Ella Stars Review: All Rhythm, Not Enough Story | The Gamerheads Podcast

Platform reviewed: Steam (PC)

Price: $4.99

I love a wholesome rhythm game. One of my fondest memories is playing PaRappa the Rapper. The artwork and music were equal parts bizarre and fun. In some ways, Ella Stars reminds me of PaRappa the Rapper. Both share a unique art style and phenomenal music. Ella Stars also brings in some more modern ideas, like daily challenges.

While Ella Stars does a lot that calls back to PaRappa the Rapper, the lack of a real story keeps it from fully reaching that same level of charm. There are moments that feel like they were meant to lead into a larger narrative, but that story never really comes together.

The songs themselves feel like they’re telling stories, yet the game rarely leans into that.

Let’s start with the core of the game: the music. The soundtrack is phenomenal. There are thirty tracks total, and every single one had me grooving along as I played. Songs like “Ugly Gatorling Soul,” which seems to be about the aches and pains of dealing with judgy family members (Ella, I can relate), sit alongside more laid-back tracks like “A Whole New World,” or soulful songs like “Doppel Gatorade.” There’s a really great mix of styles throughout the game. Then there are tracks like “Goes to the Dentist,” which, based on the lyrics, feels like it’s literally about Ella going to the dentist. The music is so fun that there were moments where I just wanted to sit back and listen to the soundtrack. Honestly, it’s one of the best soundtracks I’ve heard in a long time.

But this is also where the game feels like it missed an opportunity. The songs themselves feel like they’re telling stories, yet the game rarely leans into that. Using “Goes to the Dentist” as an example, it would have been cool to see Ella face off against her dentist as a boss at the end of that track. Instead, most boss battles are against random rappers that don’t always connect to the song’s theme. Matching bosses and levels more closely to the music could have taken this game to the next level. As it stands, Ella Stars is a fun, wholesome experience, but the music and gameplay don’t always feel fully in sync.

Timing matters, since hitting objects on the beat earns a higher score.

The gameplay mechanics are pretty simple. There are really only two buttons I need to worry about, the left and right shoulder buttons. As objects enter Ella’s space, I hit a shoulder button to smash them. Timing matters, since hitting objects on the beat earns a higher score.

The game helps with this by placing a target in front of Ella, shaped like a record, so I know exactly when an object enters the hit zone. There are also moments where I need to use both shoulder buttons at once. That’s where Ella’s friend Bird comes into play, jumping in to smash the creatures together.

The game does support keyboard controls, but I played exclusively with a controller.

As I land perfect beats, a fever meter fills up. Once that meter is full, the enemies and background become more colorful, and I earn a higher score for every beat I hit. During boss fights, every successful beat sends enemies flying back toward the boss. At certain points, the boss will charge, and this is where I need to rapidly alternate between the top shoulder buttons to fend it off.

When the boss’s health reaches zero, the game shifts into a short mini game. Here, I need to press the two shoulder buttons and the two trigger buttons in time as notes drop into a circle, with each note corresponding to a specific button. I found this section pretty tricky. I was often still dealing with incoming enemies, and the transition into the mini game happens so quickly that I rarely had time to process what was happening. A brief pause or visual transition would have made this a bit better.

Thankfully, landing all of these notes isn’t required to defeat the boss, but it does contribute to a higher overall score. One other thing that pulled me out of the experience was how abruptly the music stops once a boss is defeated. I would have preferred a smoother transition, like a fade-out, especially since I was locked into the rhythm and enjoying the music.

Some of these outfits are especially cute. One example is Michael Ella, where Ella wears a white suit and hat clearly inspired by Michael Jackson.

One of the things I really love about Ella Stars is the inclusion of daily challenges. These can range from defeating a certain number of bosses to hitting a target score. Completing these challenges earns me gold and red coins, which I can then use to buy cosmetic items for Ella and Bird.

Some of these outfits are especially cute. One example is Michael Ella, where Ella wears a white suit and hat clearly inspired by Michael Jackson. Each outfit also grants a special bonus, like extra health or additional points for landing perfect strikes.

Each level also includes high score rankings for easy, normal, and hard difficulty. These appear to be tied to an online leaderboard, although that feature wasn’t functional during my review.

I’d be doing the game a disservice if I didn’t talk about the art. The characters, enemies, and backgrounds are all hand drawn, and it’s absolutely beautiful. In a lot of ways, the art once again reminds me of PaRappa the Rapper.

Final Grade: B+

I loved my time with Ella Stars. The music is fantastic, and the art is superb. It’s a fun, wholesome game that’s especially enjoyable when you want to unwind after a long day.

That said, I wish the level design leaned more heavily into the music itself, especially when it came to the bosses. It feels like a missed opportunity, to better connect the lyrics to the gameplay and use them to tell a story. As it stands, Ella Stars is still a very enjoyable experience, but adding a stronger narrative element could have taken it to the next level.

Review code provided by UberStrategist