In this review we will talk about the new Heart Machine game, Solar Ash, a work in which you will collide with the melancholy carved by your own existence
Solar Ash is the new title published by Annapurna Inteactive and developed by the independent studio Heart Machine, founded in 2013. While Solar Ash appears to be their first work built entirely in 3D, the development team had already lent themselves to the establishment of the universe in which this new title is set, with their 2D pixel-art game Hyper Light Drifter.
It can be said that these two titles are connected by much more than a few aspects in common, starting for example from the post-apocalyptic setting and the bright colors that characterize the aesthetics of the world. In fact, while the two works belong to the same creative universe, the elements of the original title this time have been reformulated and recreated, to give a sense of depth and a more detailed physics, which was difficult to achieve with the previous creation.
The marked similarities that can be identified in Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash, even despite the graphic evolution that has been given to the latter, make the comparison between the two games inevitable, especially considering how the one just released was not designed as a sequel, but a real game in its own right. In this review, we will see how Solar Ash will manage to stand out, to find a success that can rival that received by the first game of the indie studio.
Aspirations for success
Alx Preston, founder of Heart Machine, in describing Solar Ash had mentioned several important titles that have inspired some mechanics in the game, naming works of great caliber such as Shadow of The Colossus, Super Mario Galaxy and even Jet Set Radio. If you weren’t familiar with this new title, or were short of information about it, it would be normal have a lot of difficulty understanding what the developer meant, but everything will be much clearer once you start playing.
Furthermore, some of the ideas applied in the game also seem to derive from other indie games that have made their mark in recent years, citing as a reference a gameplay similar to Haven and a visual style that recalls Furi; however, the vivid shades of neon colors have actually been around since Hyper Light Drifter. Our Solar Ash review will open from the beginning of the game, thus introducing the protagonist Rei, a biotica with human appearances however, characterized by constantly waving hair, and a skin with a luminous complexion.
Rei is one Voidrunner (translated with a dubious Staffetta del Vuoto in Italian), part of an order that used an ancient technology found in its home planet, and that allowed it to enter black holes. Belonging to a team dedicated to the exploration of these space calamities, Rei will aim to save her planet from destruction, ending up being catapulted into a fearsome black hole called Ultravuoto, that it has up to that moment sucked in an impartial and merciless way any planet and civilization surrounding it.
The inscrutability of the sky – Solar Ash review
It will be necessary to state in our review how the possibilities of discovering the Solar Ash universe are a fundamental part of the work. Exploring the various areas that we are going to open from time to time, they will lead us to deepen the vicissitudes of the eradicated populations, and mistakenly believed to have disappeared for some time. Learning this sad reality will motivate more and more the protagonist in wanting to carry out her mission, in order to avoid that even his house ends up in this dark and restless oblivion.
To accomplish this goal, it will be necessary to get rid of the terrifying and increasingly threatening Black Hole, then going to use the Starseed, a giant cannon positioned in the first unlocked zone. To add to the various problems to be solved before eliminating the celestial body, there will also be the disappearance of Rei’s companions, who arrived inside the Ultra Void before her, and the battle to defend her native planet which will become more and more difficult than ever. , having to face alone the great dangers that will constantly arise along the way.
A Hostile Universe – Solar Ash Review
These dangers will be an omnipresent part of the Ultra Void, a place that will have no hesitation in defending itself. Every place, space and crevice will teem with dark entities, with a muddy and tarry consistency, and who will take care of protecting their ecosystem. Among them, there will also be particular enemies guarding each area of the map, the Remnants (Vestige in Italian). These gigantic creatures will be the main cause of hindering the restoration of communications with the Artificial Intelligences called Cyd, characters who will alleviate Rei’s feeling of loneliness.
They will assist her in her mission by providing her with slots for the shield, information on the events that have taken place up to that point, and scanning the map to identify the reports left by the Voidrunner companions. Vestiges are enemies that appear to be clearly ispirati a Shadow of the Colossus. They take on mammoth dimensions and can be of various shapes, such as that of a dragon-snake, a giant bird, a whale or a huge insect, and have a body capable of reaching a very high temperature, capable of vaporizing us instantly.
