Spoiler Alert!
Release Date: April 14th, 2016
Developer: Razzart Visual
Publisher: Sekai Project
Length: About 5-10 hours
Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Yuri, Ecchi
Story: 9/10 Characters: 9/10
After more or less unwillingly moving into her grandfather’s old house, Aria , the protagonist of the story, starts hearing weird noises. While exploring the house and trying to find the source of these uncanny sounds, Aria and Melody, her best friend, stumble upon an intriguing-looking gem that Aria can’t help but touch, unleashing a sexy demon from another world by doing so. Since Aria and their new demon friend Lyria end up being stuck together thanks to the powers of what is called a Lifelink Stone, the three are forced to cooperate to get rid of the magic that’s keeping them bound together.
First of all, this review is based solely on Lyria’s route, as I didn’t dare touch any other route after experiencing the sheer joy their story managed to make me feel. As much as others might disapprove of this way of thinking, I will shamelessly admit that not even the oh so tempting yuri harem route managed to convince me otherwise. With that out of the way, let’s start with the actual review~
To start things off, let’s just say that this Visual Novel literally blew me away. After having enjoyed what I thought to be the best yuri Visual Novel around right now, namely Kindred Spirits on the Roof, this one came as a big surprise, to say the least. I know, I shouldn’t compare these two, as the only thing they have in common is the fact that they are both VNs that involve girls in love with other girls. Still, in terms of enjoyment, they managed to score quite similarly.
I’ve been eagerly waiting for any type of media that would depict a love story just the way this one does. What I mean is—and many people have even complained about it—that Starlight Vega features the more-or-less typical fantasy romance story that you can already experience in numerous games, and especially anime. Though, at least I can’t think of any time I’ve ever seen something like this with a serious kind of yuri romance involved. So, yeah, this is a rare treat, especially if we take into account that what I just called a typical set-up is easily made unique by adding the option of three very different types of romances, not to mention that we finally get another VN that actually has options that can change the outcome of the whole story.
Also, this one is written outstandingly well. It is very straight to the point, as everything that we could call similar to a filler scene—that just acts to stretch the whole thing a little longer or show the characters doing something unrelated to the actual story—is almost completely missing, especially in the beginning of the story. There is simply no way you can get bored with this, as everything we see is directly linked to either the plot line or to the character’s development, in order to make some romance possible. Well, it certainly isn’t as fast-paced as I might have made it sound. The romance still takes its time, even though Lyria probably wanted to get things going a lot faster. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
It’s the way Lyria goes from totally flirtatious to dead serious when talking about her feelings and desires, the way Aria just slowly realizes that she enjoys Lyria’s company more than she would like to admit, the way they unknowingly comfort each other by spending nights together in each others arms…. Everything I ever wished to see in yuri media is compiled into the story of these two characters. And what is even more amazing is the fact that the most powerful scene for me in this entire Visual Novel is neither their first kiss, nor is it their first time, no. It’s a scene in which they don’t even really spent any time together. What I’m talking about is the scene in which Aria and Melody, so to speak, take a peek inside Lyria’s mind, finding out about some of her most important and happy memories — all involving Aria.
Needless to say, the romance was the one thing I enjoyed the most, even though the story itself was pretty intriguing as well. And I yet again feel like this type of plot is capable of having both a prequel, as well as a sequel. I would most certainly want to get both~
Well, the only thing I feel like this Visual Novel is lacking is a, let’s say, more satisfying conclusion at the end of it. Maybe the other routes did a better job, but the ending for the Lyria route felt rather cut off, like their story in Vega was just getting started, and yet it was already over. What also bothered me is the fact that it didn’t quite feel like the right kind of ending. What I mean is that it all appeared to be a happy ending, with them almost shrugging off the problems that had previously built up. Aria was openly addressing that she was missing her home and friends. She doesn’t really have any friends in Vega, nor do the people there approve of humans in any way. Even though it was her own decision, she is left more or less alone with just Lyria around as the only person she would actually enjoy spending time with. And if that wasn’t sad enough, their final act showed them expanding Aria’s life even more, so she could spend even more time trapped in Vega. Well, maybe I’m on my own with this opinion, but I was really hoping for some type of conclusion, as in Aria finding a way to actually visit the human world every now and then, but oh well.
Art: 8/10
As for the art, I really enjoyed what I saw. Some of the background pictures were really outstandingly beautiful and fit the whole feel of this Visual Novel perfectly. The characters as well looked really nice, especially Lyria~
I guess I would have liked to see some more of these beautiful-looking event CGs, though the ones we already got are satisfying enough.
