Solasta: Crown of the Magister

Played 70 hours in multiplayer and i'm very happy with two thnings: first, the d&d mood is perfectly integrated in the game and second, developers decided to add co-op. I think every d&d based game should be co-op, that's how it's meant to be., so nice work. The only things i would change is the possibility to multiclass (not an option for now) and the level cap i think can be higher maybe extending the content or creating a campaign DLC. Easily recommended for any BGlike fan, really enjoyable!

While the obvious comparison on the market comparison may seem like Baldur's Gate 3, really Solasta shares more of its mechanical DNA with Ice Wind Dale. It's a tactical dungeon crawl simulator where you construct your entire party to venture through a linear story. It's not as expensive as BG3, but Icewind Dale was always relatively linear compared to it's infinity engine cousins. Solasta is made by a smaller team and the slight lack of polish does reflect the more limited resources at their disposal. Still, it's an excellent adaptation of the 5e tabletop rules that does most things I want it to do. If a sequel is made I'd like to see some additional features like multi-classing. I'd also expect a sequel to be able to start with more classes and races than the standard edition of this game. I understand that a smaller team needs to break the tasks up to keep themselves funded. However, doing a sequel and keeping the exact same drip feed of basic game features split between the packs would feel exploitative. They've already developed their subclasses and races. They've already programmed in the classes. If they make a sequel I'd want more content initially with any dlc packs covering content new to the setting.

I'm approaching 400 hours with Solasta, so I'm overdue to go on the record here. As someone who grew up D&D and other RPG in the 80s, the game has obvious appeal. However, I got bored before finishing the first two main campaigns and didn't enjoy doing the same campaigns with different parties. Unfinished Business changed everything by expanding classes, races, and most importantly campaigns. There are a bunch of great ones available, which provides endless opportunity to experiment, which is very reminicent of my formative RPG experiences. I'm sure Solasta isn't for everyone but it obviously hits the spot for me.

Solasta is a party-based RPG with four protagonists, closer to a dungeon-crawler or a tactical RPG, than other cRPGs. There are several NPCs who can temporarily (for one or two battles) join the party in combat. There are several classes, weapons, backgrounds and manners of speech. Backgrounds provide unique quests (1 per background) during the game. Most of the time the party uses auto-dialogue according to their personality tags, but there are dialogue options as well, which may affect the story. The main story is mostly linear (there are few choices), with new objectives appearing after completing the previous ones. There are several side quests. Combat is usually unavoidable (the game cannot be completed without it), but it is not possible to attack neutral or friendly NPCs without announcing your intention first (there is one exception, where the boss turned hostile after the party looted the room). In the situations when it is possible to use diplomacy, the XP reward is roughly equal to the one gained by killing the boss. The combat is turn-based with adjustable difficulty, from damage dealt to spell requirements to random encounters. There are also separate settings for AI. Maps are fully 3D and vertical movement is meaningful. The reputation system affects only the items available for purchase, but not the story. The crafting system is easy to understand and crafted equipment and consumables provide advantage without being balance-breaking. The graphics and sound are adequate, they fit the setting and do not distract from combat. The style is consistent and animations are expressive. GUI is comfortable to use, but relies mostly on the mouse and there are too few hotkeys. The controls are responsive and rebindable, 5-button mice are supported. Tutorials are easy to understand and helpful, but some important features are not mentioned, such as Identifying magical items. The number of save files is limited to 50 and they are located in AppData (why would a hidden folder) and names for custom characters cannot be repeated. I have encountered several small graphical glitches (animations not playing when speeded up; wrong portrait shown after combat), several small audio bugs (VA and subtitles did not match) and one softlock (during a late-game main quest, “The Mind of the Master”). Optimisation is lacking - frames per second dropped in areas with water, GPU temperature was high during gameplay.

The Tactical Adventures team has done a great job of adapting the DD5 rules and offers us with Solasta a very pleasant game. This game is visually at the level of the best, the fights are lively and the basic Dungeons and Dragons rules are well respected. Only downside, the campaign can sometimes seem a bit linear and sides quests sometimes limited. But in the end the story is well taken is interesting so frankly well done. I first played Early Access and was surprised by the level of finish and the lack of big bugs. In the final version patched with the implementation of the sorcerer and the new maps of the dungeon creator, we now all feel the potential of this game. I give this game 5 stars because its concept reminds me of Icewindale, game that I loved and also Baldur's Gates and Neverwinter nights, now remains to implement multi-player and I trust the devs for that because they are of my point of seen at the top.