Solar Ash
Get your skates on
FORMAT PS5, PS4 / ETA 2021 / PUB ANNAPURNA INTERACTIVE / DEV HEART MACHINE / PLAYERS 1
Heart Machine’s latest is in many ways a breezy departure from the studio’s earlier work. In development for at least four years, Solar Ash shares some DNA with challenging action RPG title Hyper Light Drifter – the neonaccented colour palette and fleet-footed movement make the familial link unmistakable. However the two games are definitely siblings, not twins.
After Hyper Light Drifter, the team felt their next project needed a new visual approach. The shift to 3D is in service of more than just a change of pace, though; playing as Rei – a gangly figure with a swishy cape and futuristic Heelies – you explore semi-open areas boasting levels of verticality. She’s ventured into a black hole known as the Ultra Void in an effort to save her home planet. She finds matter known as Dregs corrupting the space and its creatures and, through exploration and fighting, works to purge it. In exchange, she’s rewarded with Starseed energy that she can use to power up a mysterious, looming landmark at the centre of the world.
LATER SKATER
Combat on the ground is much less demanding than in Hyper Light Drifter, though no less fluid. A giant serpent winds its way through early in-game footage, drawn to Rei’s efforts to clean up the Dregs. The headline act is frictionless movement. You can take down the big space snake Shadow-Of-The-Colossus-style by careening up its armoured spine, dinging pylons that stick out like acupuncture needles and whacking weak points as you go. It’s a to-the-point system as combat is much less of a focus this time around.
Traversal has been the crucial element of the game from early in the project’s lifespan. You can skate over clouds, grind rails, and even grapple, and Rei’s full moveset is accessible from the start. You can find suits that will have some sort of transformative quality, but Heart Machine is remaining tight-lipped about their exact effect.
The movement system was built using similar development tools to Insomniac’s latest web-slinging title, creating a fluid feeling of freedom where the pull of gravity sometimes feels like only a suggestion. In keeping with the goal of minimal constraints on player movement, there’s no stamina meter to upgrade or otherwise tell you to cool your jets.