Aesthetic Charm

If Solarix is what we should be expecting to come from Indie developers, then I’m incredibly excited for the future! The textures for everything are sharp and detailed, enemy design is so imaginative and the scenery is breathtaking. When you get the chance to see your surroundings from outside you’ll be blown away by the sheer enormity and scale of each level.

As mentioned earlier, sound plays an integral role in Solarix and should definitely not be overlooked when playing this game. At times you’ll hear haunting music playing to accompany the situation in which you find yourself, and trust me, wearing headphones whilst playing is an incredible experience. If you have a super sound system then please hook your computer up and play Solarix. I’d love to know how good it sounds!

A Bit Buggy

With so much to deliver, of course there are going to be a few bugs which is the only downside to Solarix.

Parts of the environment that look accessible can often be unaccommodating. The jump key almost seems a bit pointless seeing as you’re able to jump over ledges lower than a person’s ankles. However, getting rid of jump altogether would make some parts of the game unplayable which you’ll find out about as you play.

It’s quite easy to get trapped inside walls, forcing you to restart from an earlier save and sometimes when you’ve loaded up a save game you are presented with a world full of nothing. This, once again, forces you to restart from the beginning of a chapter which could prove to be even more troublesome.

The throwing objects to get an enemy’s attention mechanic can sometimes feel a bit unpredictable and at times broken. More than once have I thrown an object somewhere to distract an enemy only to have said enemy turn around and fire at me straight away.

Also when you’re carrying an object to throw you can sometimes end up stuck or find it difficult to move when you’re in a hurry.

However, patches are constantly being brought out, so in time I’m sure Solarix will be smooth as Kraft smooth peanut butter.

Final Thoughts

I was blown away by Solarix and find it to be an incredibly exciting yet disturbing adventure. It’s been quite a while since I was creeped out this much by a game, but I’m glad Pulsetense have managed to pull it off!

If you’re a lover of sound and the way it can be used in games, Solarix will not disappoint. It’s a superb game with a twisting story that has some clichéd moments, but ultimately an ending that will leave you breathless and staring at your screen thinking… what?

Score

4 stars – graphics to die for, sound that chills your soul and engaging gameplay