
Hltb solar ash full#
I appreciated having to wrangle Rei’s inertia in order to bring her to a sudden stop from full pelt, but the joy of movement was occasionally stymied by quirks like inexplicably going the wrong way on a rail, missing grinds entirely, or falling off a platform thanks to an unhelpful camera.īut for the most part the skating feels great between those hiccups, whether you’re boosting then double jumping to skip across the surface of treacherous acid lakes, leapfrogging through a series of grapple points in the air, directing then riding mushroom rails, or ascending a bulbous column of clouds in order to reach an ancient structure high in the sky. She smoothly transitions between running and skating, with an incredible feeling - and sounding - boost ideal for zooming past enemies, hitting a lip at top speed, or just catapulting forward from a standing start. Rei has a slight yet powerful set of abilities, crafted specifically for open-world platforming.
Hltb solar ash how to#
The fun here is in working out how to reach objectives, not wondering where they are, so I always felt like I was navigating the world with purpose. You’re able to scan each area for key objectives, while telltale icons on surfaces reveal if a hidden audio log is nearby. This kineticism is expressed through wide open environments and platforming challenges that allow Rei to almost always be in motion. This all helps make the overarching plot more impactful as it gradually comes into clarity, leading to a climax that’s punchier than I was expecting a neat twist for a game that’s so kinetic in focus most of the time.
Hltb solar ash driver#
This broad story set-up translates to reaching and clearing out anomalies that are interfering with the conduits, then defeating each area’s colossal boss creature.Īction-platforming is very much the main driver of Solar Ash, but it’s interested in worldbuilding too, and has plenty to dig into via story elements like audio logs left by Rei’s missing teammates, scrawled notes in the environment, a handful of survivors you can talk to, and quizzing Rei’s friendly AI construct Cyd on the details of the mission.

These are necessary to power a gigantic, monolithic piece of technology called the Starseed - which, in turn, is the only hope to close the black hole itself and save Rei’s planet from imminent destruction.

You are Rei, a Voidrunner who has ventured inside a black hole called The Ultravoid, and you’re trying to find out what happened to each of your companions and ensure the conduits they set up throughout the different sectors of the void are operational. In Solar Ash you’re faced with platforming challenges, light puzzles, enemy encounters, bosses, and impossible spaces - and you glide your way through it all, accompanied by an appropriately atmospheric, synth-driven sci-fi score. Solar Ash’s vivid colour palette is evocative of developer Heart Machine’s last game, Hyper Light Drifter, but transposed to a 3D open-world, in which momentum is the overriding design principle. Getting those two elements to not only coexist but thrive together is a needle that Hyper Light Drifter confidently threads.Rei contemplates the Ultravoid before leaping in. In our review of the developer’s Hyper Light Drifter, we praised the top-down action game for its combination of story and gameplay: “It replaces traditional narrative structures with moods, but punctuates those contemplative, quiet moments with constant scenes of breakneck, pitch-perfect action. “The giant spaces, the feel of movement, the flow of combat, and the high stakes battles atop enormous beasts all come together to bring players something we think is incredibly unique, and more importantly, fun.” “ Solar Ash is Heart Machine’s vision of the adventure platformer,” game designer Alx Preston said of Solar Ash earlier this year. The developer promises fluid controls, with rail-grinding, grappling, and cloud surfing. Players take on the role of Rei, a Voidrunner who will journey through a colorful, stylized world as she fights to save her planet from the Ultravoid. Heart Machine first revealed Solar Ash in 2019 (as Solar Ash Kingdom).
Hltb solar ash Pc#
Solar Ash is coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows PC via the Epic Games Store. 26, publisher Annapurna Interactive announced Thursday.

Hyper Light Drifter developer Heart Machine will release its next game, the 3D action-platformer Solar Ash, on Oct.