Get on their rump, then attach them to specific nerve points, will allow us to partially remove the armor, coming to expose the energy core and finally being able to break them down completely. Since they will not be aware of our presence in the area, to attract them it will be necessary to get rid of all the Anomalies in the area, further tarry beings “squashed” on the apparently unreachable surfaces.
Possibilities and ways of execution – Solar Ash Review
We now bring our review to one of the funniest aspects (albeit with untapped potential) that characterizes Solar Ash, that is the gameplay. The title immediately appears as an exploratory game and at the same time a 3D platform, and Rei will be able to move very quickly in the setting, thanks to his ability to “skate” on surfaces. By holding down a specific button, you can literally whiz into the ultra-vacuum, jumping on portions of earth and various materials suspended in the air, launching from one cliff to another using a grappling hook, shooting and at the same time admiring the majestic decadent views.
The residual tar present on the walls will also help to climb any points that are too difficult to reach only with the jump, and in the meantime you will collect some fuchsia plasma drops; this will also be the reward that will be obtained once the Vestiges are knocked down, and will be useful for buying upgrades from the AI Cyds. However, they will not be necessary to obtain new skills: on the contrary, there won’t be any skills you need to unlock, apart from those that will be given by the uniforms, divided into various pieces scattered throughout the maps.
They will provide passive additions to the protagonist, such as health regeneration or speed increase. Combat seems to be one of the least treated aspects when compared to the variety given by platforming, with a quantity of moves limited to the press of a single button, which can eventually be combined with the slowing down of time to be able to aim precisely at the point to launch the attack. The execution of the fight could therefore have been deepened. In addition, even the consequences that will be had in being shot down by enemies or dying due to some too risky leaps will not be too influential in any way.
We will simply find ourselves resurrected, and having to restart from a save point on which we passed previously, thus retracing the entire route; a factor that in the long run will be rather repetitive. A good semblance of challenge however, it will happen when we find ourselves having to tear down a Vestige or an anomaly before contact with it incinerates us. In battling the bosses, skating frantically from point to point over the body of these massive and dark gooey stuff, you will have to attempt to execute the actions as quickly as possible, circumnavigating the entire creature within moments.
Infinite Space – Solar Ash Review
But as mentioned in the previous part of the review, Solar Ash is still a title that, by declining its unused potential, still boasts a large number of more than appreciable aspects. Inside the game there are numerous puzzles, not always easily solved, which lead to having to carefully examine the structures on which to then trace your path in order to reach a specific target.
All in all, perhaps the exploitation of the setting is one of the greatest points of merit of this work: the map lends itself to an exploration that is always varied and in some places verticalized to the extreme, capable of “Overturning” gravity and consequently perspective of the player, thus opening up to scenarios that will seem unpublished until then, even though they were already present within the scene.
Ephemeral Memories – Solar Ash Review
In Solar Ash, the story that develops is told not so much through the dialogues, considering how a black hole is naturally rather small number of living beings, but above all through the various audio files and notes left by the people who ended up inside it. Collecting these records will compose a complete picture behind the disappearance of civilizations, and reveal the fate that has also befallen our compatriots.
The end of all existence will be the central thematic nucleus of the work, and despite the fact that it is a rather linear story, often garnished with apparently incomprehensible science fiction definitions, during the progress of the plot and with the exploration of the wicked alien world, you can perceive the veil of mystery that slowly lifts up from time to time.
The tragedies and the desperation that is consumed within the Ultra Vacuum is accompanied by a sound sector that contributes optimally to the immersion in the game, giving a markedly sci-fi atmosphere and feelings of restlessness at the right point. Composer Richard Vreeland is not new to this genre of titles, and he had already contributed to the game from which Solar Ash was generated, that is Hyper Light Drifter.
The ludo-visual element – Solar Ash review
Speaking of the visual aspects of Solar Ash, in our review we can not do anything but express ourselves in an extremely positive way. The…