Solasta's writing isn't terrible, but it is often ham-fisted and has an unusual syntax that means conversations don't flow as they should, with character responses to new information or situations always feeling slightly off. It's neat to see your characters responding according to personalities you created for them, although the effect of the system is diminished by the dialogue itself. Most responses are cosmetic, but there are some key decisions that dictate whether a quest ends in a conversation or a bloodbath. The differing personalities manifest through a slick dialogue system that lets any of your four party members respond to NPCs. A character with the trait of Pragmatism might be more likely to talk their way out of a situation for example, while a character who is naturally violent will always prefer a fight. These flags affect your character's responses during dialogue and crucial choices. There are five races and six classes to choose from, but you can also choose your character's backgrounds, each of which comes with several 'personality flags', such as kindness, cynical, greedy etc. While I opted to play with predesigned characters to maximise the chance of a balanced experience, the game encourages you to create your own heroic foursome. That said, the character creator itself is impressive. Dwarves have particular trouble keeping their facial hair on, with all the plaits and rings apparently dragging their beards right off their chins. Solasta is a decent looking RPG, although many NPCs seem to have been dragged through the character creator backwards, with false-looking beards and hairstyles that resemble wigs. You can fight your way through the front gate if you like, but you can also try to sneak in through a secret entrance, or even talk your way past the apprentice who guards the castle's outer hallways.Įlsewhere, you'll explore ancient libraries, glittering monasteries filled with translucent spectres, and blasted volcanic landscapes. This vast fortress is home to a powerful Necromancer and guarded by all manner of undead nasties. A prime example of this is Dark Castle, the point where Solasta really lets you off the lead. Some dungeons are heavily puzzle-oriented, with much of your time spent figuring out how to traverse a series of platforms or navigate a sequence of portals. Although the campaign opens up more in its second half, Solasta is a fairly linear RPG, focussing on a handful of major locations that each take hours to explore. Speaking of dungeons, Solasta's are vast shadowy mazes that are fantastic to explore. It all makes for exciting, story-like combat, full of canny tricks and last-minute dodges.Ĭombat is where you'll spend most of your time in Solasta, and unsurprisingly it's where the game is most robust. Fighting in darkness will add a visibility disadvantage to your combat rolls, so it's important to use torches or spells to illuminate caves and dungeons. Light is a particularly important factor. You can crush enemies by pushing a conveniently placed rock off a ledge or knocking a chandelier off a ceiling, for example. Whether exploring or in combat, I always knew what was happening and why it happened that way.īeyond these mechanics are broader, more unusual systems that bring the environment into play. The first few hours of Crown of the Magister act as a soft tutorial that slickly introduces you to the Fifth Edition rules, from longstanding mechanics like spell-selection and the nuances of resting, to 5e-specific rules such as advantage and disadvantage rolls. As someone who found Baldur's Gate rather intimidating, I credit Solasta for its teaching skill. I'll get to the story's issues later, but first I want to focus on what Solasta does best-making strict D&D rules accessible. No prizes for guessing what your party will be doing for the next forty-ish hours. But the Crown is incomplete, missing several magical jewels that can make it powerful enough to open rifts between worlds. Initially dispatched to investigate a beleaguered border fort on the frontier of the Badlands (think Mordor, but in the West rather the East), you eventually stumble upon an ancient artefact known as the Crown of the Magister. That story sees you control four adventurers recruited as Deputies of the Council, an organisation representing various factions across the realm of Solasta.
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