Introducing and reviewing the interesting game Solar Ash

INthis article, we will review a different game that you may like. Solar Ash is Hart Machine’s second major work. In 2016, the team made a name for itself as an independent and talented team by creating an attractive game called Hyper Light Drifter. The aforementioned studio has now returned to the large and vibrant medium of video games with a new game on the scale of independent / indie works. Were they able to release another high quality and attractive work following the success of their previous game?

In “Solar Ash”, we will have an adventure in the role of a brave fighter named Rei. A voidrunner trying to prevent his planet from being swallowed up in a space black hole. By searching the black hole, Ray seeks to activate a massive blade called the “Starseed” by destroying the debris on these swallowed planets and destroying the black hole.

For a platformer on this scale, the story is merely an excuse to move the gamer along the gameplay with gameplay mechanisms. Solar Ash, however, goes one step further with the excellent start, payment, and ending it draws for its storytelling, and puts a lot of time and energy into its storytelling. In addition to good writing, we should not neglect the quality worldliness of the work, which by placing narrative information in the corner of the work and using components such as environmental storytelling, succeeds in building a rich world for the player.

To find and eliminate the anomalies, you have to explore different areas of the game and eliminate the black anomalies in each environment. The gameplay consists of two parts: exploring environments and platforming / action. When you find environmental abnormalities, you have to solve an environmental puzzle to eliminate them and reach your goal. These environmental puzzles are in fact platforming challenges, during which a series of action scenarios are formed.

The puzzles of the game and in general, the structural skeleton of the stages and scenarios that are designed for the process of the work are very diverse and well-made. Things like camera control problems and a series of minor issues such as poor control system optimization (such as the inability of the control system to detect interactive platforms) work so that not all gameplay mechanisms, especially the platforming / action process, can shine as well as the quality of the idea and structure. As a result, it is not at all strange to say that part of the difficulty of the game is due to camera problems and the lack of optimal control system. Challenges that are overcome multiply the sweetness of the sense of victory that results from overcoming the multi-stage challenges of platforming or fighting the “bosses”! However, sometimes even bugs and flaws in the game can help to form a good feeling in the gamer; But they are still flaws and can not be ignored.

We talked about the advantages and it is appropriate to mention this part of the gameplay. After eliminating environmental anomalies, the gamer must face the main cause of the formation of these anomalies and eliminate them once and for all. Fighting these giant creatures challenges all gamer abilities in combat and platforming. In fact, the advantages of the game, like other platforming challenges, are a series of puzzles of the same type that require a quick reaction and simultaneous struggle with fast movement in the environment from the gamer. The overall design of the features in “Solar” reminds players of the features of Shadow of the Colossus. Although the features are very well designed, the flaws in the control and in the game camera still question the structure of these steps and the quality of the gamer experience to some extent.

In addition to platforming, the game has also prepared a series of action scenarios for gamers. The action scenarios of the game are such that in each map and in the path of the player to the environmental anomalies, a series of enemies are found to prevent the game from becoming uniform for the audience. The action system works against the platforming mechanisms, but very superficially, and in combination with camera and control problems, will sometimes bother the player.

Regarding the gameplay of the game, it can be said that the Hartmachine team, by designing different scenarios in various environments that have a good variety, has been able to produce a game that does not repeat itself well. Unfortunately, issues such as control and camera issues allow the effect to reach its full potential; On the other hand, the game is so good from a visual point of view and stage structure that the gamer can cope with the problems that reduce the quality of the audience experience and enjoy the experience of the effect.

The game has a very good and different experience for gamers in terms of sound and visual effects. Apart from issues such as problematic cameras and not-so-optimal controls, the game’s technical graphics are fully optimized and integrated in terms of components such as animation design, frame rates, and more. Things like the animations mentioned earlier are so well done that they make the sense of acceleration, jumping and climbing obstacles look like ballet dancing. In the artistic discussion, we also see the perfect performance of the production team.

Like Hyper Light Drifter in Solar Ash, colors such as purple, blue, red, and yellow form the main space of the environment and are the predominant colors of the game environment.

The sound and music of the game also worked great. The special sound of Synth music, along with the special atmosphere of the game, creates an imaginative, cosmopolitan and different atmosphere for you that you have probably experienced in less of a work like it. The voice acting of the characters can not be ignored either, because the dubbing team has done a great job in enlivening these imaginary and attractive characters, and their flawless performance has complemented the excellent writing of the characters.

Solar Ash is a very well-built $ 20 platformer that offers 10 hours and 15 hours of adventures, a fun package of various platforming stages, maps and scenarios in a spectacular package of soulful visual / audio creations. Effects that are considered to be particularly vulnerable, such as a faulty camera and an optimized control system (for platforming) on ​​the Achilles heel; Fortunately, the excellent performance of the game in the mentioned cases, along with its powerful sound and visual effects, overshadow the weaknesses of the effect, so that Solar Ash will become one of the fun and entertaining games for the fans of the platforming genre this year. Solar Ash is available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC owners.

This review is based on the experience of the PC version of Solar Ash