Developer: Tactical Adventures
Publisher: Tactical Adventures
Genre: Tactical role-playing game
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS
Thanks to Tactical Adventures for sending me an email about this game during PAX 2020!
Years ago, I used to play a lot of Dungeons & Dragons with my friends in New York City. I would visit family there most summers or Christmas breaks during school and there was a group who introduced me to the game. I knew nothing about it, but the fact that I could create my own character and go on fantastical adventures in a living room was amazing. I have fond memories of sitting around, eating snacks and drinking soda, while saving villages from monsters or exploring dark castles. There was no music, no console, no TV, just pencils and paper.
Those fun times came to mind when I was playing SOLASTA: Crown Of The Magister. The game starts you off with a party of four in a fantasy world full of various creatures, races, magic and adventure. Compare it to something like Lord of the Rings, and you would be close. Your first main quest, if you chose to help, is to rescue a friend of some travelers who were in a cave. The orcs inside attacked them, but only they managed to escape and they require your aid to see if their friend is still alive.
Once inside the cave, the game has a tutorial on how to access your inventory, cast a spell, move, attack, pick up items, and other features. Honestly, I wasn’t used to so many different options when in battle, so it did take time to get adjusted on where to click, which spells do what, or what weapons to equip. It reminded me of a much older game, Baldur’s Gate II, which had similar aspects.
Each of the four characters have unique skills. You have an archer, warrior, magician and thief/rogue. Knowing how to use them in battle is key to winning, as well as equipping what you find along the way or strategizing how to defeat enemies. The dialogue was a little lacking, as I would have liked to get to know the characters and their motivations more, but it’s a demo so that’s OK. As you explore, the game will show pop-ups that explain what to do next or how to craft an item, rest, or something else. This became a little annoying for me, since it would happen often with long explanations. I ended up skipping most of them to just get on with the game, so hopefully they can simplify those or have less of them in the main game.
The music is nice and matches the area, while the graphics were detailed and made the cave look creepy (which I enjoyed). I felt like I was truly exploring everywhere I went, pushing over pillars to get across gaps in the floor or using a torch to light the parties way. Once I got to an area full of giant spiders, I lost as there were too many to beat. I don’t think the game prepared the player enough for that fight, as the previous ones were pretty simple and not as many foes.
If you enjoy fantasy RPGs in medieval eras, I believe you will enjoy SOLASTA: Crown Of The Magister. For me, it wasn’t my favorite but that’s OK, it was a different experience than I was used to and I like trying out games that challenge me. I can tell a lot of effort was put into making it a fun experience, and it was for me.
Gaming & God gives SOLASTA: Crown Of The Magister
🎮🎮 out of 🎮🎮🎮🎮🎮
You can play SOLASTA CROWN OF THE MAGISTER on Steam
