Idolmaster Dearly Stars

Lore & Background

The narrative unfolds within 876 Production, a rising studio located in a small office, distinct from the main 765 Production agency. The story follows three unique perspectives: Ai Hidaka, an energetic girl inspired by her mother Mai but discouraged by repeated audition failures until introduced to 876 Pro by Haruka Amami; Eri Mizutani, a shy shut-in known online as "Ellie" who is recruited by producer Reiko Ozaki after building a name as an Internet idol; and Ryō Akizuki, a soft-spoken boy seeking to be seen as "cool," who joins the agency on the condition of debuting as a female idol under manager Manami Okamoto. The plot features branching storylines where outcomes depend heavily on audition performance, with failures potentially leading to premature endings or alternate conclusions.

In Their Own Story

In Ai's journey, she insists on becoming popular on her own rather than relying solely on her mother Mai's legacy. Eri's path involves overcoming her shyness to transition from the internet fame of "Ellie" into a real-life idol career, facing opposition from fellow Internet idol Ayane Suzuki (known as "Cineria"). Ryō faces a unique challenge covering for a female idol so effectively that 876 Production hires him only if he debuts as a girl, with the promise of transitioning to a male idol later. Supporting characters include Yumeko Sakurai, a rival in Ryō's story, and various idols from 765 Production who make appearances. The narrative is driven by weekly cycles where players manage schedules, build enthusiasm levels indicated by color-coded bars, and earn heart points through conversations to succeed in auditions.

Reader's Guide

Gameplay revolves around managing an idol's statistics in vocal, dance, and visual image categories, which determine their overall image level. Each week begins on Monday with current popularity trends displayed for the player to strategize costume and song choices that match specific attributes. Players choose daily activities from lesson minigames (which can trade off stats), promotional work involving dialogue choices that affect enthusiasm and memory quality, or days off to increase enthusiasm and receive fan presents. Auditions last 30 seconds, where players use accumulated heart points to appeal to a judge whose interest level drops in 10% increments unless countered. Passing an audition leads to televised performances that boost fan counts, advancing the idol from Rank F (under 10,000 fans) through ranks E, D, C, B, A, and finally S. The game also includes a standalone stage mode for custom performances with Wi-Fi support for up to 16 players.

Did You Know?

• Development began in 2008 as the first title in the franchise's "2nd Vision" stage.
• Director Toshihiko Kujioka suggested making Ryō Akizuki male, whereas two other idols were originally planned to be girls.
• The game sold 30,786 copies in its first week of release in Japan, ranking as the tenth best-selling video game that week.
• Ryō Akizuki is hired by 876 Production only on the condition that he debuts as a female idol to prove himself before transitioning back.
• Up to 16 players can participate in the stage mode via Wi-Fi, offering three types of cheers during performances.