yr noticed the remake of Stay A Stay launch on Nintendo Change, some 27 years after its unique 1994 launch on the Tremendous Famicom. This marks the primary time the title has been made obtainable exterior of Japan, and now that it is coming to PS5 and PS4, we’re comfortable to report that Stay A Stay remains to be a singular and ground-breaking expertise.
Straightaway, the sport presents you with a selection of seven characters to play as, every spanning a distinct time interval. There’s Pogo of the prehistoric period, Masaru Takahara of the current day, Dice of the distant future, and others in between. Selecting one in all these characters gained’t lock you into taking part in the entire sport as them, as an alternative merely providing a place to begin. Every of those seven characters has a small chapter, simply accomplished in a most of three hours, which types the broader sport — and there’s no set order it’s essential play them in.
You may count on every of those chapters to be the identical factor, repackaged to suit a brand new time interval — however that isn’t the case in any respect. Every of the characters has their very own particular person personalities and oftentimes talents. Prehistoric Pogo has no verbal abilities, speaking along with his friends in a collection of grunts, however he has an impeccable sense of odor which can be utilized to trace enemies. Akira of the close to future can learn minds, and Oboromaru of Edo Japan can flip invisible utilizing his Shroud of Shadows. Every chapter has a distinct storyline, with a touch of a connection that may make itself obvious within the closing chapter of Stay A Stay. Some chapters really feel like a totally completely different style, most notably Current Day the place your entire factor is ready up as a Road Fighter-esque combating sport. It makes for a extremely attention-grabbing expertise, permitting every chapter to be memorable.
Stay A Stay additionally has the good thing about with the ability to dip out and in of chapters when you really feel you’re not gelling with one thing. Whereas all chapters must be accomplished to be able to unlock the endgame paths, simply since you begin a chapter it doesn’t imply you’re locked into it till you end. You’re in a position to exit to the menu and begin or resume a distinct chapter, and the sport will bear in mind your progress within the timeline you’re leaving. A terrific contact for once you really feel like one thing completely different.
It’s the eighth chapter the place every little thing comes collectively, and the free narrative thread that is been woven all through the opposite chapters lastly turns into obvious.
Plenty of the chapters are extra simple than others, with some feeling notably puzzling and imprecise. Edo Japan has its major character Oboromaru traversing what looks like an unlimited maze of a palace, with many puzzles and traps to determine. Conversely, the Prehistoric chapter is extraordinarily linear in its development with no room for doubt about the place it’s essential go.
It’s small issues like this that basically make Stay A Stay stand out. Sure, this can be a sport separated into cohesive chunks, however it additionally looks like a collection of smaller video games that are half of a bigger entire. There’s a sure attraction to this that feels such as you’re in for a completely distinctive expertise — even right here in 2023. Our favorite chapter, The Wild West, has its protagonist amassing objects, and the inhabitants of a city setting traps for the outlaws who’re about to assault. Relying on what number of traps you efficiently set inside a sure time restrict, this has a knock-on impact with what number of enemies you’ll face within the closing battle. It’s a extremely enjoyable mechanic that we’ve hardly ever skilled earlier than, and actually makes that exact story stand out.
With up to date HD-2D graphics, Stay A Stay contains a recreated soundtrack from its unique composer, Yoko Shimamura. Breaching a number of time intervals, the soundtrack manages to brilliantly evoke the period you’re taking part in in, whereas additionally managing to sound cohesive when taken as an entire throughout the timeline. It’s an exquisite enhancement to the expertise.
Fight-wise, Stay A Stay looks like acquainted floor. Going down on a grid, every character has a gauge which have to be stuffed up earlier than an assault will be unleashed. Transferring across the grid fills up your enemy’s gauge, making ready their assaults, however a few of your individual strategies might delay or interrupt their plans. Every assault has a distinct space of impact, which means you’ll should place your self excellent to be able to maximise injury throughout a number of enemies, or to make sure you’re hitting anybody within the first place. Enemies have completely different weaknesses and resistances that are simply seen by focusing on them, so you may plan assaults accordingly by utilizing completely different strikes with completely different attributes. It’s all pretty enjoyable, however the battle system does not stand out or really feel distinctive — particularly when in comparison with how participating the remainder of the sport’s design is.
Conclusion
Stay A Stay is an extremely attention-grabbing and distinctive JRPG expertise. With beautiful HD-2D graphics and quite a few major characters, it’s exhausting to not examine it to the likes of Octopath Traveler, however it actually is a totally completely different kettle of fish. Stay A Stay is a different thrill experience that also impresses all these years later, and whereas the fight does battle to stay as much as the remainder of the journey, the sport does a unbelievable job of tying all of its intriguing, particular person tales collectively. It is a history-hopping journey we’ll be enthusiastic about for fairly a while.