Idolmaster Dearly Stars

Three paths to stardom at 876 Production.

The Idolmaster Dearly Stars is a life simulation video game released on September 17, 2009, for the Nintendo DS. Developed by Microvision and published by Bandai Namco Games, it serves as a spin-off of The Idolmaster series with a timeline preceding The Idolmaster 2. The game introduces three prospective pop idols—Ai Hidaka, Eri Mizutani, and Ryō Akizuki—who join the new talent agency 876 Production. While retaining gameplay similar to previous entries, it features adjusted mechanics allowing players to quickly traverse the story while maintaining a challenging layer of depth through specific minigames.

Quick Facts

Developer: Microvision
Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
Director: Toshihiko Kujioka; Yoshimasa Koyama
Producer: Yōzō Sakagami; Bunkei Tanaka
Writer: Shōgo Sakamoto
Series: The Idolmaster
Platforms: Nintendo DS
Released: September 17, 2009 (JP)

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.

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.