The Red Solstice

 PC
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 57 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 57
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 57
  3. Negative: 12 out of 57

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  1. Captainho_1982
    Jul 14, 2015
    10
    i've been playing this thing for a few months now. as a big fan of hardcore survival games, this one did not disappoint. i've had my share of deaths, everything and everyone can kill me and did kill me so far including my own suicidal mistakes. lol and that's the best part of this game. it's hardcore and it's unforgiving but that's the reason why success feels so much better. 11/10!!!
  2. Zerg_King
    Jul 14, 2015
    9
    As an old NOTD lover, I found this on Greenlight, then later someone told me it's on Kickstarter. After all this time, I have to say, it's been worth the wait. I'm enjoying every minute of The Red Solstice, and only thing I miss is a PvP multiplayer.

    The game offers enough difficulty modes, and enough game modes, but Team Deathmatch would be nice. This is more of a suggestion than a    As an old NOTD lover, I found this on Greenlight, then later someone told me it's on Kickstarter. After all this time, I have to say, it's been worth the wait. I'm enjoying every minute of The Red Solstice, and only thing I miss is a PvP multiplayer.

    The game offers enough difficulty modes, and enough game modes, but Team Deathmatch would be nice. This is more of a suggestion than a complaint. ;)

    Not sure if people know how small this team is, but the whole game was made by less then 10 people and I have to respect that!    … Expand
  3. Snowpiercer
    Jul 14, 2015
    9
    This thing is hard as hell but all the sweat and blood I spilled is worth it. Damn good job on The Red Solstice, Ironward, I'm eager to see what will come next for TRS.

    I just wish that the multiplayer rooms stay filled as they are now and would love to see Team Deathmatch or some other PvP mode.
  4. One_Random_ID
    Jul 15, 2015
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The Red Solstice is a serious game with a steep initial learning curve for new players. With strong guides to the game and an encouraging online community with high involvement by its developers, new players can benefit from the wealth of knowledge only if they are willing to learn. Once initiated and educated in the mechanics of the game, you will be sufficiently rewarded with a survival horror game that sells on the high replayability aspect of Multiplayer.

    If online co-op mulitplayer is your cup of tea, do yourself a favor. Give this game a look and buy it.

    I am a fan of survival horror and co-operative team-based games and will be explaining this review based on my experiences. The idea of The Red Solstice stems from the ficitonal future where humanity lost Earth to a deadly virus and now inhabits Mars.

    Gameplay

    A top down shooter where players control a single marine at any given time, using keyboard for navigate, camera, skill and inventory management and mouse for aiming and shoot. A simple setup but works really well given the game operates in real-time mostly and with fast fingers on a keyboard, you'll find yourself in better control of the flow of game.

    The game utilises a countdown timer and wave system to signal incoming waves of enemies that spawns at specific timings. From the start of a game, weak enemies such as zombies would spawn and time progresses, the subsequent waves would feature a variety of dangerous enemies that are capable of single-handedly wiped out a team if they are not prepared.

    Generic survival horror mechanics such as scavenging for items, ammo control are also important to survive beyond the first 10 minutes of a game.

    Single Player

    Follows the event that the virus outbreak occurs on a colony named Tharsis, with Tyler Hunt and his team being sent in to investigate. Here an exclusive game mechanic called Tactical Mode slows down time in game by 90% (aka 1 sec in reality = 10 secs in-game) allowing you to assume control your squad of marines. Since it is single player, you are the commander of the team and its individuals at all times where you can switch to otherwise ai controlled followers in Tactical Mode to access their inventories, skills, etc.

    The overall campaign is based on set events that are in place over the maps that you play but you will decide how to accomplish them. A simple description would be a sandbox style where player can employ multiple approaches to the objectives.

    Multiplayer

    This segment continues where single player campaign ends and a squad of generic marines controlled by players are sent in to follow Tyler Hunt's footsteps. In this segment, player gain experience and rank up to unlock additional classes, skills and equipment to carry into battle.

    Players are also treated with the sandbox style of freedom in approaching objectives and the type of objectives and their locations are randomly generated so every other game feels different. On top of that there are additional game settings such as increasing drop rate of waves, shortening time between waves that can be selected before the start of a game so players can test themselves in various ways.

    Here, communications between members and leaders are crucial to be effective in the game as you no longer have a say in what other players choose to do. (Eg. Fail to ask for healing, you're gonna have a bad time) While team leaders are able chart routes to take and issue simple commands, there is an unofficial team speak channel at present maintained by one of the veteran players so players can speak to one another instead of using the in game chat.    … Expand
  5. acrimonger
    Jul 15, 2015
    7
    This is a great game, but not for everyone. I have only played the MP mode, and the game shows a lot of replayability, intensity, and teamwork moments. In MP, you control a single marine (usually) as you complete random missions with teammates.

