They’re some of the biggest video game bosses I’ve ever seen, even towering over some of Shadow of the Colossus’ largest beasts. In each level, Rei comes face-to-face with a gargantuan black monster covered in bone plates called Remnants.
The best marriage of combat and movement comes from the game’s boss fights. The slash has a surprisingly long range, so Rei can leap into an enemy and slice it up midair without stopping to fight. That’s especially apparent when using Rei’s time-slowing ability, which lets her propel towards an enemy from far away. Attacking is more about keeping the momentum up, rather than slowing down to clear out waves of baddies. Rei can perform a basic slash that can take out slimy, black enemies that creep around the world. There’s combat in Solar Ash, but it’s secretly another mobility tool. Just like Shadow of the Colossus famously reduced everything that didn’t serve its core gameplay, Heart Machine is careful not to overcomplicate what already feels good. Nothing is arbitrary everything supports the movement and helps smooth it even further. A time-slowing maneuver lets Rei dash into targets from a long distance, and there’s a boost to help speed around faster. There aren’t a ton of extra tools, but that’s because the game doesn’t need them.
Stringing jumps and grinds together to complete platforming puzzles feels like executing a graceful dance routine. There are a few collectibles - including alternate suits and lore-deepening audio logs - strewn about the world, too, which add some optional platforming challenges to the mix for players who want some rewards for exploring. These make great use of the movement mechanics, giving players little challenges in each level that test their mastery and speed. Most of the game’s puzzles are timer-based micro-gauntlets, where Rei needs to quickly slash a few stakes and plant her sword in a giant eye before she’s vaporized by the black goo around her. Exploration is a fast-paced ballet where players rarely ever have to stop moving. Movement is simple to grasp but instantly gratifying. Holding down the left trigger allows Rei to dash around any surface like an ice skater or grind on anything rail-like, from plant roots to dismantled subway tracks floating in the air. Its story is a little less effective when it crosses into a comparatively vague meditation on individuals picking up the pieces, but it’s a good use of sci-fi as a real-world allegory.Īs their name implies, Voidrunners can run - or more accurately, “skate.” The game is all about exploring the world at a fast pace with some fluid mobility tools. Audio logs describe a familiar dystopia where the black hole’s emergence somehow morphed into a divisive political issue that put government reaction in a stalemate. It’s most effective when it offers commentary on real issues, like our own politicians’ inability to come together and solve life-threatening crises in a timely manner. It’s a surprisingly rich science-fiction tale loaded with history and world-building. The game follows a runner named Rei as she travels around the decaying planet slaying giant monsters, which will allow her to use the Starseed. While the world’s government proves useless in stopping it, a group of people called Voidrunners are deployed to activate the Starseed, a device capable of stopping a black hole. A massive black hole appears near a planet and starts gradually ripping it apart. Solar Ash’s world may look brightly colored, but its story is darkly apocalyptic. It’s a momentum-filled indie game that’s always moving, even though it skates past some finer details in the process. The fluid cloud-skating movement is just plain pleasurable, while towering bosses provide unforgettable set pieces that put speed and reaction time to the test. In that regard, Solar Ash is a successful experiment that bubbles to life with vibrant colors and unmatched style.įilled with memorable sequences, Solar Ash is a focused follow-up to Hyper Light Drifter that constantly inspires moments of awe.
Sometimes, the fun of video game development comes from the digital alchemy that occurs when developers start to mix beakers. Its gargantuan boss fights bring Shadow of the Colossus to mind, while the reality-bending space exploration calls back to Super Mario Galaxy. Fitbit Versa 3ĭeveloped by Heart Machine, the studio behind indie hit Hyper Light Drifter, several elements of Solar Ash will seem familiar at first glance.
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