Solar Ash Reviews

[h2] "I'M NOT CRYING, YOU ARE!!" [/h2] - I snivel at my husband after finishing the game. For most of the game, I'm intensely trying to piece together the story and what's happening ALONG WITH (v. important, v. good) the main character. I'm skating around and serving sci-fi look after look as Rei (the different suits are so good looking yall). I'm looking for caches, finding secrets, and just being a little lore gremlin, all while I'm flipping through the air and grinding across rails in absolutely BREATHTAKING environments (like for real, stunning to the point I caught myself holding my breath a few times.) The only detracting thing I can think someone would take issue with is the super simplistic menu/UI design, but I feel like the game wants you to focus on the acrobatics and the world around you so it makes sense. With all that said, the narrative can seem pretty bleak as the game comes to a close, but the endings are so worth it. [spoiler] (I love ending on a hopeful note while holding on to the reality of the situation and choosing to press forward anyway. Feels good to have that kind of message rn in 2025) [/spoiler] 10/10 from a rando space nerd

Story - 6.5/10 Mostly relies on environmental story telling with three side quests that can be hit or miss. Like most here I enjoyed one of them a lot more than the others. Hyper Light Drifter (Heart machines previous game) was a lot more cryptic and left itself open to more interpretation which added to the mysterious atmosphere. They took a risk here and I am afraid it didnt play out. Music - 7/10 Heart Machine hold onto their tried and trusted booming syths with this one. Nothing that stands out too much, but perfectly accompanies the levels atmosphere while exploring. Gameplay - 8/10 Solar Ash is focused on movement, exploration and time based puzzles. Cruising around the levels feels great. The combat is very simple, but fits nicely into the mix. Exploration is rewarding. Some gear is very useful on harder difficulties. Puzzles/boss fights can be rather tricky the first time around. Overall 7.5 A very fun and engaging experience if the story isnt a deal breaker to you. -------------------- Side notes: The health system feels kinda pointless after your first upgrade, as combat is comparatively easy even on higher difficulties and healthpacks are abundant. I have yet to finish hardcore difficulty which unlocks after the main game. Hardcore Mode requiers near perfect timing during puzzles/bossfights on every jump, boost, attack and grappel. Every millisecond counts, which makes bossfights a bit volatile with the bosses sometimes moving unpredictably. That can be a bit frustrating.

I was pretty underwhelmed at first, bounced off, took a break, came back, bounced off, took a break, came back one last time, and it clicked. im not sure if thats a mark against the game or just my mindset at the time. Regardless this both does and doesnt feel like a successor to Hyper Light Drifter. HLD is a better *game*, the combat is better, and the gameplay is a little tighter. Solar Ash on the other game NAILS the movement, the exploration is also much better (but that might come down to my brain just having better 3d navigation than isometric) and the story is actually really good and fairly resonant if youre willing to go and look for it (doing all the npc side quests). Both games excel in the art department, and aesthetically they match very well. my only complaints are that the combat was very shallow (although some enemies had some novelty to them) and sometimes its hard to figure out where you are in the world (a proper in-game map would have been appreciated). otherwise the game is very solid! I can definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for a 3d platform exploration game that has a little combat.

sonic frontiers gameplay meets astroneer graphics. very fun

Easy recommend. The game oozes style, plays well, and is technically impressive.

short little platformer thats absolutely gorgeous and the controls are so fun

Solar ash is for certain a piece of art. The story leaves you with a significant impact and and it is meaningful. In addition, the side quests wasn't bad, every character of story have its own purpose and collaborating their story to affect your perspective of the world was brilliant. Lastly, I have to mention that making the voice actor read his/her own notes and logs is so much engaging than placing the notes or logs without the voice acting and make the notes/logs feels alive.

8/10 the acid is an unfun mechanic and could've used more work, hardcore is some crazy speedrunner level bullshit

Colorful, smooth fun game-play, and good music that sets the tone for a void-like world/story. All I need for a 10/10

Super fun game, story was better than i expected too. Get it on sale tho, I 100% a save file in abt ten hours and i dont think its worth it for the price :). Still a great game tho.