Destination Sol

About

Destination Sol is a single player open world role playing game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by MovingBlocks and was released on February 5, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Pilot your ship in the seamless open world made of space, planets, and more. Find new ships and equipment, find allies and beat all the enemies in this open source space shooter! Destination Sol is a free-to-play hardcore space arcade/RPG. You start as a pilot of a small fighter ship on the edge of a star system, and you're free to explore the game world, land on planets, fight with enemies, upgr…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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78%

Audience ScoreBased on 959 reviews

gameplay34 positive mentions

story16 negative mentions

The game has a pleasant atmosphere and fun physics, making exploration enjoyable.
It's a free game that offers a decent amount of content for casual play, with potential for more in future updates.
The graphics are charming and the sound design enhances the overall experience.

The controls can be frustrating, as players can only move forward and must turn around to slow down, leading to awkward navigation.
The game lacks a clear objective or storyline, which can make it feel aimless after a short period of play.
There are technical issues, such as problems with fullscreen mode and occasional crashes, which detract from the experience.

gameplay
85 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
56%
4%
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of potential and shortcomings, with many players noting that while the mechanics can be fun and engaging, they often feel shallow or repetitive. Issues such as unpolished controls, lack of content, and unclear mechanics detract from the overall experience, though some appreciate the game's graphics and physics. Overall, the gameplay is seen as solid but in need of more depth and variety to fully realize its potential.
- “The gameplay reminds me somewhat of the (excellent) space pirates and zombies (s.p.a.z.) with its top down, drifty, combat.”
- “Great, seamless gameplay.”
- “The pros: I really enjoyed the gameplay, the different ships and weapons are very fun and very different.”
- “Gameplay would take some getting used to, but the graphical display issues prevented me from investing any time.”
- “The gameplay and in turn the game loop are shallow as a bowl of soup.”
- “Very unpolished, rather boring gameplay, not entertaining.”
story
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
68%
23%
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its absence, with many players expressing a desire for a more structured narrative, quests, and objectives to enhance engagement and provide direction. Reviewers note that the lack of a storyline leaves the gameplay feeling empty and aimless, despite the potential for exploration and upgrades. Overall, the consensus is that the game would benefit significantly from the addition of a basic plot or mission system to create a more fulfilling experience.
- “I wish it had something more along the lines of lore and characters — not really a storyline (or at least not one you'd have to follow); but I'm a very big fan of 'deep-feeling' games, where you feel like there is a huge world behind the screen that you just barely get to peek at.”
- “Destination Sol has all the mechanics it needs to become a great game, but it seems almost devoid of content at this point. I mean, it's tagged as an RPG but doesn't even have any quests.”
- “I love it - hope to see more content; also, it needs some sort of story and goal.”
- “There is no story, not a narrative one anyway.”
- “The game has no story to it.”
- “There is no story, no setting, no point of reference for any of what the game unceremoniously hucks you into the center of.”
graphics
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
50%
7%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the retro pixel art style and the pleasing aesthetic, particularly in the context of a free game. However, some users noted graphical issues, such as mismatched collision walls and UI problems, which detracted from the overall experience. While the visuals are generally considered adequate and engaging, there are calls for updates and improvements to enhance the graphical fidelity and user interface.
- “I love the top down view and the pixelated graphics.”
- “Graphics are nice, gravity is pretty well defined around planets, and gameplay is genuinely fun.”
- “The 2D style and hand-drawn feel to the graphics is very pleasing to the eye.”
- “Gameplay would take some getting used to, but the graphical display issues prevented me from investing any time.”
- “The graphics did not match up to the actual collision walls.”
- “Graphics 5/10: I can't give it a higher grade because it is 2D and it isn't anything special.”
music
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
59%
11%
The music aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising the ambient background music and soundtrack as enjoyable, especially for a free-to-play title. However, many users express disappointment over the lack of a consistent soundtrack and sound effects, suggesting that the game would benefit significantly from improved musical elements to enhance the overall experience. Overall, while some appreciate the existing music, a substantial number of players feel that the game is lacking in this area.
- “Very fun to play and the music is amazing for a free-to-play game!!”
- “I love pretty much everything about it; the music, the art style, and of course the gameplay.”
- “Ps: wonderful soundtrack.”
- “0/10 I like many aspects of this game like the general idea, the artwork, the soundtrack... but the controls are ridiculously broken.”
- “Oh, and did I mention that there is literally no music?”
- “There's no soundtrack (so far as I can tell), and no story to speak of.”
grinding
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
16%
79%
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is a mixed bag; while some players find it enjoyable and manageable, others describe it as tedious and repetitive. Many note that the early combat feels particularly grindy, requiring significant time investment to progress, which can lead to frustration. Overall, the game is seen as fun for those who enjoy farming mechanics, but it risks losing appeal due to its repetitive nature.
- “Not too grindy, in fact barely grindy.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “I played 10 minutes, decided it was too grindy, and gave up.”
