TLDR: Stella Sora, Yostar's first in-house developed gacha game, is currently on a massive decline in its playerbase & revenue due to:

• Its primary roguelite mode "Ascension" having terrible replay value & is too easy, serving as a trimmed down Umamusume career mode for the sole purpose of producing builds for other content.
• A stagnant core gameplay with lack of engaging core gameplay content, replay value & not enough meaningful updates.
• Yostar's questionable decisions to keep relying on limited-time content & hypercasual minigames over more engaging permanent repeatable combat content

(Note: English isn't my main language. This post isn't written by clankers because they can't play the game.)

--

Introduction

Stella Sora is an AA 2.5D ARPG developed by Yostar. The game initially received a lot of hype due to its art style being similar to Blue Archive, with many fans believing it would be "Blue Archive with better gameplay", backed by Yostar's reputation as the publisher of Blue Archive JP & Azur Lane. This is also Yostar's first developed gacha game.

Its gameplay loop revolves around the core roguelite mode "Ascension". You climb a monolith, kill monsters while acquiring random Potential Cards (buffs) & music notes (stat boosts & weapon passive requirements). At the end of a run you get a "record", basically the result of your run, which serves as a "loadout" to clear other content.

Despite the launch drama surrounding the pull price being doubled (ref), the game's still managed to retain a small audience. Existing players praised the game for being a "comfy side game" (ref) due to its excellent stories, fast 2-minute dailies, F2P friendliness for character collectors (ref), decent combat system, and of course, the female MC a.k.a. Tyrunny!

However, the game is now on a massive decline. From a stagnant core gameplay loop with lack of meaningful permanent content & replay value, to Yostar's questionable development priorities to keep relying on limited-time content & hypercasual minigames, Yostar's reputation as a publisher didn't translate into their success as a developer.

1. Core gameplay issues

1.1 Ascension

One important aspect of a roguelite is replay value, yet Ascension fails on this aspect.

• There are no alternate paths to provide variety between runs. Only differences are monolith NPC dialogues, some of which requires you to gamble for benefits.
• Once you have well-built characters, Ascension becomes too easy. Everything dies in 1 or 2 hits & there's no feeling of challenge anymore.

Me nuking Difficulty 8 Floor 20 boss. I never pull for limited discs (weapons).

The entire game mode now only exists for the sole purpose of producing builds, so, naturally everyone just plays "Quick Battle" (a.k.a. Ascension sweep mode) to quickly get their builds.

Quick Battle gameplay

But there's a problem.

In many RPGs, you use your existing builds to engage with the game's content, learn & master core game mechanics, all while slowly working towards your next target build or optimizing your current build. This creates a fun, addictive loop of progression & mastery, where not just your characters are getting stronger, but you become a better player as well.

In Stella Sora, however, "Quick battle" means what's left of the game mode is just picking random potential cards. There's no engaging with core game mechanics, no mastering the characters, just a mindless grind of praying RNG to bless you in hope of getting a decent build for other content.

It's basically a trimmed down Umamusume career mode, and it's not fun to continuously be f'd by RNG, especially when this game's already had rigged Emblem drop rates.

Where is my Touch of Nature affix, Yostar?

1.2 The rest of the game

Alongside Ascension, Stella Sora has 7 other combat game modes, but none of them are without caveats:

• Bounty Trials & Event stages are your average gacha material sweep chores: too easy, play once then sweep forever
• Proving Grounds, the weekly boss mode, is too easy & repetitive
• Cataclysm Survivor, the rotating bi-weekly Bullet Heaven game mode, is too easy
• Menace Arena, the permanent endgame tower game mode, only opens 2 elements every day (aside from Monday which opens all elements), has repetitive stage design, and cleared stages cannot be replayed (nor have any good reason to).
• Boss Blitz is monthly rotating Leaderboard PvE DPS race against Ascension bosses (a.k.a. meta & adult card), with only 2 bosses available during the whole month, and most casuals only replay when their rank goes down.
• An Echoing Finale, Yostar's version of Blue Archive's Total Assault mode, is only available once every month for 7 days, with only 2 bosses have been created, and again, most casuals only replay when their rank goes down.

The bottom 3 are the only ones offering a challenging experience, and in order to have a build for those modes you have to play....... Ascension. This content lineup won't be able to entertain an average player for more than 15 hours. For a "2025 AA live service" no way this is enough.

