Held off on this one for a while despite absolutely adoring the directors last game Hyper Light Drifter, but what comes with this graphical leap forward is met with a mechanical and conceptual step back.
Solar Ash released to somewhat mixed reception but got consistent credit and praise for it's bosses, and although they can sometimes offer a breathtaking spectacle, a spectacle is all they are; I'd struggle to call any of them truly great. The bosses, and the game as a whole really, all suffer from repetitive connect the dots combat. You'll be playing as Rei, the galaxy's most aggressive acupuncture specialist, and the brunt of the gameplay revolves around finding red weakspots across huge masses of black goo. If you think this sounds boring, well... too bad! That's the game!
Skating across the sunken clouds of a pastel coloured, shattered world can sometimes feel a touch euphoric but again it needed to be backed up with more compelling gameplay and exploration that's rewarded with more than just currency and the odd, equally uninteresting text file. There was potential here but Solar Ash feels destined to be forgotten, with no hope of joining the high ranks of indie game masterclasses along with Hyper Light Drifter. Solar Ash feels more like an experiment of aesthetics and movement, hopefully for something greater down the line. Maybe Hyper Light Breaker will impress more.
It's a shame this released a year after 2020's Haven too, its had the same cloud skating traversal but paired with a much more compelling plot, nuanced characters, and a whirlwind romance that felt absorbing. The soundtrack too, much better. Speaking of Solar Ash's OST, man... it's no Disasterpeace that's for sure! Throw on your favourite Tangerine Dream album for some more appropriate otherworldly ambient synth because what you get in the game feels bland and sterile.
Don't let the score fool you though, a 6/10 is still a 'good' in my books. No matter if it's tilting towards mediocrity. If you've seen gameplay and thought "that looks cool" like I did then hey, give it a shot!
Solar Ash released to somewhat mixed reception but got consistent credit and praise for it's bosses, and although they can sometimes offer a breathtaking spectacle, a spectacle is all they are; I'd struggle to call any of them truly great. The bosses, and the game as a whole really, all suffer from repetitive connect the dots combat. You'll be playing as Rei, the galaxy's most aggressive acupuncture specialist, and the brunt of the gameplay revolves around finding red weakspots across huge masses of black goo. If you think this sounds boring, well... too bad! That's the game!
Skating across the sunken clouds of a pastel coloured, shattered world can sometimes feel a touch euphoric but again it needed to be backed up with more compelling gameplay and exploration that's rewarded with more than just currency and the odd, equally uninteresting text file. There was potential here but Solar Ash feels destined to be forgotten, with no hope of joining the high ranks of indie game masterclasses along with Hyper Light Drifter. Solar Ash feels more like an experiment of aesthetics and movement, hopefully for something greater down the line. Maybe Hyper Light Breaker will impress more.
It's a shame this released a year after 2020's Haven too, its had the same cloud skating traversal but paired with a much more compelling plot, nuanced characters, and a whirlwind romance that felt absorbing. The soundtrack too, much better. Speaking of Solar Ash's OST, man... it's no Disasterpeace that's for sure! Throw on your favourite Tangerine Dream album for some more appropriate otherworldly ambient synth because what you get in the game feels bland and sterile.
Don't let the score fool you though, a 6/10 is still a 'good' in my books. No matter if it's tilting towards mediocrity. If you've seen gameplay and thought "that looks cool" like I did then hey, give it a shot!