    The game is hard because you can get overwhelmed, its easy to mismanage time and ammo, and the smallest mistake can snowball into a death    This is a great game, but not for everyone. I have only played the MP mode, and the game shows a lot of replayability, intensity, and teamwork moments. In MP, you control a single marine (usually) as you complete random missions with teammates.

    The game is hard because you can get overwhelmed, its easy to mismanage time and ammo, and the smallest mistake can snowball into a death situation. What do I mean by this?

    *Its easy to get distracted by loot, or a room, and get split off and overwhelmed.
    *Things get crazy, and friendly fire blows up your teammates.

    The game is really fun, and the community seems decent. However, the game involves a lot of running around and can be quite hard.

    I give it a 7 because its a great game, but I dont think EVERYONE is going to like it.    … Expand
  6. TribalDevil
    Jul 14, 2015
    10
    I've been playing this game since it officialy came out and i got to say that is very different than the games i'm used to play.
    In singleplayer you have your backup team and if you dont use tactics and plan your teams actions, you're gonna have a bad time.
    Multiplayer is also veryyy cooperative. If you go somewhere alone, chances are very hugh that you are already dead! All in all,    I've been playing this game since it officialy came out and i got to say that is very different than the games i'm used to play.
    In singleplayer you have your backup team and if you dont use tactics and plan your teams actions, you're gonna have a bad time.
    Multiplayer is also veryyy cooperative. If you go somewhere alone, chances are very hugh that you are already dead!

    All in all, very good and very addictive!    … Expand
  7. Zastora
    Jul 14, 2015
    10
    Great game, I'm playing it for the past few days and I'm hooked from the very beginning :D How I started, I'm scared that I'll be spending to much time playing it!
  8. Assessinho
    Jul 14, 2015
    7
    The Red Solstice is a decent game. Not for everyone, mind you, due to it's nightmareish levels of difficulty.
    Some things are done amazingly good, some not so much.

    I'm giving it a solid 7, but if everything dev team promised is true, I will re-evaluate this review in 6 months time and raise or lower the score accordingly. Decent game with room for improvement.
  9. BackstabberDC
    Jul 14, 2015
    9
    Fantastic and fun game. Very hard for newcomers since it's meant to be hardcore, but if you play with a good squad that knows the value of teamwork, this comes to a whole new level of awesome.

    Recommended for hardcore palyers and people who like tactical combat.
  10. Alliance_Rebel
    Jul 14, 2015
    9
    The Red Solstice is not a new game. It's out for more than a year now if I count Early Access. And I do, because it gave me countless hours of fun. Not to mention fantastic community that is always there to help new people, like Creed, Indie, not to mention Yegor that found so many bugs during EA thus helping devs to patch it faster.

    If you're not sure about The Red Solstice, try it.    The Red Solstice is not a new game. It's out for more than a year now if I count Early Access. And I do, because it gave me countless hours of fun. Not to mention fantastic community that is always there to help new people, like Creed, Indie, not to mention Yegor that found so many bugs during EA thus helping devs to patch it faster.

    If you're not sure about The Red Solstice, try it. You have Steam refunds now, so you can look at it like a demo. It's not an easy game, so it might not be for everyone. It is for me, I'm sure of it. ;)

    P.S. The atnosphere in the game is amazing. And I think Hollywood horror movie amazing!    … Expand
  11. DragonSpace
    Jul 14, 2015
    9
    If you loved Warcraft 3, especially NOTD mod, you just found your game. Hard, tense, dynamic, yet very rewarding if you succeed, The Red Solstice is a breath of fresh air in the sea of non-challenging, everyday games. Community is cool and there are some very kind, helpful veterans that will explain everything you need to know about the game.
  12. Miss_August
    Jul 14, 2015
    10
    I can see that people are talking about the game, and that's good. But what about this dev team? Ironward is fantastic, they were listening to people through whole early access process, they were implementing community ideas and suggestions, changing the game according to feedback they got.

    Very active and responsive on forums, you can't often see dev team palying with their players,    I can see that people are talking about the game, and that's good. But what about this dev team? Ironward is fantastic, they were listening to people through whole early access process, they were implementing community ideas and suggestions, changing the game according to feedback they got.

    Very active and responsive on forums, you can't often see dev team palying with their players, even organizing those events. Kudos to Ironward for being on of the coolest dev teams I've ever seen. The game itself is very hard and for people like me, it took some time to get a hang of it, but nevertheless, this game is amazing.    … Expand
  13. Conan_The_King
    Jul 14, 2015
    8
    I should've read some comments. Yes, this is a very hard game. I'm not blaming it on developers or the game, but myself. I'm having a hard time getting into this since I'm getting killed all the time. I'm a casual player and this is just too hardcore for me.

    Graphics are not top notch, but they are good. Soundtrack is atmospheric and creepy, sounds of screams are fantastic, controls are    I should've read some comments. Yes, this is a very hard game. I'm not blaming it on developers or the game, but myself. I'm having a hard time getting into this since I'm getting killed all the time. I'm a casual player and this is just too hardcore for me.

