Solar Shifter EX
- September 11, 2015
- Elder Games
This vertical scrolling shoot’em up adds a number of modern refinements to the genre’s common conventions; that said your personal enjoyment of the game might depend more on your opinion of the genre as a whole.
Get on Steam"Solar Shifter EX" is a sci-fi shoot 'em up game where you pilot the Phase Shifter, a ship equipped with a unique jump drive that allows you to warp out of dangerous situations. The game features intense combat against numerous enemies in space and on distant planet surfaces. The story revolves around mankind's fight for survival against a powerful alien race, after they have defeated us and are about to destroy the sun that gives life to our solar system.
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Reviews
- The game features decent graphics and a unique shifting mechanic that adds a different twist to the gameplay.
- It offers a good amount of action and special effects, making it visually appealing.
- Some players find it enjoyable and challenging, especially for those who appreciate old-school shoot 'em ups.
- The gameplay is often criticized for being repetitive, with little variation in enemy patterns and a lack of real skill required to succeed.
- Technical issues such as janky collisions, poor camera angles, and unresponsive controls detract from the overall experience.
- Many players report a lack of engagement, with a significant percentage uninstalling the game shortly after starting.
- gameplay28 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a unique 'shifting' mechanic that adds an interesting twist, but it suffers from poor execution, including janky collisions, buggy mechanics, and a lack of engaging features like leaderboards or replay value. While some players appreciate the fast-paced nature, many find the overall experience boring and frustrating due to issues with controls, camera angles, and sound. Overall, the game fails to deliver a satisfying gameplay experience, leaving it feeling outdated and lacking depth.
“- unique basic gameplay of 'shifting'”
“- fast-paced gameplay”
“- 'shifting' mechanics adds a very unique twist”
“This is an old and dead genre, and while some professional production quality went into making this, it still ends up having less than average quality gameplay, with some rather janky collisions and what ultimately is a less than enjoyable look and feel.”
“The idea and some game element implementation is quite good, however the gameplay itself is horrible.”
“Sound doesn't work, gameplay is boring, camera animation is just simply bad and the developer clearly doesn't know what makes a shoot 'em up game good.”
- graphics23 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as decent to good, with some users appreciating the colorful visuals and old-school art style. However, there are notable issues such as graphical bugs and limitations on detail settings, which detract from the overall experience. While not groundbreaking, the visuals are considered a highlight for some players, especially when the game is on sale.
“Art style and graphics are nice.”
“Graphics are pretty good, not a bad price regularly, but definitely worth taking a look if on sale.”
“- nice and colorful visuals”
“While this is on PC, it has all the hallmarks and deficiencies of a console game, from the clunkier than needed control scheme to the less than cutting edge graphics.”
“- Graphical bugs, cannot set detail level higher than 'high', else massive texture bugs/flickering (used newest drivers on Radeon 290x and other components).”
“The graphics aren't going to blow anyone away but it's meant to have old-school vibes and it does in my opinion and does a decent job of being challenging but doable and fun as well.”
- music8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is frequently praised for being rich, satisfying, and moody, often highlighted as one of its standout features alongside the visuals. While the overall gameplay and storyline receive mixed reviews, the soundtrack consistently garners positive feedback.
“Music is also surprisingly rich and satisfying.”
“Good, moody music.”
“The only good thing about this game is the visuals (in static) and the music.”
“Not a bad game, okay storyline, okay voiceovers, okay soundtracks.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game lacks replayability due to the absence of leaderboards, scoring mechanics, and significant challenges, as it offers generous checkpoints that diminish the incentive to replay. Players seeking a polished shoot 'em up experience with replay value may be disappointed.
“There's no replayability or challenge since there's no scoring and the game is generous with checkpoints.”
“No leaderboards, no score mechanic, really nothing, and never a drop of replay value.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is criticized for significant frame drops and stuttering in certain levels, rendering it nearly unplayable even on high-end hardware. Despite maintaining a generally high framerate, issues with small enemy ships' movement further highlight the optimization problems.
“In some levels, there are massive frame drops and strong stuttering for no reason, making the game nearly unplayable. I have a 2500K @ 4.5 GHz, 16 GB of RAM, and a Radeon 290X, which is kind of overpowered for this one.”
“Small enemy ships move with a weird stuttering, despite the fact that the game runs somewhat consistently with a high framerate.”
- story4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The story is generally perceived as silly and lacking depth, with many users finding it to be superfluous. While the game itself is considered enjoyable, the storyline, voiceovers, and soundtracks are described as merely acceptable.
“The story is super stupid and silly.”
“Not a bad game, but the storyline is just okay.”
“The voiceovers and soundtracks are also just okay.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been criticized for being buggy and inconsistent, with users noting that the upgrade mechanic feels overly simplistic and somewhat nonsensical. Overall, while there are positive aspects, the frequent bugs detract from the overall experience.
“So far this is good; however, it is quite buggy.”
“Senseless, buggy, weird, and ultra-simple upgrade mechanic.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unenjoyable, largely due to its generic design and technical issues that detract from the overall experience.
“The grinding in this game feels endless and monotonous, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I found the repetitive nature of the grinding to be a major turn-off; it just feels like a chore.”
“The grind is so tedious that it overshadows any enjoyment I might have had from the gameplay.”
Critic Reviews
Solar Shifter EX Review
While the Xbox 360 became known for being a great shoot ‘em up machine, especially in Japan where it was pretty much the only reason people bought one, the Xbox One is particularly lacking in this genre so far (which explains the complete lack of interest in Japan too!). So seeing Solar Shifter EX arrive on the console is particularly welcome news – well, it is if Headup Games’ title lives up to the initial promise it offers.
40%Solar Shifter EX (Xbox One) Review
This vertical scrolling shoot’em up adds a number of modern refinements to the genre’s common conventions; that said your personal enjoyment of the game might depend more on your opinion of the genre as a whole.
80%Solar Shifter EX Review
Solar Shifter EX is a fun and dynamic shoot 'em up that embodies the genre and adds a little something unique. It's a well thought out romp with plenty of great moments, but it just misses out on greatness. No doubt this is an amazing effort from a one-man team and it will provide fans with plenty of challenge.
60%
