Solasta: Crown of the Magister Review

The tactical turn-based RPG genre is filled to the brim with iconic inspiration. The genre has a wide range of classic games, from the pre-Bethesda Fallout titles through the early access release Baldur's Gate 3. Solasta: Crown of the Magister is a simplified version of the genre that will be released alongside these titans.

The world of Solasta is occupied by a group of four characters. They meet in an old tavern and are summoned to a secret mission by the local magistrate. Although you can choose from pre-made heroes, you will be encouraged to create your own. With dialogue that evokes the intimate feeling of playing D&D with friends, the tutorial is seamlessly integrated into the introductions between party members.

Each member of your party has their own voice and personalities. This plays off the character creation in an enormous way. It also takes into consideration your alignment and other traits that may be relevant to the storyline. These traits can cause conflict between characters and make them attractive to certain types of characters. While they may not be relevant to the campaign in question, some traits can be used for roleplaying. However, these traits are easily avoided because they are flagged during character creation. This allows you to create a balanced party while minimizing any obvious flaws. This guide is very helpful as it will allow you to control your entire party in this D&D-inspired world.

Solasta's world uses the Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition ruleset. This includes skill charts and dice rolls, which gives you many options for character customization. Although cosmetic options are limited and often superficial, the real depth lies in the details. This high fantasy world is about everything, from your race and character classes to your background. It goes above and beyond what you might expect in a genre title. There are perks for different races, classes, and backgrounds that can affect combat and roleplaying interactions. These perks include altering rolls, opening up dialogue, and more. The feeling is a constant throughout the game with various party compositions offering different gameplay options.

Spell-slinging Elven Rogues are powerful DPS machines. The traditional sword-and board Dwarf Fighter is a good choice for those looking for a simple character build. These options allow you to experiment with different party combinations and make it more enjoyable to replay the game on harder difficulty levels. Once you have a good grasp of the system and the potential for the characters you can build, you will find that you are able to create a lot of interesting characters.

Combat is fun and flows well. The fan-favorite D&D system simulates dice rolls for spells and attacks. You will feel the progression of your character throughout the journey. There are many options for growth and upgrades. There are a variety of archetypes available for each class to keep it fresh and provide options that take advantage of the many playable races during character creation.

The game offers a powerful dungeon editor for those who want to create more imaginative activities. Although the tileset and theme options are limited, the ease of the controls makes creating dungeons for your characters much more enjoyable. You can find the right parts for your dungeon by looking at detailed tooltips on each selection. After a few hours of practice, you will be able to understand everything, from enemy encounters to room placement to creating your own skill checks. Even better, you can connect "floors" with exits and entrances to create multi-level experiences that are similar to the ones found in the main quest line. Then you can share them online for other players to enjoy. You can also create epic battlegrounds using the turn-based combat system.

Solasta's storyline and characters are engaging and enjoyable to interact with. The tutorial's party introductions and the mystery surrounding the shape-shifting, lizard-people who haunt the land give the story and pace an enjoyable feeling similar to a friendly tabletop game. The process of controlling your party is fluid and fun, without any pathing issues or quick dice rolls. You don't need to shift through menus in order to find secret doors, jump over obstacles, and open treasure chests. Solasta is a fun, smooth game with great story hooks and funny dialogue. However, it is not perfect.

The gameplay is responsive and smooth, but the presentation leaves much to be desired. This game feels like it was made in the Xbox 360 era, with its stretched textures and in-your face polygonal graphics. Cutscenes can also have some awkward quirks like characters crawling forward to get to their destination instead of standing straight up as they do during gameplay. These are funny at first but can distract from the story and take you out the moment. These elements can be especially irritating when cheeky dialogue is sloppy or awkwardly trails off. These issues are almost non-existent in combat and gameplay due to the top down perspective. It can be distressing to see how horrible it all looks when you enter cutscenes.

Solasta: Crown of the Magister, a tactical turn-based game that is fun and engaging, focuses on tight gameplay to connect the story. It's fun and easy to create characters. You will feel great satisfaction watching your team play and seeing how your decisions are made. Although the visuals are dated, the dialogue and story do a great job of creating the friendly atmosphere of a Dungeons and Dragons tabletop session. Easy to use and understand the dungeon editor gives you more replayability. This game is a great choice for those who want a more gameplay-oriented take on tactical turn-based RPGs.