Solarix

56%
Game Brain Score Based on 120 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

56%
Audience ScoreBased on 120 reviews
story25 positive mentions
gameplay7 negative mentions
  • The game features a creepy atmosphere that effectively keeps players on edge, enhancing the horror 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 engaging.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, including issues with AI behavior and save system problems.
  • Gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks variety, with limited interaction and few puzzles to solve.
  • The graphics and overall polish are subpar, making it feel like an unfinished product compared to other titles in the genre.
  • story81 mentions

    The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players praising its intriguing narrative, detailed character backstories, and atmospheric voice acting, while others criticize it for being convoluted, cliché, or poorly executed. Many appreciate the depth and creativity of the plot, especially as it unfolds through exploration and audio logs, but some find it overwhelming or lacking in originality, drawing unfavorable comparisons to other titles like System Shock 2. Overall, while the story has its strengths, it may not resonate with everyone, and its execution can detract from the overall experience.

    • “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.”
    • “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.”
    • “There is a boring storyline here about a virus, engineers, corrupt AI systems, etc., with little to no character development, and just on the whole, everything feels very sloppy and unpolished.”
  • gameplay45 mentions

    The gameplay of this game has received mixed reviews, with many players highlighting the clunky mechanics, frustrating AI, and repetitive elements that detract from the overall experience. While the stealth mechanics are praised for adding strategic depth, they are often undermined by poor combat and numerous bugs. Overall, the game offers a decent atmosphere and story, but suffers from significant gameplay shortcomings that may disappoint those seeking polished mechanics.

    • “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.”
    • “This game has gameplay that makes me want to put glass in my mouth, nail it shut, and then be shrunken down and tossed into a washing machine.”
    • “The gameplay is so clunky and bad.”
    • “I can't imagine how this game got mostly positive scores; I purchased it with expectations to see something like Soma, but what I saw was something more like... Singularity - cheap bugged-out edition visually and in terms of gameplay it was like a poor man's Soma pre-alpha prototype.”
  • atmosphere44 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 gameplay may not be as refined, the atmospheric elements are consistently regarded as a standout feature that keeps players engaged.

    • “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.”
  • graphics31 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the atmospheric design and decent visuals, while others criticize them as dated and lacking detail, especially compared to modern standards. Many highlight the effective use of lighting and style, but note that textures can appear murky or basic, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, while the graphics may not impress everyone, they contribute to the game's eerie atmosphere and are considered acceptable for an indie title.

    • “The game has an 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.”
    • “The graphics are bad compared to today's standards.”
    • “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.”
  • stability21 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 generally flawed experience. While some minor glitches are tolerable, the overall instability detracts significantly from the enjoyment of the game.

    • “The combat is extremely poor, the AI is buggy and the checkpoints do not consistently save your progress properly.”
    • “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.”
  • optimization7 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering and lag, particularly on the space station. While some praise the atmosphere and overall gameplay, others criticize the weak gun mechanics, poor texture quality, and lack of responsiveness, suggesting that the game does not meet the expected standards for an Unreal Engine title. Overall, the optimization appears to be a major drawback, affecting the overall experience.

    • “For a game like this (indie title), the performance should be smoother and have better responses to key input and mouse control.”
    • “Atmosphere is awesome, graphics are good enough for an indie, control and gameplay is smooth and well done optimization.”
    • “There were some performance issues - e.g. stuttering/lag.”
    • “This is an Unreal Engine game - so why is it so poorly optimized?”
    • “Texture quality is bad and optimization isn't very good.”
  • music4 mentions

    The game's ambient soundtrack is highly praised, as it significantly enhances the overall 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.”
    • “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.”
    • “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 still have background music.”
  • emotional4 mentions

    Players appreciate the game's ability to evoke strong emotions, particularly through its impactful ending and themes of futility, despite criticisms of its gameplay mechanics and storyline. While the environments and lore contribute to a profound emotional experience, the lack of character development and a coherent narrative detracts from the overall engagement.

    • “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.”
    • “The storyline is boring and lacks depth, revolving around a virus and corrupt AI systems, but it fails to develop its characters, leaving everything feeling sloppy and unpolished.”
    • “The emotional impact is minimal due to the lack of character development, making it hard to connect with the story.”
    • “Overall, the game feels emotionally flat, as the narrative fails to engage players on a deeper level.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as unintentional and often detracts from the intended dramatic experience, with players finding themselves laughing at moments that should be tense. Additionally, the behavior of enemies can lead to comical situations, such as getting stuck or reacting absurdly to minor player movements, which adds an unintended layer of humor to the gameplay. Overall, the humor appears to stem from a mix of awkward design choices rather than intentional comedic elements.

    • “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 nearsighted 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.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players find the grinding in Solarix to be tedious and boring, with some expressing that it detracts significantly from the overall enjoyment of the stealth gameplay.

    • “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 development2 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 some 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.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    Many users express disappointment in the game's lack of replayability, emphasizing that it significantly impacts their overall enjoyment, particularly if the story is straightforward and lacks ambiguity.

    • “Sadly, there's no replay value, which is really important for me :/ unless the story is unclear somehow.”
    • “Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back and play it again.”
    • “The lack of different endings or choices makes replaying feel pointless.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

55% average critic score

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