Journal entries present fascinating tales of survival from those trapped within the Void. Sprinting around the world is fun, but I was more than willing to slow down to absorb the intriguing lore along the edges, which fleshes out the Ultravoid’s history. I came into Solar Ash expecting to feel indifferent towards Rei, and I’m pleasantly surprised to emerge feeling the opposite. The story evolves her almost stubborn optimism and sense of duty in an effective – and surprising – way I won’t spoil. I felt for Rei, who is a rookie inadvertently burdened with the weight of her entire species. Solar Ash’s gripping tale of desperation and hope against all odds serves as another highlight. I’m not sure what the point is in constantly spending thousands of plasma to regain the same disappearing hit point, but I’m not a fan of it. Bizarrely, however, defeating each Remnant triggers a sequence that removes one notch of health. Along the way, you collect currency in the form of plasma used exclusively to upgrade your health. She retains the same small skillset throughout the experience, with collectible suits offering useful passive buffs, such as health-restoring attacks or increased speed boosts. I wasn’t burdened by complicated mechanics or even new abilities for Rei. I also appreciate Solar Ash’s elegantly clean overall design. Taking too long and getting vaporized back to the ground is frustrating, but that was usually due to an errant choice in my platforming and often fixed by a quick course correction. Racing across their writhing forms to quickly shatter nodes across their bodies is a reflex-focused, white-knuckle affair that had me holding my breath and fist-pumping in triumph. They essentially act as moving platforming puzzles and are the final exams of your skills. These towering monsters come in different shapes and sizes, including a bipedal warrior or a flying bat-like creature. My favorite encounters are against the Remnants. Gracefully eradicating foes while artfully dodging their attacks never ceases to feel cool. Most enemies drop after only a couple of hits, meaning you can easily kill them without stopping. Each area adds fun twists that take advantage of your movement, such as carrying rapidly fading mushroom spores to matching colored nodes to sprout vines for grinding.Įverything in the game is in service of keeping you moving, and that extends to the simple but satisfying hack n’ slash combat. You can skate up and around this cosmic playground from seemingly impossible angles, and looking across inverted landscapes is always a trippy delight. Its striking color palette and an almost spherical world design lend the experience a dreamlike quality. I regularly said, “wow,” whenever I stepped into a new biome. Given the speed of Rei’s grinding and how far she can launch, it’s easy to overshoot rails, given their close proximity. I only wish transitioning between grind rails was snappier. Lock-on grapple points and a slow-motion aim mechanic work well and are woven perfectly into platforming puzzles. No matter how far I jumped, I always had a landing to target. I gleefully leaped across floating ruins, bubbling lava pools, and acid waterfalls with calculated recklessness thanks to the expert placement of platforms and grind rails. Even better, she instantly recovers speed when slowing down becomes necessary. Rei’s skating feels swift but controlled I never lost control when it wasn’t my fault, even in the most precarious areas. Solar Ash is all about the flow of movement, and getting around the Ultravoid is a wonderful rush. Awakening these titans is the first step, which involves destroying giant eyeballs connected to them scattered across the landscapes. With dire stakes and Hail Mary solutions, Rei’s solo mission is worth seeing through to its surprising conclusion in this impressive high-speed action platformer.Īctivating the Starseed requires slaying six Remnants, humongous beasts that hold dominion over the Ultravoid’s handful of biomes. But her allies have vanished, and the Ultravoid has native defenses in the form of ink-like monsters. Time is of the essence Rei was sent into the Void as part of a team to activate the Starseed, a device designed to collapse the black hole and save her planet. Unfortunately, the Ultravoid is an exceptionally massive black hole with Rei’s home planet ensnared in its vacuum. She’s a voidrunner, meaning she explores black holes with the help of advanced technology. Rei awakens, dazed and confused within the Ultravoid.
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