Solstice Chronicles: MIA

About

In Solstice Chronicles: MIA, players navigate a dead colony on Mars as a corporate marine with an insurgent drone as an ally. The game features challenging twin-stick combat against mutants and other enemies, and requires strategic decisions to manage threat levels, scavenge for supplies, and upgrade weapons. The goal is to survive and uncover the colony's dark secrets.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Co-Op Team up with friends to complete levels or missions together
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

+11

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 174 reviews

story19 positive mentions

stability10 negative mentions

The game features a fun and engaging combat system with satisfying shooting mechanics and a variety of weapons.
The upgrade system for weapons and classes adds depth and encourages replayability.
The game has a humorous tone and enjoyable dialogue, particularly with the drone companion.

The game suffers from a lack of online multiplayer, limiting the co-op experience to local play only.
The enemy variety is limited, leading to repetitive gameplay as many enemies behave similarly.
The balance of classes and the threat system can feel inconsistent, making some encounters frustrating.

story
73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
70%
4%
The story in "Solstice Chronicles: Mia" is generally viewed as simplistic and somewhat bland, with many reviewers noting its lack of depth and engaging elements. While some appreciate the humor and cutscenes, others find the narrative forgettable and the missions too short, leading to a mixed reception overall. The game features a survival mode that is separate from the story, which some players feel detracts from the overall experience.
- “The story is simple but the small cutscenes are funny and well realized.”
- “While the single player campaign isn't Shakespeare, missions are connected by interesting cutscenes with fairly decent voiceover work.”
- “I enjoyed the IP for the blending of several concepts from other sci-fi IPs, but also having unique concepts that helped to define the backstory/lore.”
- “The story is just kind of 'meh'.”
- “Campaign story is a cheap text thrown to the screen without any sound.”
- “Story, characters, and sound were not on par and made it feel like a weird school project focusing on the graphics and animations.”
gameplay
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
75%
4%
The gameplay of "Solstice Chronicles: Mia" is characterized by solid mechanics typical of a top-down twin-stick shooter, enhanced by unique features like a companion drone, skill trees, and a threat management system that adds depth and variety. While many players appreciate the fluid controls and engaging combat, some report issues with bugs and technical problems that can detract from the experience. Overall, the game offers a mix of enjoyable mechanics and tactical gameplay, though it may feel repetitive at times and lacks polish in certain areas.
- “The upgrade system is simple enough and the mechanics are fairly smooth.”
- “Overall, I can't say enough about the gameplay; it's a solid twin-stick shooter with very minor RPG elements.”
- “Features like the threat system and the varied skill trees add depth to the gameplay, allowing for the freedom to try many different playstyles.”
- “Unfortunately, while the gameplay is decent, the game doesn't seem finished and I ran into numerous bugs (not the kind you shoot!) and technical problems that ultimately made the experience frustrating.”
- “Between monotonous gameplay and a generally uninteresting story, Solstice Chronicles: Mia lacks the qualities that help shape a successful single-player campaign, and the co-op changes feel like a strict downgrade from its predecessor.”
- “I mentioned that the tactics seem rather limited and the shooting mechanics within Solstice Chronicles: Mia get repetitive when you know that the foes follow a linear pattern.”
graphics
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
38%
6%
Overall, the graphics in the game are generally well-received, showcasing impressive environments, dynamic animations, and appealing visual effects, particularly when utilizing high-end hardware. However, some players report issues with lag, glitches, and dated textures, which detract from the overall experience. While the aesthetic appeal is noted, it is sometimes overshadowed by technical problems and a lack of depth in other game aspects.
- “The visuals and sound design are nice.”
- “Graphics are beautiful, visual effects too, takes some time to get used to controls on gamepad.”
- “Great graphics and smooth gameplay.”
- “Graphics are also laggy and stuttery in some areas, even when the frame rate remains constant.”
- “Graphics - honestly they felt wasted on this game.”
- “Game runs on Unreal Engine... 3 I think, graphics are decent but a bit dated in some things like textures and effects.”
replayability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
45%
27%
The game offers significant replayability, particularly through its survival mode and diverse character classes, which encourage players to experiment with different builds. While the single-player campaign is functional, it lacks the ambitious infinite co-op replayability some players expected. However, the overall experience remains enjoyable, with room for improvement through additional maps and modes to enhance long-term replay value.
- “There is endless replayability in the survival mode.”
- “A fun little twin stick shooter with decent replayability thanks to the 4 different classes.”
- “Improving your character's abilities adds another dimension to the game and replayability.”
- “I am playing the single player campaign, and this - while less ambitious than the promised infinite coop replayability of The Red Solstice - is certainly way more functional.”
