Info about Shining Song Starnova: Idol Empire:

Official game description:
The girls of Starnova are back in a new business simulation game! Due to the underhanded machinations of the evil Golden Calf Productions, the girls' live has been cancelled, and what's worse, their talent agency has had to relocate to a new office!  
This time, it'll fall upon Producer-san to turn this dire predicament around! As the girls' manager, you'll have to build your office, re-hire the girls, and of course, get the money flowing back by putting on the greatest lives in the nation! Do you have the management skills to once again accomplish everyone's dreams? Now, you must take the reins as Producer-san and save the day!
FEATURES
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Real time business simulation.  
Work against time to turn your small idol business into an empire! This time, it's all about building your office, managing your talents, and MAKING MONEY!  
The girls are back.  
Make the seven girls of Starnova into national icons by managing their careers! Train the girls to increase their skills and unlock special abilities. Who knows, maybe if you do a good job, other girls might join Starnova too!  
Build your office.  
Build new rooms to train your idols! Not only that, but you can record songs, impress business partners, and even help the girls relax after a tough day of work, all by constructing your own state of the art talent office!  
Train your talents.  
Increase your idols' skills by building training facilities for them! Unleashthe girls' ultimate techniques to blast away the competition! Pick your center and unlock her hidden abilities!  
Sign business deals.  
All this training isn't for nothing! Get the girls signed up for product endorsements, television appearances, live events, and everything else in an idol's life. But you must balance the needs of the girls and their jobs at the same time! This is where your skills really shine, Producer-san!  
Record hit songs.  
Do you have what it takes to make the next classic idol song? Hire composers, record your girls, and even shoot a PV! And most importantly, make your songs sell!  
Keep your talents happy.  
It's your duty to protect their smiles! If you mismanage your talents, they might develop weird illnesses and be no longer able to perform! You don't want any more bad ends!  
The Battle of the Idols.  
Get payback on Kamijou and Golden Calf Productions by fielding the  
best of the best at in the Story Mode! But better watch out! The girls of Quasar are back, and they're willing to do anything to win!  
Free Play Mode: Play the game without having to worry about fulfilling story objectives.  
Custom Map Mode: Create your own maps to play on free play mode!  
Generations Mode: Want an additional challenge? Play this special mode where the girls gradually lose their appeal as they get older! Graduate idols like a real idol producer and see how many generations of idols you can create!

Release date: Feb 20, 2020

Categories: Business Simulation, Idol Management, Character Development, Office Customization, Live Performances, Strategic Management, Resource Management


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $10.00 - $15.00
  - Reasoning: The reviews indicate that users find the game worth the price, with one explicitly mentioning a $15 price tag as fair. The sentiment suggests that the game provides good value for money, supporting a price range around this value.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 30.0h
  - Story completion: 25.0h
  - Session length: 2.0h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides direct and indirect mentions of playtime. The first quote explicitly states the story mode duration. The second and third quotes mention total gameplay hours, which can be used to infer session length and total playtime. The fourth quote mentions the time to clear the main part, which supports the story completion metric.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game has an initial learning curve and repetitive tasks, but becomes more enjoyable and easier after a few hours of gameplay once players utilize the late-game Event Room and participate in live concerts.
  - Stance: Clicks after
  - Anchor: Utilizing the late-game event room
  - Time to anchor: 2h 0m
  - Friction: Initial learning curve; Repetitive tasks to build up the idol group
  - Unlock drivers: Utilizing the late-game Event Room; Participating in live concerts
  - Conditions: Building up the idol group; Becoming successful in the industry
- Player Archetypes:
  - Efficiency Maximizer (buy)
    - Motivation: Mastering game mechanics and optimizing strategies.
    - Playstyle: Strategic and methodical, focusing on maximizing efficiency and financial gain.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: strategy gamer; optimizer
    - Reference games: The Sims; Sim City
  - Lore Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Engaging with the story and characters they already know and love.
    - Playstyle: Immersive and narrative-driven, focusing on character development and story context.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: franchise fan; story lover
    - Reference games: Shining Song Starnova; Love in Space games
  - Management Strategist (sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoying the strategic and organizational challenges of management simulators.
    - Playstyle: Strategic and organizational, focusing on scheduling and responding to events.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: management gamer; tycoon fan
    - Reference games: The Sims; Sim City


