Solarix

46%
Game Brain Score Based on 241 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • atmosphere
Solarix Game Cover
All the horror sci-fi game tropes are accounted for, the good and the bad. Solarix is for fans of the genre who wish to ride with the wheel they are used to rather than see it reinvented.
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"Solarix is a single-player horror shooter game with a unique atmosphere, good story, and graphics, but has bugs. As an electrical engineer, you must fight for your life after an infection wipes out a research station and battle both the remnants of the crew and your own fracturing mind. The game features 12 chapters, a variety of weapons and hacking tools, and provides psychological depth to the survival horror experience."

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

46%
Audience ScoreBased on 241 reviews
story50 positive mentions
gameplay14 negative mentions
  • The game has a creepy atmosphere that keeps players on edge, enhancing the overall experience.
  • The voice acting and character backstories are well-developed, adding depth to the narrative.
  • The stealth mechanics provide a strategic layer to gameplay, making encounters feel intense and thrilling.
  • The AI is often buggy and inconsistent, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
  • The save system is poorly designed, with infrequent checkpoints that can result in repeated sections of gameplay.
  • The game suffers from numerous technical issues, including glitches and performance problems that detract from immersion.
  • story162 mentions

    The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players praising its intriguing narrative, well-developed characters, and atmospheric delivery through audio logs and voice acting, while others criticize it for being convoluted, cliché, or poorly executed. Many reviews highlight the game's strong atmosphere and aesthetics, suggesting that the story can be engaging if players are willing to overlook its flaws. Overall, it seems to appeal primarily to fans of sci-fi horror, though it may not satisfy those seeking a groundbreaking or original plot.

    • “The story is intriguing, as the exploration and the landscape are.”
    • “All of the voice actors do a fantastic job, and the story itself is well written, with memorable characters and motives.”
    • “I really recommend this game if you are looking for a solid, story-driven and atmospheric sci-fi experience, which is kind of rare lately for indie games.”
    • “This story deserved better.”
    • “Storytelling is another unruly mammoth of an issue; good luck understanding anything about it, not that it's beneficial as the parts I assembled gave me brain damage.”
    • “The story is ripped straight out of System Shock 2; the devs call it 'inspired by System Shock 2,' but that's like saying a story about a chemistry teacher named Billy Black who makes meth with his former student Jose Purpleguy is 'inspired by Breaking Bad.' It's a BS excuse for not being original enough to come up with your own story.”
  • gameplay90 mentions

    The gameplay of this title has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing its clunky mechanics, poor AI, and repetitive elements, which detract from the overall experience. While the stealth mechanics are noted as a highlight, adding strategic depth, the combat and general gameplay are often described as frustrating and lacking polish. Overall, the game offers a decent atmosphere and story but falls short in delivering a satisfying gameplay experience.

    • “The stealth mechanics add a whole new level of strategy to the gameplay, making each encounter feel intense and thrilling.”
    • “The good; stealth sci-fi gameplay, so if you're into the System Shock or BioShock franchises, you'll like what this game has to show.”
    • “Of course it is a low-budget game that has many limitations, but core mechanics are solid, the story and atmosphere are good, and the gameplay based on stealth and general evasion of contact with other characters in the game is actually helpful with avoiding some of the weaker aspects.”
    • “The gameplay is so clunky and bad.”
    • “However, the clunky gunplay, a decent amount of bugs, terrible AI, and consequently pretty bad stealth mechanics makes it really tough (if not impossible) to enjoy.”
    • “Detailed graphics, mysterious story, rewards for exploration, and good voice work - but after about half an hour of gameplay, it quickly lost steam.”
  • atmosphere88 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and creepy qualities, effectively creating a sense of dread and tension that enhances the overall experience. Many reviewers highlight the strong sound design and visual aesthetics, which contribute to a captivating environment reminiscent of classic horror and stealth games. While some note that the game may lack in actual scares, the oppressive atmosphere and engaging narrative make it a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre.

    • “The creepy atmosphere really keeps you on edge, but in a good way.”
    • “The atmosphere is great, both audio and visuals create dread and unease throughout and are the primary reason for a recommendation.”
    • “The atmosphere of the game invokes feelings of genuine terror and schizophrenia, as the world around you offers little to no safety amid constant threats of death and psychosis.”
    • “While the atmosphere at times is spooky for sure, there's no actual good scares or moments that got my heart racing.”
    • “I really enjoyed games like old school Thief, Outlast, Alien Isolation, Penumbra, and Soma, and wouldn't compare Solarix to those - it lacks atmosphere, scares, and isn't very compelling in general.”
  • graphics62 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the atmospheric design and decent visuals, particularly for an indie title, while others criticize them as dated and lacking detail compared to modern standards. Many comments highlight the effective use of lighting and mood, but also point out issues like murky textures and repetitive elements. Overall, while the graphics contribute to the game's eerie atmosphere, they fall short of expectations for a 2015 release.

