Solareth

About

Solareth is a single player action game. It was developed by SmoGames Studio and was released on November 27, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Solareth is a single-player casual top-down arena shooter set in an immersive space battleground, featuring intense waves of increasingly challenging enemies. With over eight diverse weapons and a fantastic atmosphere, the game demands quick reflexes, sharp tactics, and offers a highly replayable experience despite some bugs and heavy grinding. Its intriguing story, amazing mechanics, and good music enhance the thrilling, blood-soaked action.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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85%

Audience ScoreBased on 990 reviews

story123 positive mentions

grinding32 negative mentions

Good graphics and sound design that captures the atmosphere of the Alien franchise.
Engaging gameplay that combines tower defense mechanics with active combat, allowing players to participate directly in battles.
Variety of weapons, skills, and enemies, providing a unique experience with each playthrough.

Repetitive gameplay loop that can become tedious over time, especially with similar mission objectives.
Bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including issues with AI behavior and mission progression.
Limited character and story development, with some plot points feeling rushed or underexplored.

story
501 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
69%
6%
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its engaging and rewarding narrative that unfolds through character interactions and exploration. However, some critiques highlight issues with pacing, character development, and a tendency for the plot to feel rushed or predictable, particularly towards the end. Overall, while the story is considered decent and serves as a backdrop for gameplay, it lacks depth and could benefit from further development and polish.
- “The story had me guessing the whole time and I absolutely loved it.”
- “It's a truly rewarding story-rich game from the very first minutes you step into it.”
- “What I love about the storyline is that you've got all these different characters who you can befriend and the more you converse with them, the more they reveal about themselves, also providing occasional tips and insights into the world.”
- “The story is a little cheesy, in my opinion, but it's still fun.”
- “The story makes little sense gameplay-wise: why losing your alien core means defeat I don't know -- the lore says nothing why another core can't land in the same location in a matter of minutes or hours.”
- “The characters are uninteresting and flat, the quests are repetitive and just boil down to 'go here and kill the pirates, now go there and kill the pirates' and side quests are an afterthought.”
gameplay
332 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
57%
5%
The gameplay across various reviews is generally praised for its engaging mechanics, variety of weapons, and addictive loops, with many players highlighting the balance between challenge and fun. While some noted minor bugs and repetitive elements, the overall experience is described as smooth and enjoyable, with a strong emphasis on co-op mechanics and character progression. However, a few critiques mention a lack of depth in certain gameplay aspects and the occasional frustration with controls or pacing, suggesting that while the gameplay is solid, there is room for improvement.
- “The weapon variety, co-op mechanics, boss design, game balance, (almost) everything about this game feels just right.”
- “Gameplay loop is fun, the randomness keeps the game fresh every time.”
- “The gameplay is so slick I could probably play it forever.”
- “The quest gameplay is... kind of sad.”
- “Gameplay is fine, although a bit repetitive.”
- “The gameplay is not terribly deep, and about twice as long as it should be given basic mechanics do not change much past the second hour.”
graphics
146 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
35%
5%
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their beautiful art style, vibrant colors, and impressive animations, particularly in the pixel art and top-down perspectives. Many reviewers noted the game's ability to create a captivating atmosphere, with detailed environments and special effects that enhance the overall experience. While some players mentioned minor issues with character visibility and occasional graphical bugs, the consensus is that the visuals are a standout feature, making the game visually appealing and immersive.
- “The graphics absolutely nail the atmosphere and environments.”
- “The artwork, dialogue, environments, music, and every other aspect of the game is perfected; this is a game made by people who play games.”
- “The graphics and lighting look great, as well as all the sound effects.”
- “One disappointment is that Intel Iris Xe graphics has major issues after the horde mode update.”
- “I bought the game for a friend, and what should have been playable is now a mess on Intel Iris Xe graphics.”
- “The only real thing this game has going for it is the in-game (not your avatars) graphics and physics.”
music
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
48%
12%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its quality and ability to enhance the gameplay experience, particularly highlighting the work of composer Darren Korb. However, some players note a lack of variety and repetition in the soundtrack, with certain moments in the game feeling devoid of fitting music, which detracts from immersion. Overall, while the music is generally well-received, it may not leave a lasting impression for all players.