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Engaging and varied gameplay (weight 0.73): The game offers engaging and varied gameplay mechanics that are fun and challenging. Players find it addictive and enjoyable with different modes to keep it fresh.
- Excellent management simulation (weight 0.45): The game is praised for its management aspects, making it a great choice for fans of management games. It includes charming elements and solid tycoon mechanics.
- Beautiful graphics and pleasant music (weight 0.26): The game features charming visuals and beautiful graphics, complemented by pleasant music.
- Interesting and great story (weight 0.15): Players appreciate the game's interesting and well-crafted story.
- Well-rounded idol management (weight 0.15): The game is a well-rounded idol management game, offering a fun experience for fans of the genre.
- Captures charm of Starnova (weight 0.14): The game is particularly enjoyable for those familiar with Starnova, capturing the charm of the original.
- Worth the price (weight 0.14): Players feel that the game is worth the money, offering good value for its price tag.

Common complaints:
- Excessive negative events (weight 0.62): Players report that there are too many negative events, which can stack and significantly disrupt the gameplay experience.
- High difficulty for beginners (weight 0.49): The game is considered too difficult for beginners, with a steep learning curve and complicated mechanics.
- Confusing mechanics and documentation (weight 0.49): The game mechanics are often confusing, and the documentation and tutorials are poorly designed, making it difficult for players to understand how to play.
- Character behavior issues (weight 0.46): Characters in the game exhibit poor behavior and decision-making, which can lead to frustration and disrupt gameplay.
- Minor bugs and technical issues (weight 0.42): Players encounter various minor bugs and technical issues, including graphics bugs and occasional crashes.
- Unintuitive user interface (weight 0.4): Many players find the user interface unfriendly and poorly designed, making it difficult to navigate and use effectively.
- Repetitive gameplay and music (weight 0.39): Players find the gameplay and music repetitive, which can lead to a lack of engagement and enjoyment.
- Lack of automation (weight 0.34): There is a notable lack of automation in the game, requiring excessive manual operation and micromanagement.
- Heavy micromanagement (weight 0.28): The game requires an excessive amount of micromanagement, which can be overwhelming and detract from the overall experience.
- Lack of depth and content (weight 0.27): The game is criticized for lacking depth and sufficient content, making it feel shallow and incomplete.
- Technical and design flaws (weight 0.22): There are various technical and design flaws, including bugs, crashes, and poorly implemented features.
- Outdated or weak visual style (weight 0.22): The art style and visual design are considered ugly, outdated, or weak, which affects the overall aesthetic appeal of the game.
- Lack of language support (weight 0.16): The game lacks support for multiple languages, particularly noted is the absence of Chinese language support.

Gameplay feedback:
- Business and Idol Management (weight 0.86): The game is a business simulation with a focus on managing an idol group. Players can manage every aspect of the idol business, including schedules, careers, and industry simulation.
- Character Development and Progression (weight 0.76): Players can manage and develop character stats, mood, and abilities. This includes training, managing happiness and health, and improving character parameters.
- Strategic and Managerial Gameplay (weight 0.58): The game involves strategic decision-making and managerial strategy. Players can manage resources, negotiate jobs, and deal with various business aspects.
- Customization and Office Management (weight 0.48): Players can customize office layouts, build and decorate rooms, and manage indoor design. This includes managing office development and various customizable settings.
- Multiple Game Modes (weight 0.45): The game offers various modes such as Story mode, Challenge mode, Free play mode, and others. These modes provide different objectives and gameplay experiences.
- Live Performances and Concerts (weight 0.44): The game features live concerts and interactive live shows. Players can manage live performances and participate in various performance challenges.
- Gameplay Mechanics and Issues (weight 0.42): The game includes various gameplay mechanics such as rhythm gameplay, shooter mini-games, and tower defense mechanics. However, there are also mentions of repetitive gameplay and interface issues.
- Financial and Business Management (weight 0.34): The game involves financial management, business deals, and managing income and outcomes. Players can manage salaries, promotions, and various financial aspects.
- Event and Resource Management (weight 0.34): The game features an event response system and resource management. Players need to manage time, resources, and space effectively.
- Character Interactions and Relationships (weight 0.28): Players can manage character interactions, relationships, and unique personality traits. This includes managing character satisfaction and various traits affecting gameplay.
- Character Traits and Abilities (weight 0.22): Players can manage character traits, abilities, and various passive effects. This includes managing character parameters and unique personality traits.
- Auto Features and Customization (weight 0.22): The game includes auto features such as autoschedulers and master schedulers. Players can also customize various game settings and manage auto-features.