- “Imho what the game needs now is more -- more single player mission maps, more survival maps, maybe some sort of procedurally generated levels mode that could add more long-term replayability.”
- “Due to local coop only, it has severely limited replayability.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant issues such as slowdowns, freezes, and audio glitches, while others report a smoother experience without crashes. Although it launched in a buggy state, ongoing updates have aimed to address these problems, leading to improved performance for some users. Overall, while stability remains a concern for many, there are also players who have enjoyed a relatively bug-free experience.
- “Yet it has a lot of problems; suffers from slow down, freezes, and echoing audio issues.”
- “Same as the first game... buggy and complete mess.”
- “The game launched in a slightly buggy state but every update since the release has aimed to both fix the existing problems and add new free content.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a blend of light humor and campy 80's action movie vibes, enhanced by great voice acting and amusing interactions. Players appreciate the funny cutscenes and the sassy robot companion, which adds a layer of contextual humor to the gameplay. Overall, the humor complements the game's mechanics and provides an entertaining experience while battling mutant aliens.
- “There is some 80's action movie style campiness to the campaign and some light humor.”
- “Great voice acting, funny interactions, great game mechanics and control.”
- “The robot companion you get at the very start of the game has just the right level of sassy/sarcasm to create some good contextual humor.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its combination of intense visuals, sound design, and thematic elements, creating a compelling experience reminiscent of titles like Dead Nation. However, some players feel that the relentless presence of monsters detracts from the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the horror and suspense. Overall, the atmosphere is characterized by strong graphics and solid sound, contributing to a captivating yet chaotic environment.
- “Loving the atmosphere and mechanics.”
- “Solid sounds, good atmosphere; little to no music is present as of the alpha.”
- “This game heavily reminds me of Dead Nation but with better music, graphics, and atmosphere.”
- “No time to explore the level and feel the atmosphere.”
- “It would be better if the developer team maintained the atmosphere of horror and suspense rather than filling every corner with never-ending monsters.”
- “This game heavily reminds me of Dead Nation, but with better music, graphics, and atmosphere.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it bland and unexciting, while others appreciate the sound effects and atmosphere. While the soundtrack is generally considered decent and functional, it lacks standout moments, and some players noted that there is little to no music present in the alpha version. Overall, the audio experience is solid but not particularly memorable.
- “Soundtrack never bothered me and the sound effects were on par with the rest of the audio assets.”
- “Solid sounds, good atmosphere; little to no music is present as of the alpha.”
- “This game heavily reminds me of Dead Nation but with better music, graphics, and atmosphere.”
- “Music is bland and overall, generally unexciting.”
- “No real music ...yet.”
- “Sound effects and soundtrack are decent; they do the job, but nothing good or bad can be said.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The game's optimization has notable issues that do not severely impact overall gameplay, but performance problems and the use of an outdated engine detract from the experience. While it is optimized for consoles, it may cater to a less challenging gaming experience. With future patches and improvements, the game has the potential to become more enjoyable.
- “Optimization problems are present, but they do not significantly impact the overall gameplay experience.”
- “With some patches and further optimization, this game has the potential to be incredibly enjoyable.”
- “The performance is solid, and with continued improvements, it could reach even greater heights.”
- “Optimization problems are there but do not affect the game very seriously.”
- “A decent top-down survival shooter with some new mechanics that keep it fresh and up to date with the times; still, the lack of online co-op, performance problems, and using a dated engine bring this title down quite a bit.”
- “Optimized for consoles (crappy hardware) and respective players to enjoy an easy game without much mindful tricks and challenge.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and unenjoyable, citing a lack of engaging content and repetitive tasks, such as farming experience with unexciting weapons and skills. This has led some to consider refunding the game due to the overwhelming monotony.
- “It had a boring story, boring weapons, boring skills, and so few things to do, yet it forces you to max out your character. Can you imagine farming experience by killing with a pistol?”
- “So very tedious, I'm refunding this before I get much further and lose out on the chance to.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while some players find the story mode to be enjoyable and wholesome, others criticize the overall narrative and gameplay as boring and repetitive, leading to a lack of engagement.
- “The story mode is a heartfelt journey that resonates deeply with players.”
- “The emotional depth of the characters truly makes you feel invested in their stories.”
- “This game evokes a range of emotions, from joy to sadness, making it a memorable experience.”
- “The story was dull and uninspired, making it hard to connect emotionally with the characters or the world.”
- “I felt no attachment to the characters; their struggles and triumphs just didn't resonate with me.”
- “The emotional moments felt forced and unearned, leaving me indifferent to the outcomes.”