Even if humanity dies, the machines we have created
will inherit our love and create the future.
Visual Arts announced earlier this week that they will be releasing a localization of Key’s 2022 kinetic novel Tsui no Stella, titled Stella of The End, on September 26th, 2023 via Steam. The release will contain the original Japanese text alongside an English and Simplified Chinese translation.
Jude Gray, a wandering Courier, receives a request to deliver some very special cargo. This cargo turns out to be Philia, an android girl who is unaffected by the enigmatic Singularity Machines.
Steam
Tsui no Stella is a short kinetic visual novel developed by Key and published by VISUAL ARTS Co., Ltd. It is set in a post-apocalyptic world taken over by “Singularity Machines,” and follows Jude as he finds an android, Philia, who wants nothing more than to become a human.
The game released with a standard physical and download edition alongside a First Press Limited Edition (featuring an artbook and the official OST) as well as a Deluxe Limited Edition, which additionally contained a B2 tapestry drawn by SWAV and an After Story-style novel written by Tanaka Romeo. An Android and iOS port was also released (in Japanese only) earlier this year.
Key is a Japanese visual novel studio known for making dramatic and plot-oriented titles. It was formed on July 21, 1998, as a brand under the publisher Visual Arts as their parent producer, and is located in Kita, Osaka.
The brand is behind some of the most well-known visual novels: Kanon, AIR, CLANNAD, planetarian ~Chiisana Hoshi no Yume~, Little Busters!, and Rewrite, each of which has received an anime adaptation. More recently, Summer Pockets has risen in popularity with the release of REFLECTION BLUE, which expands the game rather significantly. It is set to release on Steam in 2024. On the gacha side of the industry, Key has partnered with Wright Flyer Studios to release HEAVEN BURNS RED.
Tsui no Stella had a FanTL released back in July translated by Epic Eagle Team (a Russian translation team credited with the Russian translation of NEKOPARA -Catboys Paradise-), and Snowy Ryujin TL, which has worked on several FanTL’s in the past. Several partial patches were released during development. When the official localization was announced, the patch was taken down. This is a common practice in the FanTL field, even if one of the editors did their best to try to avoid the release of the patch in the first place.
If I make it to the other side of the sky, I can become human…
Earth has been taken over by a group of machines that created a “singularity.”
Humanity is forced to live hidden in the shadows.
One day a transporter receives an odd request.
Their cargo this time will be a girl android developed as a family member substitute.
She is unaffected by the Singularity Machines.
Despite being put off by the girl’s naive behavior, the transporter sets out on the journey.
Sometimes it’s human bandits they must evade, other times it’s the machines they run from.
Undeterred by such dangerous situations, they press on to make the delivery.
The girl often talks about wanting to become human.
Their destination is a space elevator, so tall it appears to pierce the sky.
The rumor is that androids who make it to the top can be made human, but is it true?
(From Visual Arts)
Jude Gray
VA: Kimura Ryouhei
A Wandering Courier Just Trying to Get By
“I have to protect you somehow, and shooting down threats is the only way I know how.”
A man who makes his living as a traveling jack of all trades.
His knowledge of technology and engineering means he gravitates toward more specialized jobs, for better or worse.
Jude’s mind is always on survival first and foremost. He doesn’t allow himself to be influenced by emotions or any abstract sense of duty.
An avid gun enthusiast, he often gets so wrapped up preparing his gear that he loses track of time.
Philia
VA: Sashide Maria
An Android Who Dreams of Being Human
“If I become human… I can save everyone. I think.”
An android girl discovered inside an ancient replicator capsule.
Ever since she opened her eyes, she’s been fixated on finding a way to become human.
Philia has a bright, innocent personality and zero real life experience. It’s up to Jude to teach her how the world works.
She’s curious about everything around her and occasionally charges in without thinking about the consequences.
She also has a natural affinity with AI, being able to understand them on an almost instinctual level.
Delilah
VA: Hanamori Yumiri
An Android Seeking Her Father
“He’s the one who taught me everything I know.”
An android rescued from a gang of bandits, who appears to be the same model as Philia.
She’s been treated badly, and now has a cracked-open head, a missing leg, and a multitude of other injuries.
She was separated from the man she calls her father, and is desperate to find him again.
Willem Grosvenor
VA: Gouda Hozumi
A Nobleman Working to Revive Humanity
“I have a dream. One I’ve harbored all my life.”
This mysterious old man claims to be working on a project to take the world back from the Machines.
He has access to highly advanced technology that has kept him alive for over 100 years.
After contacting Jude via a drone delivery, Willem offers him a king’s ransom to retrieve and deliver Philia.
He’s only ever seen on video calls, making his actual whereabouts a mystery.
Crimson Eye
A Singularity Machine.
Vermillion Eye
A small robot born from the remains of the Crimson Eye.
If you enjoyed Key’s previous titles, then wishlist this one on Steam!
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