    • “The game has amazing atmosphere, great aesthetics, and a decent story.”
    • “The price is very reasonable and the game has impressive visuals, hence immediate purchase for me.”
    • “The graphics are really incredible for an indie studio.”
    • “Graphically, this game looks horribly dated; for a title that came out in 2015, it is horrendous.”
    • “The graphics are very murky... perhaps a design choice, but either way, it just looks like everything is too dark and out of focus all the time.”
    • “Poor quality graphics; I can accept dated-looking graphics, but these aren't even as good as games from 10-15 years ago.”
  • stability42 mentions

    The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous reports of glitches, bugs, and poor AI affecting gameplay. Players frequently encounter issues such as inconsistent checkpoint saves, physics problems, and frustrating interactions with objects, leading to a sluggish and repetitive experience. Overall, the stability issues significantly detract from the game's enjoyment, with many players feeling that the flaws outweigh any positive aspects.

    • “It's just so flawed and buggy that I feel like the bad just outweighs the good.”
    • “Some of the bugs left in the game are not acceptable - like reloading a save and finding yourself stuck in level geometry, constant sound glitches, inexcusably poor framerate, etc. Quite a while back I posted feedback to the developers in the hopes that they might address some of the things I felt would improve the game, but they've apparently moved on to other projects.”
    • “Apparently my 'last save' is like a thousand miles outside the map, repeatedly falling to my death... fix the glitches and it would be good.”
  • optimization14 mentions

    The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with users reporting frequent stuttering and lag, particularly on the space station, despite running on capable hardware. While the atmosphere and graphics are generally appreciated for an indie title, many feel that the performance is subpar, with poor texture quality and unresponsive controls detracting from the overall experience.

    • “Atmosphere is awesome, graphics are good enough for an indie, control and gameplay is smooth and well done optimization.”
    • “For a game like this (indie title), the performance should be smoother and better responses to key input and mouse control.”
    • “This is an Unreal Engine game - so why is it so poorly optimized?”
    • “For a game like this (indie title), the performance should be smoother and have better responses to key input and mouse control.”
    • “Texture quality is bad and optimization isn't very good.”
  • music8 mentions

    The music in the game is praised for its great ambient soundtrack, which significantly enhances the gameplay experience by complementing the environment. However, some users have reported a glitch where background music continues to play despite being turned off in the main menu.

    • “Great ambient soundtrack.”
    • “Great ambient soundtrack.”
    • “The musical score and sound in this game combined with its environment make up the bulk of the gameplay.”
    • “Super extra special bonus glitch - I shut off the background music in the main menu and when I play the game, I have background music.”
    • “Super extra special bonus glitch - I shut off the background music in the main menu and when I play the game, I have background music.”
  • emotional8 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its ability to deliver a powerful, albeit depressing, experience through its impactful ending and immersive environments. However, this is contrasted by criticisms of a lackluster storyline and character development, leading to a sense of futility and frustration during gameplay. Overall, while the game evokes strong emotions, it suffers from significant flaws that detract from its narrative coherence.

    • “People often praise a game for being depressing, as it is an incredibly potent emotional experience.”
    • “For all the dodgy hitboxes and spotty AI the game had, it also had well-designed environments and lore/story that really got to you both for the emotional gut punch of an ending and for an interesting experience in futility.”
    • “There is a boring storyline here about a virus, engineers, corrupt AI systems, etc., with little to no character development, and overall everything feels very sloppy and unpolished.”
  • humor6 mentions

    The humor in the game is often unintentional, with players finding themselves laughing at moments that should be dramatic, such as enemies getting stuck or behaving in absurd ways. The mix of stealth, FPS, and horror elements leads to comedic situations, particularly when near-sighted enemies react exaggeratedly to player movements. Overall, the humor detracts from the intended tension and seriousness of the game.

    • “Enemies who walk out of their path or get distracted could get stuck, get in loops, or do funny things.”
    • “This is a terrible mix of stealth, FPS, and horror where you will spend 90% of the game crouching to avoid near-sighted enemies who almost humorously go into an alert state from a single footstep the moment you leave the crouching position.”
    • “If Ken Levine is the Stephen King of twists, then whoever wrote this is the Dean Koontz (or M. Night Shyamalan if you're not familiar with one of the worst authors you could read). I was laughing, which is not a good sign when you're trying to be dramatic.”
  • grinding4 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of Solarix to be tedious and boring, with some expressing that it detracts significantly from the enjoyment of the stealth gameplay, even for fans of the genre.

    • “I found it tedious and kind of boring quickly.”
    • “Considering that this is one of my favorite genres, it takes a lot to bore me, but Solarix is mind-numbingly tedious for a stealth game.”
  • character development4 mentions

    Character development in the game is largely criticized, with reviewers noting a lack of depth and engagement in the storyline, which revolves around a virus and corrupt AI systems. While the voice acting and character designs receive praise, the overall execution feels unpolished and fails to provide meaningful character growth.

    • “There is a boring storyline here about a virus, engineers, corrupt AI systems, etc., with little to no character development, and overall everything feels very sloppy and unpolished.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    Many users express disappointment in the game's lack of replayability, emphasizing that it significantly impacts their overall enjoyment. The consensus suggests that unless the story remains ambiguous, there is little incentive to revisit the game.

    • “Sadly, there's no replay value, which is really important for me :/ unless the story is unclear somehow.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

55% average critic score

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