I was definitely not sold with the experience within the first couple of levels, but by the third one I really felt like I had finally grasped the game's flow, the story was starting to ramp up, and things were finally getting interesting. I might also caution folks to give Solar Ash a couple bosses to warm up. It made the bosses feel repetitive and I eventually got fed up and turned the game to easy mode just so that I could bypass them more quickly and get back to the good parts of the game. The biggest issue I have here is that successfully hitting a boss's weak point tosses you back to the ground, meaning you have to scale all the way back up and start all over again, even if what you did was right. That same start and stop is also evident with the bosses, who follow a hit-them-three-times format to be defeated. It feels pretty terrible when your flow is broken by mechanics that are hard-baked into the game - especially with the bosses It's absolutely infuriating to suddenly have your flow broken by missed jumps and rogue enemies. However, when you're new to an area and wanting to explore, the stop and start from skating to walking feels stilted and slow. Once you become more familiar with a section of the map, you can skate around and chain together a nice flow without breaking your stride too often. Unfortunately, the movement that makes Solar Ash so unique is also the biggest issue I had with the game. Source: Annapurna Interactive (Image credit: Source: Annapurna Interactive) Some of these caches are seriously well-hidden though, so be prepared to explore a lot if you want to find them all. Finding these caches peels back another small layer of the mystery and also gets Rei a piece of new armor. There are collectible recordings scattered around the Ultravoid left by other Voidrunners, many of whom were Rei's friends. I also loved watching the story unfold, but you'll really have to search to uncover the greater mysteries lying at the depths of Solar Ash. The music that plays along with bosses is especially memorable and helps pack a lot of impact behind the grandiose scale you're meant to feel while taking down these behemoths. This dreamy quality is backed up by a frankly excellent soundtrack a stellar blend of dissonant synths and the occassional orchestral accompaniment. It's not hard to blissfully waste your time just skating around and taking in the visual feast that Solar Ash has to offer. The character and creature designs solidly land the game in sci-fi territory, but the dream-like landscapes lend a fantastical, surreal element to the atmosphere. Bold, lower-poly graphics with saturated neon colors bring the world of the Ultravoid to life in a big way. Beyond the mechanics, an obvious draw of the game is its painfully cool aesthetic.
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