Stella Deus is Atlus' spiritual successor to Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth, and a Tactics Ogre clone that drew from contemporary JRPGs (e.g. SP + skill-learning, job quests, item synthesis, wearable abilities) when it wasn't recycling genre stereotypes (class advancement, unite attacks, recruitment conditions, etc.) or from its predecessor (AP system & adjustable turn orders + religious themes). There are exceptions - though: Zone Skills are passive, menu-defined buffs that strengthen those standing within a certain distance from its user (although its effect basically encourages dogpiling), and the convenient grind of its Catacombs system greatly improves over Hoshigami's Tower of Trials. Beyond that, they mainly offer lame quotations implemented in boring ways; the TRPG equivalent of a cover band.