SOLAS 128
- January 25, 2021
- Armor Games Studios
- 24h median play time
A wonderful and intense boss rush game that hits hard and doesn't pull its punches.
Get on SteamSOLAS 128 is a rhythm-based puzzle game where players rotate and reposition mirrors to connect light pulses and unlock puzzles in a interconnected space. These pulses can collide and create new colors, and players will encounter various components that interact in unique ways. The game features a synthwave soundtrack to complement its otherworldly, retro, neon aesthetic.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Web Browser
Windows
Xbox
Reviews
- The game features ingenious level design with a satisfying difficulty curve, providing a rewarding experience as players solve intricate puzzles.
- The music, visuals, and overall atmosphere create a mesmerizing experience that enhances the gameplay, making it engaging and enjoyable.
- Solas 128 offers a unique twist on traditional light beam puzzles, with interconnected rooms that require creative thinking and experimentation to solve.
- The game suffers from a lack of clear communication and guidance, making it difficult for players to understand new mechanics and navigate the interface.
- Some puzzles can be frustratingly obtuse, leading to moments of confusion and requiring external guides to progress.
- The hint system is inconsistent, sometimes providing useful assistance while at other times being misleading or unhelpful.
- music88 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its outstanding quality and seamless integration with the gameplay, enhancing the overall atmosphere and puzzle-solving experience. Many reviewers highlight the catchy synthwave soundtrack, which complements the vibrant visuals and rhythmic mechanics, although some note that it can become repetitive during extended play. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a core element of the game, significantly contributing to its immersive and engaging nature.
“The music, the art, and the flow really work together.”
“Fantastic, mesmerizing atmosphere both in soundtrack and visuals, bathed in a pulsating neon glow.”
“Throughout it all is a fantastic synthwave soundtrack that beats in time with the movement of the pulses of light, making it an oddly relaxing and tricky experience at the same time.”
“The music can end up becoming too grating after listening to it for a few hours.”
“If I have to nitpick about something, maybe the area-based soundtrack starts to be a bit too repetitive due to the long time spent in the respective areas.”
“However, in some parts of the game, the music impacts some psychological pressure and heavily distracts from the puzzle itself.”
- gameplay78 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Solas 128 is characterized by its clever and engaging puzzle mechanics, primarily revolving around light manipulation and laser redirection. Players appreciate the gradual introduction of new mechanics, which keeps the challenges fresh and encourages creative problem-solving, while the minimalist design and immersive soundtrack enhance the overall experience. Despite some initial confusion regarding new concepts, the game ultimately offers a satisfying and addictive puzzle-solving journey that appeals to fans of the genre.
“This game expands the 'redirect laser beams' mechanic you often see in minigames and turns it into a proper full puzzle game with minimalist but engaging graphics and sound.”
“The mechanics are basic yet the game gets a lot of mileage out of them, the difficulty curve increases both by complexity of individual rooms as well as ratcheting up how large-scale any puzzle is - from single-screen at the start to entire areas becoming one gigantic interconnected puzzle by the end.”
“An original and great puzzle game that gently ramps up in difficulty, introducing new mechanics just as you feel like you're mastering it.”
“Solas does somewhat introduce you to new concepts in relatively simple environments before working them into more complicated puzzle design, but the bigger issue is that you're given no indication of the fact that you're being introduced to a new mechanic in the first place.”
“You can never be sure if you're missing an element of the current puzzle because you need to complete more of the nearby rooms first, because there's some new mechanic you don't know about yet, if you're maybe just being a bit dense at the moment, or possibly a combination of all three.”
“Certain mechanics and the visual vocabulary of the game can take a little while to get used to, but once you're over that bump it's an incredibly slick, smart and satisfying puzzler with lots of 'aha!' moments.”
- graphics34 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their minimalist yet engaging design, featuring a vibrant neon aesthetic that creates a mesmerizing atmosphere. While the visuals and sound design are generally considered excellent and complement the gameplay well, some players note that the visuals can become overwhelming at times, particularly when navigating larger puzzles. Overall, the game's unique graphics and atmospheric soundtrack contribute significantly to its appeal as a fun and challenging puzzle experience.
“Fantastic, mesmerizing atmosphere both in soundtrack and visuals, bathed in a pulsating neon glow.”
“Amazing puzzle game with beautiful aesthetics and chilling music.”
“A fun puzzle game with an outstanding soundtrack and fantastic neon visuals.”
“The only flaw in it are the visuals.”
“Visuals can get annoying, but there's options to turn down the different effects.”
“To elaborate: at some point you will start working on puzzles that are larger than one screen and moving between screens is incredibly slow, making looking around to get an overview a pain in the ass.”
- story10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game features minimal plot but excels in wordless storytelling, with interconnected rooms that enhance the puzzle-solving experience. While some players note a lack of a clear narrative and occasional difficulty spikes, the innovative mechanics and engaging puzzles make it easy to overlook these shortcomings. Overall, the storytelling is subtle yet effective, contributing to a rich gameplay experience.
“The rooms are woven together in a nontrivial way; there's some nice storytelling without words.”
“You will find yourself intrigued by the wordless storytelling, the way that every level in the game is connected and running at the same time, allowing for puzzles that utilize several screens of puzzles at once later on.”
“A really simple to understand yet difficult and well-thought-out game with lots of backtracking, different mechanics, and even has a small story to go with it.”
“Although the game may be lacking a more obvious story, and some of the puzzles may have some difficulty ramping issues, it's very easy to look past these faults and just enjoy the puzzles.”
“A really simple to understand yet difficult and well thought-out game with lots of backtracking, different mechanics, and even has a small story to go with it.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, yet some appreciate its perfect length and thorough exploration of mechanics. While the game avoids becoming overly repetitive, the potential for undoing progress can lead to frustration and a sense of tedium. Overall, it strikes a balance between engagement and monotony.
“This is the most tedious puzzle game I will ever give a thumbs up.”
“Also, I think I have undone some of my work and it's become too tedious for me to continue despite the completed map looking quite full.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its unique and mesmerizing qualities, characterized by a calming neon glow and an engaging soundtrack that enhances the experience. Players find it inviting and conducive to solving light reflection and spectrum puzzles, creating an immersive environment that captivates and intrigues.
“Fantastic, mesmerizing atmosphere both in soundtrack and visuals, bathed in a pulsating neon glow.”
“The atmosphere is truly unique, calming and inviting to crack the light reflection/spectrum/angle puzzles.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits stability issues, with several levels containing bugs that prevent players from undoing actions if mistakes are made. This can lead to frustrating experiences and hinder overall gameplay.
“Some levels are buggy; if you do something wrong in a level, you can't undo it anymore.”
