For a universe that seems so void, there are actually side characters that provide side stories. Defeating world bosses reactivates these conduits and allows Cyd to get “online”, which is pivotal to activating the Starseed. To make these desolate worlds less empty, there are designated AI robots called Cyds located at offline conduits inside each world, that allow you to scan for missing collectibles and black ooze locations, and purchase shield upgrades. Each world also presents a new mechanic to learn and utilize, such as a freeze-time hook shot, which provides an element of excitement and lessens repetition. Once all black ooze locations, which vary by world, are cleared, the colossi will reveal itself. Weak points are located at different spots and require you to use a variety of platforming mechanics to reach them. This is where the platforming puzzles come in, as clearing each ooze pool requires you to hit multiple weak points of the ooze under a time limit. In order to trigger a gigantic world boss, you must scan the world for focus points filled with black ooze. There’s a total of six worlds in Solar Ash, with a colossal boss encounter at the end of each world. Combat takes a back seat though, as attacking is only a means of self defense and executing death blows on bosses rather than stringing together combos or special moves. She’s also equipped with some rocket boosters and a trusty energy sword to slay anomalies. Fortunately, Rei has a pair of snazzy skates that allow her to traverse worlds with ease. It’s now up to Rei to figure out what happened to the other Voidrunners, and to activate the Starseed to prevent their inevitable doom. The Voidrunners’ goal was to activate a device known as the Starseed to keep the Ultravoid from sucking up their planet, but all the other runners have gone missing and the Starseed hasn’t been activated. It stars protagonist Rei, perhaps the last Voidrunner alive, in her desperate attempt to save her home planet from being sucked into an anomaly known as the Ultravoid, a super black hole. Perhaps best described as a love-child between The Pathless and Shadow of the Colossus, Solar Ash is still packed with personality. Solar Ash is a three dimensional, open-world, action platformer that focuses primarily on traversal and storytelling, wrapped in a colorful and visually stunning package. You might know developers Heart Machine for their 2016 Zelda-like game Hyper Light Drifter, but Solar Ash couldn’t be more different. When I first heard of Solar Ash, I immediately thought of The Pathless, another game published by Annapurna Interactive that I wholeheartedly enjoyed. There’s definitely a new era of indie open world games, and I’m all for it.
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