    Graphics are not top notch, but they are good. Soundtrack is atmospheric and creepy, sounds of screams are fantastic, controls are easy to grasp and gameplay is fluid. TRS is a really well done game, but my fault is that I'm not good enough for it.

    If you're a noob, casual gamer like me, try to watch some gameplay videos prior to buying. ;-)    … Expand
  14. Tokardo
    Jul 14, 2015
    10
    I'm probably biased here since Ironward is a croatian team and I'm also from Croatia so I'll honestly say that the score is at least one point higher due to my croatian game devs fanboyism. :D

    As for the game itself, it's challenging, even for hardcore players, at least until you get used to controls and micromanaging your squad. Tactical mode which acts like 90% slowed time is really    I'm probably biased here since Ironward is a croatian team and I'm also from Croatia so I'll honestly say that the score is at least one point higher due to my croatian game devs fanboyism. :D

    As for the game itself, it's challenging, even for hardcore players, at least until you get used to controls and micromanaging your squad. Tactical mode which acts like 90% slowed time is really useful in dynamic combat but it's not available in multiplayer which separates this game in two halves.

    Singleplayer is not too hard. You can pause the game, you can decide which marine will go where and what h will do. Story is decent and it slowly leads you to multiplayer.

    Multiplayer is happening after single player timeline so it's good to finish SP first, but MP is much, much harder. You can play it in Survival mode with bots on your side, or standard multiplayer with your friends. Word of advice - Get teamspeak, this is very tactical combat and if you're not perfectly organized your intestines will be scattered all around Mars.    … Expand
  15. RoofieColada
    Aug 10, 2015
    4
    Challenging, Tough, and initially very involving and fascinating. But once the new shiny luster wears a little the game is repetitive enough that you can play by a stopwatch it just takes a while to see it. Variety of primary and secondary weapons is flat, beyond underwhelming and just disappointing. And the locations of everything is varied but otherwise gameplay again... is just tooChallenging, Tough, and initially very involving and fascinating. But once the new shiny luster wears a little the game is repetitive enough that you can play by a stopwatch it just takes a while to see it. Variety of primary and secondary weapons is flat, beyond underwhelming and just disappointing. And the locations of everything is varied but otherwise gameplay again... is just too repetitive. But these are just two minor insignificant problems, the community is the real problem. Or rather to be more specific... the lack of community is the problem. This game depends on a player base to be playable let alone enjoyable. And that is the one thing that this game is lacking, so as a result the wait times for matches on off peak hours is horrible.
    http://steamcharts.com/app/265590
    Do not get me wrong, the game can be some fun if you are in a good group, or have friends that play. But I have found that I am enjoying the company more then the game to the point that we could be playing anything and having just as much fun if not more. But if ever comes closer to 10 dollars, and you go in with at least 6 friends so you can play consistently. then I might recommend it but only if you watched a few hours of gameplay. Its not good but its not bad either, its just meh. An eclectic title for a niche audience that either loves this title or is indifferent to it.    … Expand
  16. Cpt_Crunch
    Jul 16, 2015
    9
    As many reviews stated, this is fantastic game, but it's hard. Negative reviews I've heard so far are mainly due to hard difficulty, which is definately NOT a minus. The game has three mods, single player story, survival and multiplayer, plenty of content, scary atmosphere and good community.

    I'm giving 8 to the game and 1 extra for kind and responsive devs.
  17. Jakethedog
    Jul 26, 2015
    10
    an incredibly underlooked and underrated gem, one of the best top down tactical shooters out there great soundtrack great community and amazing team based gameplay. buy it you wont regret it.
  18. bluebeardtattoo
    May 5, 2019
    2
    Поначалу игра показалась не плохой тактической стратегией. Но уже на второй миссии становиться нудно и на поверхность всплывают все недостатки игры. (P.S: Я просто ненавижу стратегии)
  19. apokalipto
    Aug 24, 2023
    8
    Very good game. I enjoyed playing this game a lot. I strongly recommend this.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. Brash Games
    Sep 29, 2015
    70
    The Red Solstice delivers. You get what’s advertised and that is perfectly fine. If you enjoyed titles like XCOM, Diablo and sometimes think back to 2004’s “Full Spectrum Warrior” with a warm nostalgic feeling, then you will undoubtedly enjoy this game and it’s tactical RPG-styled gameplay.
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  2. Eurogamer Italy
    Sep 28, 2015
    70
    The Red Solstice is a well-crafted game but unfortunately is aimed only at the most dedicated players. Old-school gamers are in for an extremely difficult but rewarding tactical challenge.
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  3. Riot Pixels
    Sep 10, 2015
    74
    The Red Solstice is very difficult to master, but if you spend enough time learning the game and find good friends to play it with, you will enjoy it.
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