- “The beautifully pixilated skies and the soundtrack make sailing the skies truly marvelous.”
- “The soundtrack is solid and complements the gameplay pacing well, and the voice acting, while not at Mass Effect levels, is very good.”
- “Shout out particularly to Darren Korb's OST - this and Transistor are easily in my top 5 OSTs.”
- “Tho the music and sounds are hot garbage.”
- “The few music tracks are mediocre, and long stretches of the game have no background music at all.”
- “The background music in the game didn't feel fitting at times.”
replayability
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
50%
10%
Overall, the game exhibits a high level of replayability, particularly praised for its challenging gameplay, various difficulty settings, and the ability to carry over upgrades. While many players find the endless modes and diverse character options addictive, some note that the lack of procedural generation and additional content can limit replay value. Despite these concerns, the game remains a favorite for its engaging mechanics and replay incentives, making it a worthwhile addition to any library.
- “The endless replayability makes this my favorite rogue-like game of all time.”
- “Infinite replayability, excellent game design, and difficulty scaling that actually adds new enemies with varied attack mechanics instead of just ramping up HP and attack all make for a combination that is addictive and makes you want to play just one more round.”
- “There is a high replayability since we are highly motivated in gaining better weapons and classes for taking the challenge on a higher difficulty level, which has been lots of fun so far.”
- “The game has some replayability with the 'new game+' mode that lets you use all your surviving marines from the first playthrough, but the missions are not randomly generated and will be the same as before.”
- “The downsides I would say are: a few glitches that may make you restart the level; replay value would be much higher if there were extra levels or added content to make your own levels.”
- “Replayability: poor; little to no incentive for replay, limited content.”
atmosphere
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
35%
8%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and tense qualities, effectively capturing the essence of the Alien universe through detailed graphics, sound design, and environmental storytelling. Players appreciate the blend of adventure and survival horror elements, which create a compelling sense of paranoia and urgency, especially during dark, claustrophobic encounters. Overall, the atmosphere enhances the gameplay experience, making it both engaging and true to its source material.
- “Boy was I surprised, they absolutely nailed the atmosphere in this game. The immersion in your squad slowly advancing through these huge maze-like Weyland-Yutani structures, watching all the blips on the motion tracker closing in is completely unmatched.”
- “Boy was I surprised, they absolutely nailed the atmosphere in this game, the immersion in your squad slowly advancing through these huge maze-like Weyland-Yutani structures, watching all the blips on the motion tracker closing in is completely unmatched.”
- “The game hits the atmosphere of an Aliens experience in that it's definitely got a good bit of survival horror in its bones.”
- “The maps are huge and detailed and faithful to the source material - the game oozes the atmosphere at every step - from start to finish and never lets go - this is absolutely great.”
grinding
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
3%
89%
Overall, players have mixed feelings about the grinding aspect of the game. While some find the grind necessary for progression and completion, others feel it becomes tedious, especially when aiming for the "true ending" or completing optional challenges. However, many appreciate that the game offers enough resources through normal gameplay to minimize grinding, making it less of a chore and more engaging, despite some repetitive elements and minor balance issues.
- “The grind for 100% was surprisingly decent and not tedious at all, which in my book is a good thing.”
- “Achievements are fairly easy to get with natural gameplay, with only a couple requiring grinding (the ones I didn't get). I would love to see a sequel with more funding/dev time.”
- “The gameplay is great, the progression pace is nice, no grinding so far, the art style is fun and not resource intensive.”
- “The presentation and gameplay are well done, it just feels like a slog to play each grindy run.”
- “My only complaint is that having to beat the game like 10 times to get the 'true' ending was pretty grindy.”
- “Island hopping can get a bit repetitive after a while, and in the release version you're stuck clearing islands, going back to base to upgrade, and repeat with little else.”
stability
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
83%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with players reporting a range of glitches and bugs, including unresponsive buttons, visual hiccups, and game-breaking issues that can disrupt gameplay. While some users noted that the game runs well on platforms like the Steam Deck and praised its overall quality, others found certain bugs infuriating, particularly in late-game scenarios. Overall, while the game is enjoyable, its stability issues can detract from the experience, especially during longer sessions.
- “Runs great on Steam Deck.”
- “It runs great and the gameplay is really nice.”
