Solar Ash

"‎Solar Ash has the audiovisual style of Hyper Light Drifter, the clashes against titans of Shadow of the Colossus, the scrolling mechanics of Jet Set Radio and the level design of Super Mario Galaxy. Is there really more to say?‎"

"An endearing experience with a well-integrated narrative, Solar Ash trades the action of its predecessor for speed-based platforming. It&s;s a compelling play, but it feels a little light."

"Solar Ash is an exhilarating action-adventure game with strong puzzles and flashy boss fights."

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

"Solar Ash may not get everything right, but its kinetic platforming and incredibly stylish presentation make its world a lot of fun to explore."

"Solar Ash offers a collection of promising concepts that don’t quite hit realization. While undoubtedly a visually striking experience, Rei’s journey into the Ultravoid suffers due to a disengaging narrative and repetitious gameplay. Solar Ash’s attractive world struggles to provide …"

"This glorious game about movement and adventure also feels like a rumination on something deeper and more personal."

"Solar Ash offers sublime movement and an interesting story, with some fantastic mechanics that make you want to explore every facet of it."

"Solar Ash is repetitive and short, but that doesn&s;t take away from how fun the core gameplay is. The developers have nailed Solar Ash&s;s traversal system, making it genuinely fun to explore and complete the various platforming challenges. The art …"

"While its inspirations are clear, Solar Ash complements its massive boss fights with agility, strong level design, and bold visuals."

"Controlling Rei in Solar Ash&s;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 …"

"Solar Ash hinges itself upon two core mechanics -- and almost nothing else. Skating around and dispelling corrupted masses of black goo is fun for a while, but when you&s;ve seen a game&s;s whole hand in the first half-hour, it&s;s …"

"‎Solar Ash does not hide his influences, moreover, he becomes strong in them. Do not expect an indie of those who seek to revolutionize classic proposals, rather it is the opposite. It is a title that knows how to mix …"

"A compelling game, which loses a few shots due to a narrative that is not quite up to par."

"When you want to get rid quickly of level bosses just so you can get back to running down ramps and trampolines, there is something amiss with the balance of the game. And this is exactly the issue with Solar …"

"Solar Ash does a lot of things right but it still lacks some much-needed depth to make it a complete package. It may have come later than expected but Solar Ash is a hidden gem that shouldn&s;t be missed by …"

"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 …"

"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, …"

"Solar Ash comes at the end of the games, with the Top 10 of 2021 already compiled and the nominations for the various year-end awards already awarded, and that&s;s a shame. Because it is one of those endings with a …"

"Solar Ash is a spectacular achievement and a worthy successor to Heat 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. …"

"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, …"

"Solar Ash has a strong core gameplay loop, but its weak story and heavy repetition make it tough to recommend."

"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."

"Solar Ash is another triumph from Heart Machine, a fast-paced burst of vibrant, surreal science fiction where players get to glide and jump around fascinating worlds with terrific bits of platforming and action spread out across a series of unique …"

"In its lesser moments, it comes off as a singular presentation looking for a more involved game underneath, better combat and better bosses which could more effectively serve these assets. It still remains a worthwhile quest to see through to …"

"Solar Ash plays as well as it looks with a strong story at the heart"

"Solar Ash makes a good first impression with its silky-smooth controls, eye-catching visuals, and bombastic boss battles, but a lack of character progression or changes to core mechanics eventually drains some of the life from the game. Solar Ash is …"

"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."

"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 …"

"Despite its strengths, Solar Ash fails to skate free from the gravity of its influences."

"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 pushes for a sense of momentum and fluidity with its take on 3D platforming, and it does work very well indeed."

"That emptiness only becomes harder to ignore when the story foregrounds itself, pulling you back for chats with your AI partner or scattering insipid post-apocalyptic lore documents all over the levels. For all of Solar Ash’s sense of genuine, thrilling …"

"Solar Ash is another hugely stylish venture from Heart Machine, though it’s not terribly long. Exploring any area to its fullest ran me about two to four hours and the whole thing ran about 11 hours for me when it …"

"It&s;s not far from being a bit special, the kind of indie gem that everyone has to play, but it&s;s unfortunately just not quite there."

"This unquestionably beautiful game about saving a planet from an encroaching black hole boldly goes where few have remained awake"