Performance notes:
- Minor graphics and movement bugs (weight 0.28): Players have reported minor graphics bugs and occasional technical issues with character movement. These issues, while not game-breaking, can be noticeable and slightly affect the gameplay experience.
- Smooth gameplay performance (weight 0.24): Many players have noted that the game plays smoothly with zero lag input. This indicates that the overall performance of the game is generally well-received.
- Clipping and item glitches (weight 0.16): There are reports of clipping issues and occasional item-placement glitches. These issues, although not widespread, can detract from the immersion and enjoyment of the game.
- Rare crashes and loading issues (weight 0.15): Some players have experienced rare crashes and game loading issues. These problems, while infrequent, can be frustrating and disruptive to the gaming experience.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for management fans (weight 0.3): This game is highly recommended for fans of management games and simulators. It offers a detailed experience in running an entertainment company.
- Visual novel fans recommended (weight 0.17): Fans of visual novels are recommended to play this game. Reading the original Starnova visual novel can provide additional context and enhance the gaming experience.
- Localization and platforms (weight 0.16): There is a demand for Chinese localization and availability on mobile platforms, which would make the game accessible to a wider audience.
- More furniture and decor (weight 0.09): Players have expressed a desire for more furniture options to decorate their offices, adding a layer of customization and personalization.
- Incorporate visual novel elements (weight 0.09): Players have suggested incorporating more elements from the visual novel genre to enhance the gameplay experience.
- DLC content requested (weight 0.09): Players are requesting additional DLC content to expand the game and provide more gameplay options.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.25): Players are frustrated due to the game's unforgiving mechanics, such as frequent bad events, high salaries, and severe consequences for failures. The poorly designed interface, confusing mechanics, and heavy micromanagement also contribute to this frustration, along with various bugs and performance issues.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.22): Reviewers enjoy the game's engaging gameplay mechanics, charming visuals, and enjoyable characters. The in-depth idol management, live concert mini-games, and challenging nature of the game are particularly appreciated.
- Joy (weight 0.08): Players find joy in the fun and engaging gameplay, great story, and enjoyable character development. The cute and challenging aspects of the game contribute to this positive emotion.
- Disappointment (weight 0.06): Reviewers express disappointment due to the lack of rewarding content, unbalanced difficulty, and repetitive gameplay. The amateurish story and serious flaws with character behavior also contribute to this feeling.
- Happy (weight 0.05): Players are happy with the game's enjoyable and funny writing, high gameplay value, and addictive nature. The game being made to the reviewer's preferences also contributes to this happiness.
- Frustrated (weight 0.05): Players are frustrated with the concert mechanics, stat-building, and repetitive gameplay. The game's difficulty and lack of guidance also contribute to this frustration.
- Hopeful (weight 0.05): Reviewers are hopeful for future updates, DLC, and language support. The developers' responsiveness to feedback also contributes to this hopefulness.
- Excitement (weight 0.05): Players are excited about the unique and enjoyable gameplay, lovable characters, and detailed features. The game's ability to provide what other similar games lack also contributes to this excitement.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.05): Reviewers are satisfied with the game's value for its price, solid business tycoon gameplay, and good economic simulator aspects. The game's ability to scratch the itch for a specific genre also contributes to this satisfaction.
- Disappointed (weight 0.04): Players are disappointed due to the lack of Chinese language support, weak visual style, and limited content. Some modes feeling short also contribute to this disappointment.
- Excited (weight 0.01): Reviewers are excited about the fun things and decent story mode in the game.
- Addiction (weight 0.01): Players find the gameplay addictive, contributing to this emotion.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Reviewers express anger due to the game's suffering simulator aspects.
- Relaxed (weight 0.01): Players find the game relaxing and unwinding, contributing to this emotion.
- Nostalgic (weight 0.01): The game encourages replaying the original novel, contributing to this nostalgic feeling.}