Solace Crafting
- August 1, 2022
- Big Kitty Games
- 10h median play time
Get on Steam"Solace Crafting" is a laid-back open-world RPG that allows infinite exploration in all directions, with increasing difficulty for monsters and resources the further you travel. Build your own base with crafting and refining facilities to create proper equipment and fast travel networks, while using resource scanners to locate rare materials. With no set classes, create your own unique character and set off on your adventure.
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- Unique crafting and leveling system that encourages exploration and progression.
- Active developer who is responsive to community feedback and regularly updates the game.
- Fun gameplay loop with the ability to build towns and manage NPCs.
- Graphics and animations are outdated and need significant improvement.
- User interface is clunky and not intuitive, making it difficult to navigate and understand mechanics.
- Combat feels unpolished and lacks impact, leading to a repetitive experience.
- graphics240 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have been widely criticized for being outdated, often compared to titles from the late 90s or early 2000s, with low polygon counts, poor textures, and clunky animations. While some players appreciate the nostalgic charm and the game's mechanics, many agree that the visuals detract from the overall experience, with performance issues persisting even on high-end systems. Despite these shortcomings, there is hope for future improvements as the developer has indicated plans to enhance the graphics and user interface.
“Graphically wise, the scenery is stunning, amazing sunsets, though the character animation looks a bit awkward.”
“The graphics are not modern, but this doesn't detract from the core game mechanics and loops which are superbly done and will keep you entertained for hours as you explore, fight, mine, and chop your way through the game.”
“The graphics look a bit old school, and the UI is a nonstandard custom job.”
“Everquest 1 graphics but 20 years late and with a ridiculously small fraction of the content.”
“Very low poly, bad textures, ugly shaders graphics.”
“The graphics are awful, and if everything else was fun I could get past that.”
- gameplay174 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the town and crafting mechanics while others criticize the clunky controls and repetitive gameplay loop. Many find the mechanics interesting but convoluted, leading to frustration, especially with keyboard and mouse interactions. Overall, while there are promising elements and potential for improvement, the current state of gameplay is marred by bugs and a lack of polish, making it a challenging experience for many players.
“The gameplay itself more than makes up for any issues I have graphically, but it could use a little more refinement in the procedural generation algorithms, like minutely more predictability.”
“While the gameplay loop is simple (mine stuff, craft gear, kill stuff, move on to next tier), it's still fun for a good few hours.”
“This game has some great mechanics in it as far as crafting, building, and exploration go.”
“The mechanics of the game really hold this game back.”
“The movement mechanics were so convoluted and complicated I could not even get into the game.”
“It came out of early access unfinished, full of bugs—game-breaking bugs, and the gameplay system/play-loop was not fleshed out.”
- grinding98 mentions
- 1 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 98 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, particularly in resource gathering and crafting. While some appreciate the nostalgic grind reminiscent of early MMOs, others feel that the lack of meaningful rewards diminishes the experience, making it feel pointless. However, a few players enjoy the grind when playing with friends and believe that the game has potential if future updates enhance the combat and content variety.
“Relaxing, gives me classic WoW vibes but not grindy and stuff.”
“There is just not enough there except grinding out the same materials in infinite tier levels the farther you go from your home base.”
“The problem is that you progress up a tier before you get anything worthy for grinding and then using.”
“Combat is clunky, harvesting is beyond tedious, graphics are a mix of garbage & beauty, crafting is repetitive, and the skill tree is only partially complete.”
- story86 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely criticized for being nonexistent or poorly developed, with many players noting a lack of quests, lore, and a cohesive narrative. While some appreciate the freedom of an open-world experience, others feel that the absence of a compelling storyline detracts from the overall enjoyment, leaving the gameplay feeling aimless and repetitive. Future updates are anticipated to introduce more structured quests and narrative elements, but currently, the game is seen as lacking depth in its storytelling.
“Looking for a game with an immersive, never-ending story?”
“Thanks to lots of excellent dialogue and voice acting, there is some emotional payoff along the way, but it’s mixed in with too much padding in the form of meaningless fetch quests and collectathons.”
“Depending on your decisions in the Witcher 2 (which can be handily recreated via some dialogue early in the game), you’ll see lots of familiar faces returning to play a role in Geralt’s search, and once they have, they offer you a secondary line of quests that typically provide far more interesting scenarios to dabble in.”
“The story, if one exists, was 100% missing in my mind.”
“There is no handcrafted map or story to string you along, for better or for worse.”
“I have yet to discover any lore or story to the game, nor do I have much motivation to keep trying.”
- stability42 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 86 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with many users reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and performance issues that significantly detract from the experience. While some players acknowledge that the game is improving and has potential, the overall consensus is that it remains too unstable and janky for enjoyable gameplay, especially in its current early access state. Frequent crashes, resolution changes, and multiplayer difficulties further exacerbate the frustrations, leading many to recommend waiting for more updates before diving in.
“As of late August 2022, the game is explicitly incomplete but fairly bug-free and already very enjoyable, particularly on the crafting and general attribute and skills progression aspects.”
“Subnautica is a great example and runs great on Unity.”