- “It's not buggy and it doesn't have broken mechanics.”
- “They're everywhere — unresponsive buttons, invisible walls, enemies shooting through cover, glitches after reloading, countless visual hiccups.”
- “There's plenty of them to go around and they're not just minor glitches, they're game-breaking bugs.”
- “The game takes a long time to launch for some reason; sometimes you get the tower bug, it just glitches there and you can't do anything to it; even alt-tabbing out sometimes can cause your screen to freeze.”
optimization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
58%
21%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with players reporting significant performance issues, particularly during extended play sessions and in the final mission, where stuttering and bugs are prevalent. While there are options for toggling graphics settings and modes, many users find the overall performance unacceptable, citing long load times, unskippable animations, and a lack of quality-of-life features that hinder gameplay. Additionally, the stress system and combat mechanics can negatively impact performance, further complicating the experience.
- “You can toggle first person mode, enable fidelity upscaling, and choose between DirectX 11 or Vulkan for better performance.”
- “The game features interesting resource challenges and soldier classes with unique twists, but the save system lacks quality of life features and the map view cannot pause the game, which is a design flaw.”
- “Your enemies also understand that the X-Morph fighter is a crucial component to your performance, and throughout the campaign, they will deploy increasingly anti-air-capable units to challenge your air supremacy.”
- “The final mission is so big, the game just starts stuttering towards the end, before the actual final 'mission' that is so bugged, that it's basically a walking sim where your squad of hardened marines gets replaced by invincible idiots who haven't fired a shot during the entire campaign, before you're being chased and the enemy AI literally breaking apart.”
- “However, there are Steam Deck performance issues, unnecessary unskippable animation sequences (every time you rescue an island, of which there are like... 20ish? you have to sit through and watch some fireworks explode. It gets old.), and gear modding requires too many steps.”
- “There's some kind of performance problems where the longer the game is running, the worse the performance gets.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its quirky weapons, vibrant character personalities, and witty dialogue, particularly between the protagonist and other characters, which consistently elicits laughter. Players appreciate the unexpected lightheartedness amidst a serious narrative, with amusing interactions and scenarios, such as xenomorphs humorously attempting to abduct soldiers. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with its gameplay and story, making it enjoyable and engaging.
- “The characters all have unique and vibrant personalities, and the amount of funny dialogue between Zagreus and the other characters (including the narrator) always made me chuckle.”
- “I wasn't expecting a game about the layers of hell in Greek mythology where you play as the prince of the underworld to be very lighthearted and funny, while still having major emotional impacts land.”
- “Funny campaign and dialogues; endless modes; ranking list. The bad: I still don't know how the medal system works, haha!”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
Players find the emotional depth of the game surprising, especially given its lighthearted tone amidst themes of Greek mythology and the underworld. While some appreciate the impactful emotional moments, others feel that technical issues and oversimplified gameplay detract from the overall experience. The soundtrack is noted for its emotional resonance, though it lacks variety.
- “I wasn't expecting a game about the layers of hell in Greek mythology, where you play as the prince of the underworld, to be very lighthearted and funny, while still having major emotional impacts.”
- “It was properly done for emotional moments, but I can only recall two or three distinct tracks including that one.”
- “Just another plain old shooter with a boring storyline that was great but then got ruined. The ship upgrades were great, the combat was good, but they oversimplified it.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
While the gameplay, story, music, and character designs are praised, many users feel that character development is the weakest aspect of the game, lacking depth and progression.
- “I feel the weakest part of the story is not the plot itself, but the character development.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for being exploitative, with accusations of plagiarism and asset flipping, as well as a lack of proper credit to original creators. Reviewers suggest that the rapid release of low-quality content and fake reviews indicates a cash grab mentality, undermining the game's potential for genuine improvement and player engagement.
- “The developers here didn't credit any of the artists and real, actual game developers who created the assets, so this is plagiarism as well as a cash grab.”
- “They're all written in either Russian, broken English, or AI-generated text, appear almost exactly at the same time shortly after the game launched on Steam, and the accounts are consistently used to write fake reviews for asset flips and other cash grabs.”
- “...it sounds to me more like a cash grab and a jump to another project.”