Sound and Music: 7.5/10
We didn’t get any voice acting in this one, which I found to be a surprisingly good thing. I’m extremely biased when it comes to this, so the only voice acting I can truly enjoy is professional Japanese voice acting. That’s why I think that if they had gone with English ones, I would have either muted them or turned the volume down so low that I’d only be able to make out the emotions the spoken words carried.
As for background music, they didn’t lie when they said they’d have a professional soundtrack awaiting you. I especially enjoyed the slower tracks~
Yuri: 10/10
Well, as already mentioned somewhere above, there are three different routes that allow you can basically pick which girl you want Aria to be with, be it Lyria, Melody, or Scherza. Also, you can get a harem ending if you make the right decisions, and that might be a pretty damn great addition to a lot of yuri fans.
Since the game is fully yuri, and even involves some pretty awesome scenes showing the characters kiss or go even further, this deserves nothing less than a perfect score here.
Total Enjoyment: 9/10
Despite the slight problem I had with the ending, this Visual Novel right here is still nothing short of amazing. It has great art, a great story, and best of all, the most satisfying romance I’ve come across in a long, long time.
If you’re interested in buying this game, you can do so right here.
YuriReviews and More 
Yet another great review! I think the only thing i have against this game is the lack of voice acting. otherwise its awesome! 😀 love the art, the girls are all likeable, and the yuri scenes are amazing! for me, I just have to go for that yuri harem end! it just sounds so good! >.< Steam truly is the new havne for licensed yuri visual novels. we are truly in the midst of another Yuri Renaissance! 😀
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I see you’re already enjoying the game, that’s good to hear~
When you’re done with the game and managed to get the harem end, be sure to leave me a comment on how much you enjoyed this.
I’m curious, though my endless love for Lyria doesn’t let me play that route 😛
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Yes I am enjoying it! 😀 and i will post comments on the harem end as well as the other routes! 🙂
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OTP-ism, may I never be infected by it.
Other than that well written review and like your Kindred Spirits one I do hope it’ll expand the game’s European fanbase because this one is GOLD…provided some of our fellow Nation members didn’t get the “buggy” version of it. Poor lads and lasses are forced to wait for the patch.
As you know I think any of the three would make a great girlfriend for Aria.
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OTP-ism can be quite a pain, but it also allows you to enjoy a certain pair to the fullest, which is nice~
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If it makes you happy I suppose.
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I mostly liked how things played out between Aria x Lyria, so I’m with you and don’t really want to try the other routes.
And it helps that I don’t really like Scherza and think that Melody x Sid should be a thing instead. 😛
Overall, I think I liked it more than Kindred Spirits. The length, setting/story, romance, and the music are some of the things I preferred over KS. It’s still apples and oranges, though~
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Sid x Melody…. sometimes you have very weird opinions, but I won’t judge 😛
Since this would mean less rivals for Lyria, I might even start rooting for them too. Though, no one wants to imagine how things between them might work out… oh well, some things should stay in the dark 😛
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It’s simple: Since they had established such a strong connection during their time together, Sid felt it necessary to leave Vega and join Melody in the human realm.
There they’d work together to further their magical abilities, and one day, Melody is able to give Sid a human form. After long days and nights together, their motivation to be reunited with their friends finally pays off. They’re able to establish a connection to Vega and visit Aria x Lyria… with their newborn daughter, Laria. ❤
I know. How romantic! 😛
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Omg, I love this 😀
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I think we should write a Starlight Vega yuri doujin together. You could even illustrate it yourself and sell it at Comiket!
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Cool review. Sad you couldn’t finish the rest of the game, though. I really wanted to know your opinion on the other routes.
SPOILERS
I really liked Lyria’s route, but I really wish they could have spent more time together before heading to Vega. Lyria spilled her guts out to Aria and made it clear that all she wanted was someone to treat her like a person instead of just royalty. But that’s also why I feel like Lyria would have fallen in love with any other girl the lifestone could have been attached to.
During my first playthrough I also had trouble believing Aria’s feelings for Lyria. It really felt to me like her attraction to Lyria was mostly on a physical level, not an emotional one. Aria simply didn’t know Lyria well enough to develop an emotional bond with her, which is exactly why I wanted them to spend more time together in the human world. Once in Vega I finally saw what Aria saw in her. Lyria is an honest, fun and a very comforting person. While I still feel their relationship could have been developed better, it was still a very satisfying story. I do agree with you with Lyria’s ending though. I personally felt it was a little sad, since Aria gave up everything she knew for Lyria. There are some hints that Aria may adapt and fit in just fine, but I really wanted more.