“The game is fairly bug-free and already very enjoyable, particularly on the crafting and general attribute and skills progression aspects.”
“This game is buggy as hell; I don't know why this was fully released instead of keeping it in early access; might as well keep it in alpha access.”
“It changes my PC resolution, it removes my desktop background, it crashes my entire PC, it freezes my entire PC.”
“Has some potential, but too buggy and unplayable (even considering early access) to really play.”
- optimization42 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting poor performance even on high-end systems and the lowest graphic settings, leading to frequent stuttering and low frame rates. Many users note that the graphics are outdated and lack polish, contributing to the overall performance issues. While some believe that with continued developer support and optimization efforts, the game could improve significantly, the current state is seen as far from satisfactory.
“I think some tweaking of the graphics engine, optimization, and further work in the crafting/UI will make this game a banger!”
“The developer appears to be actively working to correct issues and improve performance and content.”
“Most of the serious performance issues are gone; the build system is good and has the possibility of becoming an automation game.”
“Last but not least, the optimization for this game is nonexistent and even on my high-end PC, this game just runs horribly at all times with 60 fps or less. That should not be happening with how absolutely basic the graphics are at the moment; the only solid thing holding this title up is the fact that the core game concept is great.”
“Very raw game. I know only one guy is developing it, but the graphics are on par with something from 1999 (textures are pretty bad). The UI is extremely bland with no details (gray boxes mostly), and performance isn't very good considering the lack of detail (i7 10th gen, RTX).”
“The basic game seems stable enough, but this early it is not optimized at all, so it does tend to gobble up resources it really doesn't need.”
- music22 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as minimal and often lacking, with many users noting the absence of ambient sounds. However, the few pieces that are present are appreciated for their relaxing and peaceful qualities, making them enjoyable for exploration and crafting. Overall, while the soundtrack is considered barebones, it can still enhance the gaming experience for some players.
“It's fun for me solely because it's nice to just kick back, listen to some chill music, and just run around and explore or build my town.”
“The soundtrack, although consisting of only 2 or 3 pieces, really hits the spot as it's relaxing and peaceful (I wouldn't really want some upbeat battle music every time I attack an enemy).”
“Solace crafting is also very pleasing aesthetically (I enjoy just running around sometimes, checking out the scenery, and taking/uploading screenshots), without burning up my CPU or GPU, and the background music, which I have looped, is a joy to listen to no matter what I'm doing in the game (kudos to Pixel Noise).”
“The sound design is bad and the ambient music is almost non-existent.”
“The music is bad too.”
“Music is barebones and often missing.”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its amusingly unfinished state, with players finding entertainment in unexpected bugs and quirky character creation options. The randomness of encounters, such as a spider poking at the player followed by a rock monster's entrance, adds to the comedic experience, making it a source of unintentional hilarity. Overall, while the game has its flaws, these elements contribute to a lighthearted and funny atmosphere.
“The random button has some hilarious results, by the way.”
“The character creation options are very nice; the developer spent some time here and you can create some funny looking characters as well.”
“(I say it funny because I'm not really 100% sure how to say it, but none of the damage numbers were single digits, which told me something was happening, but I didn't know what.) I walked around to realize a spider was poking at my feet, and immediately after killing said spider, a rock monster came from behind me to say hello haha!”
- character development8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The character development system is praised for its flexibility and variety, offering players numerous options for customization. It integrates well with the crafting and exploration elements, creating a cohesive experience that enhances both character growth and gameplay. Overall, the freeform approach to character development is highlighted as a standout feature.
“Good options for character development.”
“It provides a cool and interesting resource and crafting system and a very flexible character development system.”
“Freeform character development.”
- monetization6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The monetization model of the game is praised for its integrity, as it avoids microtransactions, time gating, and filler content, indicating a focus on community and gameplay rather than profit maximization. Reviewers appreciate the developer's commitment to creating a quality experience without resorting to cash grab tactics commonly seen in the industry.
“While we are in the habit of being hyper-critical of what we think should be changed or improved, it's important to consider that this game has been made at a time where some of the most powerful and well-funded studios are creating cash grabs that flop because they are only seeking to maximize profit.”
“I don't think we will see a case of abandonware here; I think the developer is here for the game and the community and less so for the cash grab.”
“That means no microtransactions, no time gating, no filler.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers impressive replayability due to its procedurally generated and limitless maps, providing a fresh experience with each playthrough. Despite being in early access, players find it surprisingly playable and engaging.
“Procedurally generated and limitless maps give this incredible replayability.”
“Procedurally generated and limitless maps give this incredible replayability.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by strong dialogue and voice acting that provide meaningful moments, though these are often overshadowed by excessive padding from fetch quests and collectathons. Additionally, the temporary nature of gear fosters a deeper emotional connection, encouraging players to consider their attachments rather than simply focusing on numerical upgrades.
“Thanks to lots of excellent dialogue and voice acting, there is some emotional payoff along the way.”
“This also solves the problem of not caring about gear since it's all 'temporary'; it allows the player to gain an emotional attachment to their gear and actually think twice before replacing it instead of just focusing on the 'big number'.”
