Solstice Chronicles: MIA is an Indie gem that any fan of top-down shooters should look into. From the 6-man core team at Ironward, it was funded on Fig for a mere $30,000 with 512 backers. That says, “Oh, this’ll be an Indie game.” But beyond the small team and modest budget, Solstice Chronicles looks and plays better than most AAA productions. It’s not going to compete with the likes of Bethesda or Activision, but Ironward’s follow up to The Red Soltice is the sort of game I dig – a highly replayable, action-packed adventure with deep progression across its four classes.
On sale at launch for $17.99, but running $19.99 normally, Solstice Chronicles is out now on Steam, with PS4 and Xbox One ports coming soon. Our copy was provided by PR, but now I’m wishing I had backed this 6-man team’s labor of love. Like DOOM, you’re a lone marine left behind by the corporation you work for when your settlement on Mars breaks out with a nasty virus that turns people and organisms into blood-thirsty demon-like creatures. You start the game with a brief taste of your full mechanized suit (whatever class you choose at the start), and it’s quickly stripped from you when you are taken away by one of the monsters and left for dead in the bowels of the settlement. Here you meet a drone that’s working for the Resistance (people who don’t like the Corporation you serve), and a tenuous alliance to survive is formed.
There’s a decent story here about what happened on Mars, who the Drone is looking for, and how it all comes together. Voice over work isn’t superb, but it’s pretty decent and often got a chuckle out of me with the drone’s banter. The in-engine cut scenes are a little stilted and somewhat rushed – as if they don’t quite gel with the game’s action that well. They tell the story well, but somehow they always struck me as out of place. I think perhaps this is due to the cinematics swapping out of the top-down view for a more dramatic effect, but it doesn’t always work.
After the first few levels of the campaign, you’ll unlock your full suit of mechanized armor and start to spend skill-points and upgrade your gear. There’s no real loot in Solstice Chronicles, but this is the bit that’s most like an ARPG. You have a limited amount of points to spend as you level and tons of ways to progress your character and your drone. Your weapons of choice also level up on their own and gain beneficial bonuses as they do. Once the campaign’s over, you can even play an endless roguelike survival mode where you can test out and try the other classes and builds. The fourth class, the Terminator, is actually locked until you beat the campaign.
There’s an interesting mechanic behind the Threat Meter that you’re introduced to early on. Often times you may run out of ammo or supplies, and you can send the drone to look for more. Doing so alerts the monsters and they come swarming as your threat grows. You then have to kill them or use the Drone’s taunt to help lower the alert level. And missions often use the Threat Mechanic as well – turning on a power generator can alert a whole floor of the creeps to your presence, a la Left 4 Dead. It’s a unique way to make the encounters on each level feel less scripted and more involved.
I’ve really enjoyed my time with Solstice so far, and it’s come a long way since its demo build we previewed months ago. It’s an absolute riot to go on a burning spree with the Hellfire class. There’s online and split-shared screen co-op too, and it’s a blast to pick up with friends. It supports controllers or WASD controls, and both worked really well. The only thing on keyboard that seemed somewhat wonky was using the E key to vault over obstacles. For some reason I could never get my fingers to do it right the first time.
It’s amazing what Ironward’s done with Solstice Chronicles: MIA, and I can only imagine what they’d be capable of with a bigger budget, more staff, and more time. I want more of their version of Mars, and I hope to see it expanded upon in the future. The campaign will last a handful of hours, and the co-op is a blast for survival mode. The core of Solstic Chronicles is an addictive and sticky futuristic ARPG that I’d more than willingly recommend to fans of the genre.
Score – 7/10
Pros:
- Great combat
- Deep progression
- Decent story
- Fun survival mode
Cons:
- Visuals are uneven
- Cinematics are oddly cut