Estella, the upcoming 3D music rhythm action game from developer Imanity Co., Ltd. and publisher Shochiku Games, has released a new promotional trailer alongside a substantial update to its Steam demo. The refreshed demo adjusts the game's main visual presentation, interface and broader play experience, while expanding its music selection with three additional songs.
The update arrives ahead of Estella's planned Steam Early Access launch this winter. While a specific date and price have not been announced, the current plan is for the initial Early Access version to include Chapter 1 and approximately 40 songs. The new trailer also provides an early look at the game's multiplayer ambitions, including a mode built to let as many as 32 players compete for scores in real time.
A revised demo for an unusual rhythm-action format
Estella is designed around high-speed movement across octagonal lanes. Rather than presenting its music gameplay as a conventional note highway, the game combines keyboard and mouse controls with a 3D course-based format. Players race through each stage while staying in sync with its music, giving the project a rhythm-game foundation with an action-game sense of movement and spatial awareness.
The updated Steam demo is intended to better represent that concept. Its newly refined main visual and user interface may seem like presentation-focused changes, but both are particularly important to a game where players need to parse movement, timing and the shape of a route at speed. Interface clarity can have a major impact on the learning curve in any rhythm game, especially one asking players to navigate three-dimensional octagonal lanes rather than simply react to notes in a fixed layout.
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The announcement also says the update improves the overall feel of play. Specific mechanical changes have not been detailed, so players will need to try the new demo to see how the revisions affect control response, readability and the flow of a run. Still, the update signals that Imanity is using the demo as an evolving showcase in the lead-up to Early Access rather than treating it as a static sample.
Three songs join the demo lineup
The most immediately tangible addition is the inclusion of three new tracks. Two of them, PUPA by Morimori Atsushi and enchanted love by linear ring, were previously revealed at Tokyo Game Show 2026. The third, Festival Forever by TAKIO, is also newly included.
That selection broadens the pool of music available in the demo and gives players a better sense of the range Estella is targeting for its eventual Chapter 1 song list. The announced partial list currently includes:
For another perspective on this story, read Estella's Updated Steam Demo Adds Songs and Previews 32-Player Multiplayer.
- Fantasia Sonata Estella by PYKAMIA
- lost night meteor by kanase.
- Reblossia by Dadadaizu
- Exit This Earth's Atomosphere by Camellia
- PUPA by Morimori Atsushi
- enchanted love by linear ring
- Festival Forever by TAKIO
The names on that partial list point to a soundtrack meant to support varied tempo and mood across the game's courses. For a rhythm-action release, track selection is more than a list of extras: it shapes the game's replay value, the difficulty curves that players experience, and the identity of individual stages. Estella's planned total of roughly 40 songs for its first Early Access chapter suggests Chapter 1 is being positioned as a sizable starting package, though the complete setlist has yet to be confirmed.
"Elina" takes the spotlight in the new trailer
The newly released promotional video introduces "Elina," the theme song for Chapter 1. The song is composed by Kyiku and rinri, with vocals by Es. Its debut is accompanied by gameplay footage synchronized to the music, connecting the game's story setup with the rhythm-driven action that will form its core.
The trailer also features the voice of protagonist Elina, performed by Saima Nakano. That emphasis on a voiced central character reinforces that Estella is aiming for more than a disconnected collection of songs and challenge maps. Its structure is divided into chapters, with each planet serving as a chapter in the game's larger narrative.
Chapter 1 follows Elina in a world afflicted by a mysterious purple flower. The flower's arrival blankets a forest and numbs the hearts of those affected by it. Elina is the only person to recognize that something is wrong, but her warning isolates her from her community. Regarded as a heretic, she is exiled from her homeland.
Two years later, Elina awakens alone and finds that her hands have become translucent. As the purple curse continues to spread, a faint golden light appears before her. This light sets her on a journey to reclaim the home she lost. The premise gives the first chapter a melancholy fantasy framing, contrasting the colorful forward momentum often associated with rhythm games with a story centered on alienation, transformation and a growing supernatural threat.
Multiplayer races could distinguish Estella
One of the trailer's bigger reveals is the first footage of Estella's Multiplayer Mode. The mode will allow up to 32 players to compete against one another in real time for score. The announcement does not yet explain its matchmaking options, scoring rules, song selection process or whether other competitive formats will be available, but the player count alone makes it an ambitious component for a rhythm-action game.
Competitive rhythm games often focus on head-to-head battles, leaderboard comparisons or smaller online groups. A 32-player real-time race has the potential to make Estella's octagonal lanes feel more like a musical event, with a large field of players attempting to maintain their performance across the same track. Because the game already frames its levels as races across physical routes, a multiplayer score contest appears to fit naturally with its broader design.
The eventual success of that mode will depend on the details still to come. Large multiplayer sessions need stable online performance, readable results and rules that let both newcomers and advanced players understand why a particular run succeeded. The trailer confirms the feature is in development and offers a first glimpse of it, but does not establish when it will be playable in the demo or whether it will be available immediately at the start of Early Access.
What to expect from Early Access
Estella is currently planned for PC through Steam, with Early Access targeted for this winter. Chapter 1, centered on Elina's story, is set to be part of that release. The developer and publisher have not announced a final release window beyond the Early Access plan, and pricing remains to be determined.
For now, the updated demo is the clearest opportunity to see how Estella's music-driven races work in practice. The revised visual and UI elements, general gameplay adjustments and expanded song list make it a more representative preview of the project than the earlier version. Players interested in its combination of 3D lane navigation, keyboard-and-mouse rhythm action, fantasy storytelling and large-scale score competition can use the demo to evaluate the fundamentals before the winter launch window arrives.
With "Elina" now unveiled, Elina's Chapter 1 story outlined, and multiplayer footage out in the open, Estella's latest update establishes a clearer picture of what Imanity is building. There are still important unanswered questions around Early Access timing, price and multiplayer implementation, but the Steam demo's expansion gives the game more material to prove that its distinctive rhythm-racing premise can carry both solo play and a crowd of competing performers.
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