Solar Ash

Few games feel as good to play as this, but the demanding platforming might not suit all. A heady mix of challenge and reward. Plus, space rollerskates. [Issue#10, p.76]

Solar Ash is one of the best games of the year. It looks gorgeous, its story is pretty unique and surprising, and its set-piece moments get really intense, as you might expect from skating along the back of a black goo and bone dragon. It's a nice surprise to end the year with that any "skating combined with combat and gigantic monsters" enthusiasts, which is definitely already a thing.

Solar Ash defines the new standard for open-world indie games by providing an absolutely lovely world to traverse, with a beautiful soundtrack to listen to. From the flow of movement and smooth platforming, to the giant colossi and heartwarming story, I had to step back to discover I was playing a fine piece of art.

An excellent sci-fi platformer with exquisite art design and sublime traversal mechanics, which finds distinctive ground among its obvious inspirations.

By making Solar Ash radically different from Hyper Light Drifter, Heart Machine has avoided boxing themselves into a niche while being able to continue and build a universe they clearly care for. It wears its influences on its sleeve and comes together as a cosmic mix of a few games held dear by many, and as long as they continue to do this, I’ll eat it up until I am far beyond full.

Solar Ash is a platforming playground that never loses steam, and it hides a memorable story of unfathomable tragedy.

Solar Ash is a contemplative experience, visual feast, and faced-paced thrill ride expertly wrapped up into one exhilarating adventure. Without a doubt, this game is one of the best indie games of 2021, if not the best.

Solar Ash had me racing across its cloud-covered playgrounds in the early hours, searching for the next fun platforming segment. By the remaining hours, I was running to see the conclusion of its gripping narrative. Solar Ash oozes as much substance as it does style, making for a wholly entertaining space romp.

Solar Ash is a spectacular achievement and a worthy successor to Heart Machine’s previous release. The fast and fluid movement makes exploration a delightful dance through the absurd. Although the structure is a little repetitive, the moment-to-moment gameplay is thrilling. Large and intense boss battles are the highlight of the game, creating jaw-dropping sequences that will leave you yearning for more.

Controlling Rei in Solar Ash’s beautiful world is an absolute joy, with fluid, precise, and simple controls as well as a diverse set of challenges to overcome. Unfortunately, there are more than a few moments where the normally excellent level design suddenly becomes tedious and annoying.

Solar Ash has the audiovisual stile of Hyper Light Drifter, the fights against titans of Shadow of the Colossus, the traversal mechanics of Jet Set Radio and the level design of Super Mario Galaxy. Do we really need to say anything else?

Anybody who likes fast-paced platformers with a gorgeous sense of style will enjoy Solar Ash. Who knows – maybe fans of a certain blue hedgehog can play a good 3D game for once.

Solar Ash excels when it captures that dream-like feeling of gliding across cosmic, surreal spaces. There are moments when the speed of Rei’s skates across the back of a terrifying monster will exhilarate, reminding players why they love games. But as a platformer, Solar Ash can be tedious, repetitive, and a bit clumsy. While these issues may clash with the lovingly crafted world and gravity-defying puzzles, they never truly harm what is ultimately a uniquely engaging game.

Where Solar Ash goes from an intriguing ambient platformer to one of the year’s most fascinating releases is in its fixation on living as an act of being stuck.

While I would have liked a bit more variety, what Solar Ash gives is a beautiful, vivid, technological adventure that drips with style. Its fluid traversal, combat and puzzle-like sections are a joy to navigate, as are its hulking bosses. Solar Ash is like nothing else on the market at the moment and that alone is enough for me to recommend it. What more could you want than a stunning, fluid, unique game? Not much, I reckon.

Even with some small flaws, Solar Ash manages to offer a beautiful adventure, with solid gameplay and unforgettable moments.

Rich in a singular aura and delicious journeys, Solar Ash is home to a universe that must be patiently tamed to be fully appreciated; between the so comfortable walks there are some great difficulties to overcome. From top to bottom, the cosmic and complex regions built by Heart Machine make one want to be fully excavated. Too bad that each new panorama discovered shelters objectives which often fail to disorient us.

A brilliant game, strengthened by an amazing art direction and great design that makes progression natural. It's definitely not perfect, some of its design solutions aren't as elegant and perfectly integrated as others, and its narrative falls flat most of the time, but in the end it's another great demonstration of Heart Machine's talent.

If you have a few hours to spend and want to play something that is unlike anything else this year, then Solar Ash is absolutely worth checking out. Anyone who is a fan of the action-adventure genre will no doubt enjoy this memorable experience.

There's a reason this space is so dreamily built--Solar Ash takes place inside a massive black hole, after all--but the game is at its best when it isn't treating those reasons as if they matter all that much. The late game leans a little too heavily into the story, including swapping out the strong boss battles in favor of a binary choice in the game's climactic moments. But, most of the time, that story is where it belongs: in the background. And, thankfully, Solar Ash has some gorgeous backgrounds.

Graceful movement and jaw-dropping fights against colossal monsters make Solar Ash a worthy follow-up to Hyper Light Drifter. [Recommended]

With a first run taking 10 hours or less, Solar Ash is a focused affair that delivers on its vision without getting distracted by extraneous missions or checklists. The scale of its massive creatures pairs well with strong level design and interesting characters. It’s hard to avoid comparisons, but bold visuals and a sense of agility help separate Solar Ash from its inspirations and provide a surreal journey that’s all its own.

Solar Ash is a highly original open-plan platform game. A slim move set that rewards momentum is the perfect means of exploring its swirling, broken landscapes and executing its more exacting challenges. While some of its elements feel overly simple, that doesn’t detract hugely from a clinically focused and fresh experience.

Solar Ash is a solid second effort from the talented people at Heart Machine Games, with an intoxicating sense of freedom, good boss fights and a gorgeous soundtrack. It's less polished and less deep than its predecessor, but it's worth your time and money.