- “After a while of grinding and shooting, then more grinding and more shooting, the game loses its appeal due to repetition.”
stability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
79%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant bugs, including UI issues, control problems, and game freezes that can crash their systems. While a few users noted that the game is generally playable and enjoyable, many reported frustrating glitches, such as getting stuck in the ground and screen flickering, which detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the game's stability appears to be inconsistent, with a notable divide between those who found it polished and those who encountered numerous technical issues.
- “It's a pretty good few hours, well done, not buggy.”
- “Not buggy, seems polished despite lack of content.”
- “It isn't buggy or anything.”
- “I've only played a few hours, but it's just boring, buggy, and frustrating in a lot of small ways.”
- “Good game but fix the glitch where you get stuck in the ground of planets; it's annoying when I have to lose so much money, ammo, repair kits, and charges just because the game glitches me into the ground.”
- “My mouse didn't show up on screen, no entities were showing in the game itself, and it freezes my computer.”
monetization
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The monetization aspect of the game is highly praised, with users appreciating its completely free model that lacks advertisements, microtransactions, and pay-to-win elements. Reviewers highlight the absence of in-game purchases, making it a refreshing experience compared to many mobile games that are often burdened with ads and monetization tactics. Overall, players feel that the game offers a genuine and straightforward gaming experience without financial strings attached.
- “Best free-to-play game on Steam; no in-game purchases, and just as simple as I am.”
- “This game is also good because it is free and has no microtransactions.”
- “No strings attached, no microtransactions, no pay-to-win nonsense... it's just a game, for free, forever!”
- “I find it sad what the mobile crowd/developers have done to the free game industry with tons of ads and microtransactions.”
- “I don't have much experience with free games, except for Android apps which are riddled with ads (which this is obviously not).”
- “No strings attached, no microtransactions, no pay-to-win b*llsh*t... it's just a game, for free, forever!”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
23%
33%
The game's atmosphere is described as pleasant and engaging, particularly during space and atmospheric combat, though some players find the transition between the two challenging due to gravity mechanics. While the sound design enhances the experience, there are criticisms regarding a lack of content and a natural feel during atmospheric flight, which can detract from the overall immersion.
- “A very nice game with a pleasant atmosphere and fun physics.”
- “It offers a neat transition between space and atmospheric combat — each with its differences — and quite some variety of spaceships and weapons.”
- “Especially the 'atmosphere flight' with the indicator points on the edge is a great idea.”
- “Flying on planets with an atmosphere is particularly annoying as you're constantly being forced downwards.”
- “They don't actually have gravity unless you're extremely close to them, and they're so small that your engines just propel you right out of their atmosphere and back into space, which is annoying when you're trying to take down other orbiting ships.”
- “However, fighting gravity with the need to periodically aim up into space to keep aloft in atmosphere doesn't feel natural, particularly when enemy ships circle the planet so much more gracefully.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
88%
38%
The humor in the game is described as short-lived but amusing, with players finding comedic moments in unexpected scenarios, such as AI ships crashing into suns and random encounters with challenging foes. Overall, while the humor may not sustain throughout, it provides entertaining moments that enhance the gameplay experience.
- “The AI is hilarious as I found some of the trade ships running right into the sun.”
- “Funny enough, the hardest ship I fought wasn't a listed boss ship or a boss in one of the outer mazes; it was some random ship in the middle of nowhere in the Sol system.”
- “I'm sure these issues would be addressed in time, yet it was still kind of funny to see.”
- “Not funny for a long time, I guess.”
- “The jokes fell flat and felt forced.”
- “I expected more laughs, but it was mostly cringeworthy.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Overall, the game has limited replayability due to a lack of engaging storylines, diverse missions, and progression systems. While players find it enjoyable and worth trying, the absence of additional content or challenges means that once the main objectives are completed, there isn't much incentive to return. However, its free nature adds to its appeal despite these shortcomings.
- “Pretty fun, wish some of the other ships were playable without modding the game.”
- “Not a whole lot of replay value, but who cares, it's free and it's fun.”
- “Not a lot of replay value, and it doesn't take that long to explore the two star systems and get a maxed out ship, but it's definitely worth a play.”
- “Got the best ship, best armor and shield, and some decent weaponry in one real-life day (not sure how long in-game, played offline). There's no real replayability due to a lack of plot, exploration, skill tree, or anything else that could enhance the experience.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The optimization of the game is generally seen as needing improvement, particularly in enhancing performance aspects such as flight dynamics, acceleration, and durability. Players express a desire for more content, including additional galaxies, ships, planets, and weapons, to enrich the overall experience.
- “The flight performance is impressive, with excellent acceleration, top speed, and durability even in proximity to the sun.”
- “A really fun game that can and should be optimized with more content, like whole galaxies to explore, more ships, planets, and weapons.”
- “The flight performance is severely lacking, with poor acceleration and a frustratingly low top speed.”
- “The game's optimization for flight mechanics is disappointing, especially when it comes to durability in proximity to the sun.”
- “I encountered numerous issues with performance, particularly in terms of how the game handles crashes and overall flight tolerance.”