Combat is never quite hard enough to put you off tackling the next enemy, and spending a little time off the beaten path to seek out abandoned caches can reward you with shield upgrades, new suits, and currency to spend on permanent buffs when you visit CYD, your guide through this strange landscape. Such a vast world takes time to explore, but it’s worth it. Solar Ash is at its best when the story falls away and you’re off exploring, gliding across clouds and zipping up towering structures in pursuit of new routes, power-ups, and secrets. There’s a great sense of scale and gravitas to it all, although it can feel like it’s taking itself way too seriously at times. The story is compelling enough to keep you moving, as Rei battles to save her dying world and contends with ancient celestial beings who have their own agendas. Rei can use her grapple to climb onto them, and then use a mix of speed and time manipulation to take them down. As with The Pathless, these Anomalies take the form of gargantuan bestial constructs that must often be tackled directly.
Your mission in each of the biomes is to clear our the resident Anomalies, which removes their corruption and allows you to progress. Combat is slick and fast, but you’ll need to have lightning reflexes at times as enemies hit very hard (especially in the early game). She can run, skate, glide and boost herself across the land, double-jumping to reach higher ledges and using her unique gear to grapple onto distant purchase points, or propel herself towards enemies.
You won’t lose currency or progress on death, but enemies will respawn and you’ll be sent back to the last checkpoint you crossed. The main character Rei can fight, although she can’t weather many good hits, and you will die an awful lot. The big difference here is that Solar Ash eschews The Pathless’s avian companion and bow-based combat for something that feels more immediate and physical. The way the main character skates gracefully across the landscape, hoovering up resources, is incredibly reminiscent of Giant Squid’s adventure – which was coincidentally also published by Annapurna Interactive. Not only in the aesthetic, but in the sense of speed and freedom. It may not always be as exciting or as challenging as their previous game, but Solar Ash is a solid adventure in its own right.Īt face value, it takes obvious cues from last year’s The Pathless. Solar Ash takes several leaves from the same book, but aside from the glorious color palette, makes sweeping changes to the design that provide thrills when they nail the landing. It’s a superlative 16-bit action-adventure that mixes incredible challenge with compelling combat to create something truly memorable. If you played Heart Machine’s Hyper Light Drifter, you’ll already know that this is a developer with that almost ethereal combination of ambition and raw talent. Home › Gaming › Solar Ash game review: Hyper Light’s Sister
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