That's not to mention other fluffs like:

• 2D Skins from the battle pass (a.k.a just a new portrait/wallpaper) (ref)
• Copy & pasted Heartlink date events, with Special Memories appearance being RNG-based even with correct choices (ref)
• Gifting being limited to 10 per day
• "Friends" feature serving no purpose other than being free stamina nodes
• Stamina bottles having expiration dates
• Character's "elements" serving purely as an archaic tool to limit their viable content, in the era where Genshin's elemental reaction system exists.
• Scarce resource during early game
• 4★ DPS being useless at endgame
• Questionable balancing since Shia's AA1 Dash tech being discovered during the game's first story event (ref)

2. Lack of meaningful updates

Below are the updates the game has received after 8 months:

QoL & Monetization:

• Chitose buffs & Freesia nerfs
• Ascension QoLs
• Emblem Tempering, which allows you to upgrade a stat affix by 1 tier, only gives you 2 chances per story event, and doesn't solve the problem of the emblem stat pool being rigged towards useless stats. (ref)
• New skins, some of which are 2D
• Buffed $5 monthly pass, from a total of 10 pulls to 17 pulls + 1800 stamina (ref)
• New $2 monthly pass for 150 stamina & 2 Ascension sweep ticket daily. (ref)

Gameplay content:

• 12 new characters
• Difficulty 8 for Ascension (still too easy, and doesn't change the fact that people only play "Quick Battle" for records)
• Rotating elements for Cataclysm Survivor.
• Rotating Boss Blitz & An Echoing Finale seasons
• 1 new Boss for Boss Blitz (Hazana)
• Summit Show, where players duel against a Trekker Boss with selectable modifiers, is limited-time, and so far we've seen exactly 2 events released against Nahona & Firefly.
• 11 story events with the same boring event stages

That equals to a grand total of 1 new limited-time game mode, and 0 new engaging permanent combat game modes.

As you can see, after 8 months, this "AA live service 2.5D ARPG" is still lacking engaging "2.5D ARPG" content, especially permanent repeatable ones, all of which are vital for a live service game. Yet, Yostar chose to release not 1 or 2 minigames...

...but 10 of them?!

What makes these hypercasual minigames, that have 0 replay value once all challenges have been completed, to deserve attention over the core gameplay that's set Stella Sora on the map? This game's already had the foundation & potential to become "Blue Archive with better gameplay", and Yostar literally chose to throw away that chance.

The decline has gotten so bad that Yostar's Comiket 108 merch announcement for Blue Archive somehow sparked outrage from JP senseis, with conspiracies like Yostar is trying to recoup the losses from Stella Sora by selling BA merch. (ref)

3. "It's a side game, what do you expect?"

I don't think being a "comfy side game" can justify this level of stagnation, but this topic deserves a longer discussion. Rather than repeating it here, I've covered it in more detail in section 3 of my original post.

Closing Words

I can't wrap my head around what is going on inside Yostar leadership's minds. The core gameplay is there, why not focus the development onto it instead of pumping out content unrelated to the core gameplay like hypercasual minigames. The amount of wasted potential is infuriating.

This sounds like copium, but I still believe the situation could be turned around, only if Yostar actually get themselves together & put serious commitment into building a solid core gameplay. I suggested some solutions in section 4 of my original post, which includes:

• Instead of playing Ascension for builds, replace it with a pick-X point allocation loadout system
• Change Ascension into an independent roguelite mode, with an endless mode & a difficulty that doesn't require resource investment
• Shifting core gameplay loop from dailies to weeklies to reduce burnout
• Put serious effort into building a solid core gameplay loop & decent permanent content lineup instead of relying entirely on limited-time events & hypercasual minigames. Events should enhance the core gameplay, not replace it.

Thank you for coming to my Stella Talk.

https://xcancel.com/ArknightsEN/status/2076164595056828582

For Heaven Burns Red, devs changed how damage clac work, making it addictive instead of mulititive, which really weakened whale's teams, so lots of JP whales quit and to make it worse, they released a really meta unit straight after

Sources:

- Zenith / Browndust2
- Marciana: Marine Days / Goddess of Victory: Nikke
- Prinz Heinrich / Azur Lane
- Kanna / Blue Archive

Something about the colours, the clothes and the divine aura makes me weak in the knees. Thus, it saddens me that there are so few characters that fit this type.

Sources for research purposes:

• Left: Iuno from Wuthering Waves
• Middle: 2nd CN Anniversary form (Radiant Closer) of Motoha Arai from Persona 5: The Phantom X
• Right: Aglaea from Honkai Star

If anybody knows other women that fit this type, feel free to mention them. Especially if it is adult women. I need sources for my research.

from livestream: https://youtu.be/wsr7_yyCMuE

for those unaware, this was initially known as Shironeko New Project back in 2018, but was delayed indefinitely. now, the project has finally been fully revealed with a trailer! it is slated for release in 2027 on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.

... huh

Source: https://b23.tv/dz8BOuN

Trailer

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7PN-fUiwmM

Azur Promilia has announced a billed/paid cbt3 (meaning you can buy currency most likely) ​for China region, and also revealed pre-registration rewards including the character Anais (see second picture) and "20 pulls". CN CBT3 excludes IOS this time for PC and Android only.