I personally found Melody’s route to be the best, though. They are already best friends, so seeing them in a romantic relationship wasn’t too hard. Unfortunately, in this route we get the “protag is too dense to notice the other’s feelings” cliche, which is incredibly annoying. Nonetheless, once those misunderstandings get cleared up this couple is VERY cute. I like Aria’s gradual realization that she’s in love with her best friend, but what I love even more is how much Melody already cares for Aria. Melody has very little experience with people so she pretty much fell in love with Aria rather quickly after becoming friends. Melody is seen as a very selfless character, but still has flaws. She tries hard to compete with Lyria in her own way, when all she really needs to do is be honest with her feelings. While this route is fairly cliche, I probably find this pairing to be the cutest of the three. Plus, this route has the only love scene in the game that actually “finishes” instead of just fading out like a Bond movie.
MORE SPOILERS!!!!
I’m fairly mixed on Scherza’s route. She is seen as cold, mysterious but also sympathetic. Aria also sees some soft parts to her as well, which is what attracts her, and Scherza frequently helps and saves Aria when she didn’t have to. All of this leads to Aria wanting to get to know Scherza better, which leads to quite a bit of drama. All of this is very interesting and enjoyable until you get near the very end.
It turns out Scherza was in love with Aria’s grandmother, Lucinda, who she barely keeps alive in a coffin in hopes of returning her to life. The problem is that Scherza is AWARE that both the grimoire and keeping Lucinda alive is what is causing the curse. Instead of destroying the book and letting Lucinda pass on, she would rather let her whole world suffer for a slim chance of finding a way to revive her. At this point in the story my feelings for Scherza did a one-eighty. I now find her to be idiotic and extremely selfish. She SEEMED like a character that would put her own people’s needs before her own, but the end of her route tells you otherwise. I really feel this part ruined her character and ruined what was a fairly enjoyable story.
There’s really no point in talking about the harem route, but I may as well finish with all of my thoughts. I didn’t even know there was a harem route until I unlocked it, and the idea alone has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, this route is very lazily and sloppily slapped together and has a very anti-climactic ending. It really feels as though there was no effort in this route and was more of an afterthought than a real path.
Overall, there’s a lot of things I love about Starlight Vega, and a lot of things I find disappointing about it. I do think it’s a good yuri game and I think yuri lovers will really enjoy it. However, I think it has many flaws that stop it from even coming close to being as enjoyable as Kindred Spirits on the Roof.
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One day, I know I just have to finish the game, and I will. That’s a promise I made right after finishing Lyria’s route, though I need some time to recover from my sickness that is, as OG started, something called “OTP-ism”. Once my feelings for this pairing will start fading a little, I will definitely play the rest of it.
Now after hearing about the other routs, I’m surprised and a little shocked at how much I missed, especially considering Sherza’s route. Man, this sounds crazy and awesome at the same time. Well, we all knew there was more to their relationship once Sherza mentioned something like “You two really look alike” when talking to Aria. Her little outburst in the dungeon was also quite suspicious, though I never expected things to turn out that way. What a dilemma indeed.
As for Melody, I absolutely understand why you’d have less problems seeing her in a relationship with Aria than Lyria. I partly felt the same way, though while I think Melody might have always had a special place in Aria’s heart, Lyria basically barged in, making her way with all she’s got. It’s something I really love seeing. Putting so much effort into it, be so open and direct about it… it just felt more exciting than experiencing a slow romance, like we already did in Kindred Spirits. Well, that’s certainly not all there is to it, I guess the kick of seeing a sexy demon princess with a more or less random girl kind of helped me love this setting as well. But well, there I go again… 😛
So yeah, I will eventually finish this game, and I’m pretty sure the other routs are great as well, though I still need some time to recover from my boundless love for a special demon girl~
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I think your comments are totally spot on, I would only disagree about the Scherza route.
In the Lyria route Scherza is the total baddie, but in her own route you see her in a different light. I liked it just as much as the Lyria and Melody routes, for me this was the kuudere route.
Where we differ is that you said it ruined it that she put Lucinda ahead of the needs of their people (which is true). But for me that bit of selfishness and the guilt associated with it just drew me in. In the end it’s her love for Aria that lets her let go of Lucinda, and try to atone for her selfishness. She gets to move on with Aria’s help.
