Solar Ash Introduction
Heart Machine received widespread acclaim with their debut effort Hyper Light Drifter.
It’s inexpressible how different Solar Ash is from Heart Machine’s debut title, yet how similar it is. On the inside, Solar Ash shares many of the same dystopian, separated, and psychological styles with yet another breathtaking score and crisp gameplay loop. However, on the outside, the game is a terrific departure from Hyper Light Drifter. And it mostly succeeds in its new vision.
Originally launched as a PS5 exclusive, Solar Ash has made its way to PC and Xbox Game Pass.
Solar Ash seems like a blend of Hyper Light Drifter, Shadow of the Colossus, and Sunset Overdrive. When you use those words to explain Heart Machines’ 2nd title, those are terrific components to include a mixer.
As Rei, you find yourself, air moving across oceans of clouds and through ruined lands while trying to reignite the starseed which can close the black hole and save your world as one of the last void runners. You will require to pass through various biomes, awaken an enormous beast and then defeat the beast. The biomes are visually unique; however, mechanics stay primarily comparable with some puzzle intricacies that are more widespread towards completion.
In regards to visuals and gameplay, Solar Ash is a huge departure from Hyper Light Drifter, a video game that put Heart Device on the map and is often regarded as one of the best Indies of recent years. Using music as an analogy, Solar Ash isn’t a safe follow-up album; Instead, it’s a riskier sophomore effort. Heart Machine might have done another 16-bit entry, but it revealed its developmental fortitude with some outstanding visuals and gameplay.
Heart Machine might have done another 16-bit entry, but it revealed its developmental fortitude with some outstanding visuals and gameplay.
Solar Ash is a game that might have come off the rails quickly If the gameplay wasn’t tuned correctly because there are sections and obstacles in the game that have you string together leaps, rail grinds, and speed increases while fighting. The video game would have broken down if these mechanics were managed with less competence.
Solar Crash
Solar Ash isn’t without flaws. The semi-open world can sometimes be challenging to determine how to get to your next objective despite the game navigation system. The aggravation is likewise slightly minimized by some outstanding environmental cues.
My most significant issue with Solar Ash is that there isn’t an upgrade path on weapons capabilities. What you begin with is what you end with. Including some new capabilities and weapons might have gone a long way in keeping the game fresh; however, it also may have watered down the clear focus on traversal and story.
Conclusion
As the saying goes, “when you aim for the moon, you may land in the stars” Heart Device might’ve taken the easy route and made Hyper Light Drifter 2 after its overwhelming success. Instead, Heart Machine switched engines, changed art designs, and changed dimensions when they developed Solar Ash.
Solar Ash may not reach the same heart-wrenching psychological highs or have such an addicting gameplay loop as their launch title, but in the long run, not only will Heart Device benefit from having extended so far outside of their comfort zone, but players will also be able to enjoy the rewards with what Heart Device is capable of in the future. Bringing it back to the album analogy, at around 7 hours, Solar Ash is a fantastic sophomore effort from Heart Machine that shows their control to keep the title sharp and refined and their ability to move beyond their convenience zone with relative ease.
Summary
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 exciting characters. It’s great to see Machine Heart build something different. Although the game has its flaws, it’s a solid sophomore effort.