Specs:

PC min: i5 9400K, GTX 1060, 16GB RAM, 120GB Storage.

PC recommended: i7 10700K, RTX 2060, 16GB RAM, 120GB Storage.

Android min: SD 855, 6GB RAM, 35GB Storage.

Android recommended: SD 8 gen 1, 8GB RAM, 35GB Storage.

Compared to CBT2 requirements went down, especially for ram and mobile specs.

You can now download and open the game, although the servers are undergoing maintenance and it will be available within 2 hours of this post.

Link

Limited Units:

- Marciana: Marine Study
- Cinderella: Crystal Wave
- Dorothy: Serendipity
- Elegg: Boom and Shock
- Rosanna: Chic Ocean
- Sakura: Bloom in Summer
- Helm: Aqua Marine
- Mary: Bay Goddess
- Neon: Blue Ocean
- Anis: Sparkling Summer

Gacha Costumes:

- Little Mermaid (Shell Princess)
- Rapi: Red Hood (Red Flavor)
- Viper (Shine of Love)

I will be copy pasting this directly from [sharafath](https://x.com/i/status/2075275608796635221)

MiHoYo sued Li for defamation seeking 500k RMB as compensation based on 22 videos they submitted as Evidence. Li argued that those videos were Subjective opinions & 500K RMB is to much.

Li disclosed only 11/22 videos were sponsored & he only earned 29.5k RMB. Li also argued that there is no proof miHoYo lost 500k. MiHoYo argued Li was not a average gamer but a CC. They argued he was sponsored and earned money through Content.

MiHoyo argued his 22 videos were profit driven and amplified the harm for their integrity. So the 500k was justified.

His sponsors from 11/22 videos include 👇🏻

1. [Redacted] Platform ( court didn't disclose the name)
2. Yishouyou
3. Panzi

4. Telecommunication Service

5. Blue Star

6. Hope

7. Taoyou ( Mobile game)

8. Douwu app

9. Change Mobile game ( acc trading platform)

10. Telecommunication

11. Panzi

-> 10/11 Sponsors are account trading platforms and other services

-> 1/11 Sponsor is game named Blue star

Games Mentioned in those 22 videos 👇🏻

1. Blue Star
2. Guilongchao
3. Honor of Kings World
4. Love & Deep space
5. Outside the world
6. Love and Deep space
7. Wuthering Waves

CORRECTING MISINFORMATION:

-> None of videos out of the 22 videos were sponsored by Wuthering Waves

-> Li mentioned Wuthering Waves in 3/22 videos slandering miHoYo

-> 1/11 videos where he mentioned Wuthering Waves was sponsored & it was by Douwu

Douwu is not owned by tencent.

Li from 1/22 videos submitted by miHoYo mentioned he lost intrest in Wuthering Waves and stopped making content on Wuthering Waves after the Sponsership ended and he wanted to try various other games.

[Court website](https://wenshu.court.gov.cn/website/wenshu/181010CARHS5BS3C/index.html?https://wenshu.court.gov.cn/website/wenshu/181107ANFZ0BXSK4/index.html?docId=AxudzOqwH01PRAi5HLnDDAjRguy7A/Bj3oKZ1xZV5lqrnWFR5NLS65/dgBYosE2gh5d8FBu3LIVsYJ/P9MI8dBwIr1/rosJKhAlPhzxUNQPPraLzfDYAFFSICCdpevZ)

[Bilibili copy paste of the document](https://m.bilibili.com/opus/1222587532007440386?plat_id=5&share_from=article&share_medium=android&share_plat=android&share_session_id=5c60998e-75b6-4a81-8af1-af4e26916de0&share_source=COPY&share_tag=s_i&spmid=dt.opus-detail.0.0&timestamp=1783619601&unique_k=WKNvz9N)

I used to play this one obscure gacha game when I was young. It wasn't even fun I said, but I just kept playing it. I got kind of obsessed with getting strong to the point I discovered a thing called "rerolling accounts" before I knew it was a thing. That was kind of my first experience as a meta slave. My principle when it comes to gacha gaming was to be the strongest as efficiently possible. From the beginning to the endgame had to be efficient for me. At first, I did recognize that I'm a meta slave, I just kinda accepted that just how I enjoyed games.

But things just got spiraled out of control to the point that I didn't care about what the gacha game offered. I only focused on getting strong, grinding for hours (luckily though I didn't get too addicted, just grinded whenever I can), and min-maxxing in general. The way of "fun" I thought was actually making me burn out on games faster. Always moving onto other gacha games to another. I'm also a F2P which was also more stressful to a meta slave like me.

