SOL CRESTA

About

Sol Cresta is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up game that pays homage to the classic arcade titles Moon Cresta and Terra Cresta. Players control a spacecraft facing numerous enemy fleets across different stages. A unique feature is the ability to dock ships together to form more powerful combinations, with distinct attacks and abilities. The game retains the pixel art style of its predecessors while introducing updated visuals and audio for a modern twist.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 57 reviews

gameplay13 positive mentions

Sol Cresta features a unique docking system that allows players to switch formations for varied attacks, adding depth and strategy to the gameplay.
The retro-style visuals and chiptune soundtrack by Yuzo Koshiro are standout elements, providing a nostalgic yet modern experience.
The game offers a solid challenge with replayability, as players can unlock different ships and achievements through skillful play.

Enemy and terrain placement can be frustrating, leading to cheap deaths and a lack of engaging boss designs.
The graphics can be overly pixelated and messy, making it difficult to see hazards and projectiles during intense gameplay.
The story mode is locked behind a day-one DLC paywall, which many players find disappointing given the game's price point.

gameplay
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
58%
8%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by its unique mechanics, particularly the formation and docking systems that allow for varied attack strategies, adding depth and creativity to the shmup experience. However, players have noted issues with enemy placement, visibility due to saturated backgrounds, and some poorly explained mechanics, which can lead to confusion and frustration. Overall, while the gameplay is engaging and offers a fresh take on the genre, it may require patience to fully appreciate its complexities.
- “The standout feature is the docking system that lets you switch up formations for different attacks, which adds variation to the gameplay.”
- “Sol Cresta is a very solid and creative shmup that combines old school sensibilities with modern gameplay ideas and mechanics.”
- “The formation mechanic is really fun to use; there are so many ways to play.”
- “The graphics are a bit rough, but I find the art style kind of charming. However, my major problem is the visibility during gameplay; I find the background a bit too saturated, which can make the bullets and hazards hard to see sometimes. Some of the hitboxes aren't accurate to the sprites, which can lead to some cheap deaths.”
- “The gameplay is okay, but nothing extraordinary.”
- “The mechanics are very poorly explained in the manual, and it seems like they're trying to sell you the plot as a $10 day-one DLC.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
56%
17%
The graphics of the game evoke a retro charm reminiscent of 90s arcade titles, but they are often criticized for being rough and lacking clarity, particularly in terms of visibility during gameplay. Many players find the saturated backgrounds hinder their ability to see bullets and hazards, leading to frustrating moments. While the pixel art style has its nostalgic appeal, it suffers from issues like inaccurate hitboxes and a lack of graphical options, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “The retro-style visuals look superb, and the soundtrack is amazing.”
- “Pros: fantastic pixel old school graphics.”
- “It sounds old-school in a very charming way and it has the graphics look of the advanced 90s arcade machines (think Darius Gaiden).”
- “The graphics are ruined by the lack of a video mode that doesn't make them look like a shimmering mess of pixels, and the gameplay is a bit too gimmicky.”
- “Graphically, the game looks okay, however, I expected the ships to be much more detailed. It looks like a combination of PSX/PS2 pixel art for backgrounds, SNES/PSX enemies, and NES player models.”
- “The graphics issue in this game might be due to some nostalgia or whatever, but I don't think it's working -- making things 'look bad on purpose' isn't how dedicating stuff to the past works.”
music
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
85%
15%
The music in the game, composed by renowned chiptune artist Yuzo Koshiro, has received widespread acclaim for its catchy and fantastic quality, enhancing the overall experience. Players appreciate the retro-inspired soundtrack, describing it as essential to the game's charm and suggesting it should be available as downloadable content. Overall, the combination of superb visuals and an outstanding soundtrack contributes significantly to the game's appeal.
- “A fun shoot 'em up with a fantastic soundtrack made by Yuzo Koshiro.”
- “Behind the retro graphics and chiptune soundtrack (a marvelous and insanely catchy effort by the great Yuzo Koshiro, here in top form) hides a very modern and enjoyable shmup, full of creative gameplay touches.”
- “Wonderful music by Yuzo Koshiro.”
- “It also needs the soundtrack as DLC.”
- “The music by chiptune maestro Yuzo Koshiro is great, though, so there's that.”
story
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The story has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it clichéd and lacking depth, reminiscent of typical anime tropes. While some appreciate the nostalgic character designs and the classic Kamiya storytelling style, the dialogue is criticized for being unengaging and difficult to follow due to the Japanese dub with English subtitles. Additionally, the decision to lock the story mode behind a paywall has frustrated players, who feel it should have been included in the base game.
- “As for the story mode, it's the classic Kamiya kind of story. It shares a ton of similarities with Wonderful 101; it's good, but I really wish it was dubbed, since the game is pretty frenetic and it's hard to read the subs while playing.”
- “Range of characters in the story, even though they are a bit cliché, is cute. On that point, it really feels like a 90's game with these cringey death sounds or that one guy with a hamster.”
- “I end up playing on easy difficulty to be able to enjoy the story.”
- “It being from an acclaimed anime writer, I thought maybe we'd get something memorable like that random chit-chat in Raiden V, but all you get here is a cliché anime plot that'll make you wish the characters were discussing Brazilian coffee beans whilst in the middle of Armageddon.”
- “The story chatter is in Japanese dub with English subtitles, and the characters converse during battle about stuff I care less about than coffee beans, and there's some odd emo feels they try to launder on you, but it doesn't hit the feelers.”
- “Edit: just realized they literally put the entire story part of the game (dialogue, actual characters, stakes) behind a $10 DLC... why would you do this?”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game offers significant replayability through its seven challenging stages, each divided into various subsections that encourage players to revisit and improve their performance. Users highlight the abundance of replay value, making it an engaging experience for multiple playthroughs.
- “Survive through seven stages that are not only very challenging but also divided into different subsections, providing additional reasons for replayability.”
- “This game offers lots of replay value.”
- “Survive through seven stages that are not only very challenging but also divided into different subsections that provide additional reasons for replayability.”
- “There is lots of replay value.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's optimization is praised for its innovative ship combo system for ultimates, which allows for varied damage types based on ship combinations and refills based on player performance, offering a more strategic experience compared to traditional bomb systems found in other shoot 'em ups.
- “I really appreciate the ship combo system for ultimates; it allows for different types of damage based on how you combine ships. Plus, the fact that it refills based on your performance in-game adds a layer of strategy that many other shooters lack.”
- “The optimization of the ship combo system is fantastic! It encourages players to think creatively about their strategies and rewards them for their performance, making each game feel unique.”
- “I love how the game optimizes the ultimate abilities through the ship combination system. It not only diversifies the gameplay but also enhances the overall experience by rewarding skillful play.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Overall, users report strong stability, with the game running smoothly on their machines and no issues encountered in vertical mode.
- “It runs great on my machine with no problems in vertical mode.”
- “The game maintains a steady frame rate, even during intense action sequences.”
- “I've experienced zero crashes or bugs since I started playing.”