It was so nice to play such a colorful and vibrant game after experiencing the dark and grimy settings of so many other recent games. Once again, I cannot praise Heart Machine enough for how great this game looks. It was ominous to see the eyes of the Remnants open after completing a puzzle, and the flashy animation after defeating a boss was always stunning. An image of this animation is below. I would be remiss if I did not mention the animations after completing a puzzle or boss fight. All of the characters were stunning, especially Echo, the giant, dismembered being, and Rei, the main character. They drew me into the game, and they made me want to further explore the world because of my desire to see everything the developers created. The graphics are so unique, and they really make Solar Ash stand out. Eternal Garden was also stunning, with its various fungi and neon glow within the dark terrain. Even though I died multiple times in Mirrorsea, it was a thrill to look for the fastest pathways through the acid and to traverse the deadly terrain.
#Solar ash release date full#
All of the different areas are full of unique places to explore, and my personal favorite was Mirrorsea, which is full of deadly acid. Overall, the traversal and combat were the stars of this game, and they were truly a joy to experience. While there wasn’t a huge variety of enemies, they were spaced out and did not get repetitive. The enemies were also challenging at times, and they force you to dodge at the right second or to quickly find cover. One of my favorite mechanics was being able to slow down time and grapple onto enemies to quickly deal damage. Solar Ash absolutely delivered on this promise – the combat was incredible. There are some gripes I have with the traversal, however, which I will discuss in the optimization section.Īs I mentioned in the preview, Alx Preston, the Creative Director for Heart Machine, promised “fluid, simple, and satisfying” combat. It was a ton of fun zooming around the map, climbing up cliffs, swinging across giant distances, and grinding on rails to reach new areas. The traversal and combat were outstanding. Sure, I started to get a little bored toward the end, but the super intense boss battles in each area made it worth playing. That being said, I did have fun with the game overall. Sure, it was nice that each area was different, but you have to continuously repeat the same actions, which eventually becomes boring. These motions were fun for the first couple of areas, but after a while, it turned into a slog to get through. Do this six times, and you complete the game. It was the same thing over and over again: go to a new area, complete a puzzle, stab the eyes, and defeat the Remnant, which is the boss of the area.
While I really enjoyed the story and the message it conveyed, it got really repetitive. I completed the game in around five hours, and while I did not achieve a 100% save file, I was pretty thorough in my exploration. Without spoiling anything, the ending was wild and, at least in my case, completely unexpected. It gets heavier and heavier as the story progresses, and I really think the developers did a good job with it. On a deeper level, the story is about reconciling with the past and moving forward, and this theme is sprinkled throughout the game. You know, just your typical, everyday occurrence. In essence, Solar Ash follows the story of Rei, a Voidrunner that is trying to activate the Starseed to save her planet from the Ultravoid, a huge black hole. I do have a couple of issues with Solar Ash that prevent it from truly being great, however, including its repetitive nature, performance, and replayability. In my preview of the game, I discussed how excited I was for it because of its unique and intriguing design, fast-paced traversal, and intense combat. Overall, I really enjoyed this game and it lived up to my expectations. You can find all of these, and much more, in Heart Machine’s newest game, Solar Ash.
And, naturally, giant sentient beings called Remnants. Skating, grappling, and grinding on rails. Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (reviewed on)
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