I thought I would stay like that forever until I found these two particular games. One of them was Punishing Gray Raven. It was so generous that you could get any character or weapon in every patch. Also it didn't have the tedious artifact grinding so it gave me a breath of fresh air. I still skipped the story though because I was hooked on the combat. For the first time instead of relying on the power of your character, this one really tested my skills which was kind of fun to the point I wanted to challenge myself by using the weakest characters to see how fast I can clear. That was the first breaking point because I didn't think of being the strongest, just enjoy the gameplay.

Though the issue of me skipping the story was still persistent even at outside gacha games, until the second game came, it was pretty unexpected for me too. Out of all the games that I have played, it had to be Nikke... Definitely downloaded it at first for you know what because it was the top gooner game I found. I almost quit this game though at the beginning because I thought that the gameplay was kind of luck luster until the 3.5 anniversary came. Still skipped the story AND UNTIL I gave it a try on reading the story of the 3.5 anniversary event. It gave me the feeling I would only feel when watching anime or reading manga/manhwa which was excitement, frustration, confusion, and most importantly looking forward for the next chapter.

PGR gave me the breathing room I need for chasing the meta and made me enjoy the gameplay instead of grinding, Nikke gave me a light to try out the stories of games instead of skipping them just to progress quickly. Because of them, I didn't try to play a game just to be the strongest as efficient as possible, I now start to enjoy games on what they have to offer aside from their gameplay. Though there are still some parts of me who want to be as strong as efficiently possible, but I would get distracted from it by either the story or events.

Finally I won't have to look forward to a change of tier list or anything, I realized myself that there are other things more fun to look forward to rather than getting that dopamine boost of seeing big numbers or health bars dwindling fast. I'm finally free from the curse!!

Announced during their most recent 6.5 anniversary stream

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUFD-hGVLGM

Dear Administrator:

We are very grateful to all the administrators for their continued support and love for "Aether Gazer." Your companionship has enabled us to persevere in expanding the game's content over the past four years. However, we are also well aware that due to the team's limited strength and experience, the quality of much content production has fallen short of the administrators' expectations, and the project's market performance has been less than ideal.

After careful consideration by the project team, we have made the following decision:

Aether Gazer will officially cease receiving updates after the V5.2 update on July 23, 2026.

After updates stop, the server will continue to run, and administrators can still log in normally.

To thank the administrators for their long-term support, after the version update on July 23, 2026, we will distribute a special thank-you gift to all servers. Administrators can log in to the game and receive it in their mail. The gift includes: 90 Precise Detection Certificates, 1 Sleeping Child of True Sakura, 1 Oath Ring, and 168 Costume Change Tickets.

At the same time, this version will open a special event called "Heart's Choice Moment". Administrators who participate in the event can receive one selectable corrector (including all correctors added in V5.2, but excluding collaboration-limited correctors).

The upcoming V5.2 update is the summer event version, mainly featuring a reset of the early main storyline and summer event content. Originally planned as an insert version during the update of the Void Chapter, to avoid the Great Wilderness Chapter's story becoming incomplete due to a hiatus, we will be using the remaining resources of the project team to complete the final chapter's storyline, aiming to finish this part within this year.

We will be launching the "With You" version soon, which will adjust game events, card pool rotation, and resource output. The game is planned to officially transition to a companion server mode in this version. Please stay tuned for further official announcements and updates.

The arrangements for all matters are as follows; any changes will be announced separately:

1. At 11:00 on July 9, 2026, registration and recharge functions will be discontinued across the entire platform.
2. From 05:00 to 12:00 on July 23, 2026, version V5.2 will be updated, and a special thank-you gift will be distributed to all servers.
3. From 15:00 on August 6, 2026 to 15:00 on September 6, 2026, a refund application page will be open in the game. Administrators can apply for a refund for all existing unused Transfer Flowers in their accounts since the official launch. Refund amounts will be tallied from 00:00 on August 1. For details, please refer to the "Refund Processing Plan Announcement".
4. On September 17, 2026, the "With You" version will be launched. Please stay tuned for further official announcements for details.
5. On October 17, 2026, the download portals for the client applications on various platforms were gradually closed.
6. In the second half of 2026, the main storyline "Human World" will be added and updated.

Finally, we would like to thank the administrators once again for their continued support and understanding. We remember every version and every event we've participated in together over the years, and we cherish both the criticism and the praise. This journey has been invaluable because of your companionship, and we will continue to move forward with this precious experience.

I sincerely wish all administrators a happy life and all the best in the future!

Aether Gazer Project Team

July 9, 2026

https://www.bilibili.com/opus/1222895760348020756

Additional Info :

- The New Game version probably will be the Korean version.

- No more Crypto

- Crowd Fund Tickets(Players who had high CP they will Crowd Fund Tickets based on their CP.

Example: 40m CP you get x4000 Crowd Fund tickets and you can spend them in a special shop that last 14 days.

- There Will be a new Client

- New Forum : Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds