Solar ash cost5/31/2023 ![]() Each area of the game has its own unique theme and usually introduces a new mechanic or threat, ranging from pads that launch you into the air, to mushrooms that spawn grindable rails, to pools of caustic acid. Now, credit where it’s due – while its structure is repetitive, Solar Ash’s level design is rock solid. Beat them, then head on to the next area – rinse and repeat six times. Destroy all the eyes and the stage’s boss, or Remnant, is awakened. These eyes are embedded in black gunk and you usually have to strike a series of targets within a strict time limit to expose the eye for a final blow. Then you have to find and destroy four or five eyeballs strewn around the level. Every time you enter a new region of the game's world, your first task is to find and activate your robot helper Cyd, who provides a sort of home base where you can switch outfits, buy health upgrades, etc. The feeling that what you’re doing in Solar Ash never really changes much is made worse by the rigid formula the game follows. You can expand your health by collecting and cashing in Pepto-Bismol-like globules scattered around the world, but each boss you beat knocks some back off, meaning you’re constantly losing and re-purchasing the same chunk of your life bar. You can collect new outfits, but they only provide passive benefits and aren’t essential to getting through the game. This may seem like a Metroidvania-style game at first, but it’s really not, as Rei never gets any new abilities. Fliting around levels feels great and the platforming physics are refreshingly polished for this tier of game, but the experience never really changes. Combat is very simple, with players simply mashing a single button until enemies explode. ![]() On the audio front, Solar Ash’s music is mostly concerned with setting the mood rather than providing memorable melodies, but the game’s voice acting is well done (something you can usually count on with Annapurna-published games).Īs for how Solar Ash plays, Rei can glide around the world like a speedskater (or perhaps a particularly graceful roller derby player), double jump, rail grind, and grapple onto certain points. ![]() Lots of indie games have gone for the stylized flat-textured look since Journey popularized it a decade ago, but Heart Machine really makes it sing with sharp edges, vibrant colors, and some impressive architecture and giant boss designs. While the writing didn’t really grab me, the world of Solar Ash is certainly striking looking. While her importance is ultimately revealed, Rei feels like an outsider for most of the game, and so did I, as what you’re doing and the story the game is telling feel largely disconnected. The game does a lot of telling rather than showing, with the story mainly being delivered by monologuing NPCs and assorted logs scattered around the world. Solar Ash does more to flesh out its world than the narratively-efficient Hyper Light Drifter, with plenty of spoken dialogue, sidequests, and supplementary material to read, but I didn’t find the end result that compelling. Seems simple enough, but there are plenty of hints that things aren’t quite as they seem, leading to a fairly-well-telegraphed final-act twist. Rei determines the best way to save her planet is to activate the Starseed, a massive sword-like monolith that sits in the middle of the Ultravoid. Rei decides the only way to stop the Ultravoid is to jump directly into it (naturally) and inside she finds the jumbled remnants of other planets, civilizations, and people who previously got sucked in. Solar Ash casts players as Rei, a “Voidrunner” whose planet is about to be pulled into a massive black hole known as the Ultravoid.
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