SolSeraph

54%
Game Brain Score Based on 88 reviews
  • gameplay
  • music
  • graphics
SolSeraph Game Cover
SolSeraph is a very enjoyable, well-designed hack 'n' slash title, but the town management parts drag it down a little.
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"SolSeraph is a single-player fantasy platformer game with great graphics and music, combining action and strategy elements. As the guardian of humanity, players build and defend cities, explore various landscapes, and battle monsters in both side-scrolling and top-down perspectives. Developed by ACE Team, SolSeraph evokes the spirit of 16-bit era classics."

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

54%
Audience ScoreBased on 88 reviews
gameplay8 positive mentions
story4 negative mentions
  • The game features good graphics and a beautiful world map, along with a solid soundtrack that enhances the experience.
  • The tower defense mechanics add a layer of strategy that can be engaging, especially for fans of the genre.
  • Some players appreciate the nostalgic elements and the attempt to capture the spirit of ActRaiser, finding enjoyment in the overall gameplay.
  • The platforming controls are clunky and frustrating, leading to cheap deaths and a lack of fluidity in gameplay.
  • The town-building aspect is overly simplified and feels more like a basic tower defense game rather than a meaningful simulation.
  • Many players feel the game lacks polish, with unfinished mechanics and a narrative that fails to engage or connect the two gameplay styles.
  • gameplay41 mentions

    The gameplay of Solseraph has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its slow and janky tower defense mechanics, awkward platforming, and lackluster enemy design. While some appreciate the nostalgic elements and solid graphics, others criticize the shallow gameplay and poor integration between the two gameplay modes, leading to a frustrating experience overall. Despite its attempts to honor classic titles like Actraiser, the game struggles with depth and innovation, leaving it feeling outdated and unengaging.

    • “The graphics are nice, the gameplay is responsive, and the music is pretty good.”
    • “Gameplay is solid; tower defense is basic but fun and fast-paced, and it has very good graphics and music for a cheaper indie title.”
    • “It has the unique gameplay combination, charming graphics and music, tight controls, and does what it sets out to do: follow on from Actraiser.”
    • “The gameplay, however, is kind of bad; it's very janky, and something about the game models and animations gives me the vibe that it was rushed.”
    • “A shallow and sometimes frustrating experience; the RTS portions are uninvolved and simplistic, with gameplay-breaking pop-up text interrupting you constantly.”
    • “Solseraph is instead a tower defense game and a platformer game which you take turns playing in almost complete isolation, and they are both overly simple and mechanically archaic.”
  • music23 mentions

    The music in the game has received generally positive feedback, with many reviewers praising its quality and composition, particularly noting the contributions from notable composers. However, some players found certain tracks to be forgettable or repetitive, especially when compared to the iconic soundtracks of classic titles like Actraiser. Overall, the music enhances the game's atmosphere, complementing its beautiful graphics and engaging gameplay.

    • “The graphics are gorgeous and the music is awesome too, which makes it feel like an exciting and refreshing game to play.”
    • “Gameplay is solid, tower defense is basic but fun and fast-paced, and it has very good graphics and music for a cheaper indie title.”
    • “Patricio Meneses' music is really good in this game.”
    • “Yuzo Koshiro did one track and it's the blandest thing on the whole soundtrack.”
    • “Music is a little repetitive but fine.”
    • “The movement was somewhat stiff at times, and I can sing a song of hatred to two certain enemies (a certain big owl and a jellyfish) whom I could just strangle the game at times for throwing against me.”
  • graphics19 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising their lushness and charm, while others criticize character and enemy animations as poor or generic. Many players appreciate the vibrant visuals and art direction, especially in comparison to other indie titles, but there are notable complaints about blurriness and instability in certain modes. Overall, the graphics are described as adequate to excellent, depending on the context, but they do not consistently meet high expectations.

    • “The graphics are nice, the gameplay is responsive, the music is pretty good.”
    • “Graphics are gorgeous and the music is awesome too, which makes it feel like an exciting and refreshing game to play.”
    • “The graphics are great, and some harken back to the previous games, like Bloodpool with the surreal landscape of blobs in one of the sideways action areas being quite memorable.”
    • “The graphics are ok, but character and enemy animations are terrible.”
    • “Graphically, this mode looks like ass.”
    • “Even if you're a diehard ActRaiser fan and you've been chomping at the bit for this day to come and even if you're willing to put up with the shoddy action sections, there's the matter of the extremely blurry, odd-looking graphics and unstable framerate to contend with.”
  • story15 mentions

    The story in the game is largely criticized for being uninteresting and poorly executed, with many reviewers noting a lack of memorable characters and a narrative that feels tacked on rather than integral to the gameplay. While some acknowledge moments of decent writing, the overall consensus is that the plot is shallow, repetitive, and fails to engage players, often overshadowed by uninspired mechanics and design choices.

    • “Although the game is short, the story's writing is great; the game has 2 sequences.”
    • “And on top of that, there's a bit of a story too.”
    • “- story and dialogue”
    • “The story is not noteworthy and the mobs are reskin of one another with little change to their attack pattern.”
    • “The 'compelling narrative' is, for lack of a better term, utter trash and the game plays out as if it was made and then a 'story' was dumped on top of it.”
    • “The 'cut scenes' with the 2D animated still characters feel unfinished and thrown together in a poor attempt to bring some kind of plot line to the game where there really is none.”
  • grinding4 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mix of fun and tedium, as it involves assigning characters to various jobs like farming and battling. While the process can be challenging, it also adds depth to gameplay, requiring players to navigate enemies and hazards. Overall, the grinding is seen as a necessary but laborious part of character development.

    • “It's way more difficult and tedious.”
    • “So far, I haven't found anything other than reassigning them to farming.”
    • “It's quite fun and tedious while dealing with enemies while avoiding instant death pits.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization strategy has been criticized as a nostalgia-driven cash grab, leading to disappointment among users who feel it prioritizes profit over genuine engagement.

    • “I would be embarrassed to have my name associated with what I can only describe as a nostalgia-fueled cash grab.”
    • “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, prioritizing profit over player experience.”
    • “It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Overall, the game demonstrates strong stability, with users noting the absence of bugs, excessive difficulty, or poor graphics, which are common criticisms in other titles.

    • “The game is not buggy, nor is it unacceptably difficult, or filled with poor graphics or any of the other things that people often cite when giving negative reviews of a game.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    Reviews indicate that while the emotional aspect of the game is not entirely lacking, it could benefit from further development, particularly in the city simulator component related to town-building.

  • humor1 mentions

    The humor in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it off-putting, particularly criticizing the reliance on "wine mom" jokes, which they feel detracts from the overall experience.

  • optimization1 mentions

    The optimization of the game has been criticized for its limited depth and notable performance issues, which detract from the overall experience.

    • “The game suffers from limited depth and significant performance issues.”
    • “Optimization is lacking, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering.”
    • “There are major optimization problems that hinder the overall gameplay experience.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

57% average critic score

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