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I agree with your disagreement with the Scherza route. Yes, keeping Aria’s grandmother around was selfish of her, but no one is perfect. I rather enjoy flawed characters, actually. And as you said, she is able to let Lucinda go out of her love for Aria, which I find to be just wonderful.
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ok sorry for the late update but i JUST finished the Scherza route and it was awesome! Scherza came across as a very cool character with a tragic lost love story. her love scenes with Aria were definitely much more steamy than the cute ones for Melody. All that isd lef as Lyria’s route and then the Harem route! 😀
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Ah, I just need to get myself ready to indulge in some non-OTP pairings since everyone seems to enjoy them more than Aria x Lyria…. damn 😀
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Beleive me when I say, for Starlight Vega the OTP theme just doesnt seem to fit since all 3 girls can easily pass as a OTP for Aria! 😀 guess thats why I feel the harem route will feel like a TRUE canon ending to the game 😛
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Time for another late update but I FINALLY finished Lyria’s route! and it was just as awesome as the routes for the other 2 girls! I like how each route play’s to each girl’s personality making each playthrough feel so different. Lyria is surely a good fit for Aria, just as much as Melody and Scherza! I just wish we could have seen the ritual of Lyria splitting her lifespan for extand Aria’s! 😉 now I will begin the legendary Harem Route this weekend! I cant wait! XD
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Ahhhh finally you got to the best part… as if I’d know any other parts actually 😀
I’m glad you liked it, now let’s see how the harem route will play out huh?
I’m a little worried 😀
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I am excited! all three girls go so well with Aria in there own way, so why not they all share her! 😉
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OK! so I took this weekend to bum-rush through the Harem Route! I was able to finish it and I gotta say… WORTH IT! 😀 easily the best of all the happy end routes! while most of the content and info is the same cobbled together from all previous routes, there are some important differences.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
in the instance when Syd asks Aria which girl she wants between Lyria and Melody, you choose the answer saying she likes them both. Syd then in shock proceeds to call Aria a slut 😛 Aria and Melody will get together much the same way in the Melody Route but when Lyria tries to get her feelings across to Aria, instead of forcing herself on Aria, Aria cant help but accept Lyria’s love as well, leading to Melody seeing them and the both of them demanding Aria to choose, to which she says she loves them both and cant choose. they have no choice but to wait for her to decide. Aria and Melody’s time in Vega is a mash of story elements from all 3 routes, with the major difference being that Aria takes the time to chat to each girl, expressing she has feelings for them all but this time all 3 girls come to terms with the fact Aria might be unable to choose one and toy with the idea of sharing her. Aria, Melody and Scherza all start to get along and know each other as well making this route have a more stable and mellow visit to Vega than the previous routes. When Lyria has her alone time with Aria she also comes clean on all the things she hid from Aria instead of Aria finding out from others leading to Aria, despite being mad does forgive Lyria right away. when the time comes to summon Reid the plan is greatly altered that this time instead of Scherza planning to sacrifice Melody from the get-go, they have it where Melody and Scherza work together and decide the way to lift the curse is to destroy Reid. so the plan to sacrifice Melody is a trap to draw him out in which time Scherza, Melody and Lyria use there magic to attack and kill him once and for all lifting the curse leading to a much happier outcome from the get-go. Vega is being restored, Melody serves as ambassador to Vega for humanity and Aria is….. hall monitor. a few years pass, everyone gets along well, Lyria and Melody share Aria. dolls of Syd, Lyria and Melody are a hot seller in Vega for some reason. Lyria invites Aria to an old private bath and when Aria gets there, Lyria, Melody and Scherza jump her. they take turns kissing her grabbing various parts of her body, Aria passes out from all the bliss but the others dont want the fun time to end so they use magic to revive her and continue with the loving, I pass out from a massive nose bleed, I come to and finish the game, get my Harem End achievement and I beat all 4 happy end routes.
END SPOILERS
all in all this was a fun visual novel! I read the post of the same developers making a new yuri visual novel so I cant wait for that one! 😀 I highly reccomend playing through all 3 single routes and then playing the epic Harem route. so worth it!
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Awwww, it’s still too early for me 😀
I just can’t betray Lyria… she’s just too good…. I can’t do that to her…
I need a little more time I think 😛
Thanks for leaving your thoughts or rather your spoilers :P~
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Haha I agree Lyria is so good! but the others are just as good too I promise! but I understand feeling that fan feels for a certain girl so take your time! 😉
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