The Red Solstice

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"The Red Solstice" is a tactical, survival-focused game set in a sci-fi universe. Players explore an alien planet as a member of a marine squad, fighting off hordes of hostile creatures. The game features real-time with pause gameplay, allowing for strategic decisions during intense combat situations. Co-op multiplayer is supported for up to 8 players, promoting teamwork and communication.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

73%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,116 reviews

story62 positive mentions

graphics18 negative mentions

The game offers a challenging and rewarding experience, especially for fans of tactical co-op gameplay.
Great community support with helpful players and active developers who listen to feedback.
The variety of classes and customization options provide depth and replayability.

The game has a steep learning curve, which can be frustrating for new players.
There are frequent bugs and crashes, affecting the overall gameplay experience.
The player base is small, making it difficult to find matches and requiring coordination with friends.

story
404 mentions
15 % positive mentions
79 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally considered decent but lacks depth and engagement, often feeling tacked on to the gameplay. Players note that while the premise involves a squad of marines battling hordes on a Mars colony, the execution is often marred by confusing mission objectives and poor voice acting. Overall, the narrative serves more as a backdrop for multiplayer action rather than a compelling standalone experience.
- “The red solstice starts as a pretty typical 'lone squad must defeat hordes of horrific creatures overrunning the colony' plot, but manages to throw in several twists both in the game and in the plot to make things interesting.”
- “Having said all that, the story is fun sci-fi camp with the expected level of vague story and silly voice acting.”
- “The story is kinda interesting though they don't do the best job telling it.”
- “The story itself isn't what drew me in to really like this game though.”
- “No story whatsoever, just pure survival.”
- “It's a niche game, it's a difficult game, it has virtually no marketing, and the story is the narrative version of a toupee.”
gameplay
200 mentions
29 % positive mentions
62 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
Gameplay in this title is a mixed bag, with some players enjoying the tactical, squad-based mechanics and cooperative elements, while others find the experience stale and repetitive. Many reviews highlight a steep learning curve, counterintuitive controls, and a lack of engaging content, leading to frustration, especially in multiplayer modes. Despite its potential for fun and depth, the game suffers from a small player base and gameplay bugs, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “Very hard game, tight fun gameplay, really nice class system, the multiplayer survival mode is the bit to play over and over, up to 8 man co-op, also interesting AI bots you can control in smaller games.”
- “Deep gameplay combined with teamwork make for an unparalleled experience.”
- “The concept is cool, the gameplay feels solid, and it's co-op to boot.”
- “I played through the entire campaign and started 'survival', but didn't finish because the gameplay gets stale.”
- “The interface is counterintuitive, and the gameplay is so robo-driven that you're really not doing anything.”
- “This sort of gameplay was acceptable when it was a modification for a 2003 strategy game; it is not acceptable as a standalone title, and rather than evolve the concept, they ripped it almost unchanged from the mod which inspired it.”
graphics
80 mentions
20 % positive mentions
57 % neutral mentions
23 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant issues, particularly those using AMD graphics cards, leading to unplayable conditions and missing textures. While a few users appreciate the decent visuals and consistent engine, many criticize the outdated graphics and frequent glitches, suggesting that the overall graphical experience is mediocre at best. Despite these shortcomings, some players find the graphics functional enough to enjoy the gameplay, though they express a desire for improvements in future updates.
- “It has a pretty great engine; graphically it's consistent, dark, gloomy even at times, kind of as if you've mixed the Aliens movie with cutscenes from Starcraft 1 and some Starship Troopers.”
- “Crisp graphics and responsive gameplay, combined with a reliance on working as a team.”
- “The graphics are nice and I can't wait for further updates.”
- “I was really looking forward to this game, and when I started it up, I see that none of the textures load except for the background dust storm; everything is blacked out except for a 'dust storm' blowing away in the background underneath all the blacked out graphics.”
- “Game is broken, don't buy it, wasted my money, got some graphics issues (totally blurred, unplayable, only game to do that), asked for help and none came.”
- “The graphics and sounds are mediocre at best, functional at least.”
stability
40 mentions
5 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
95 % negative mentions
The game currently suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes that disrupt gameplay. While some players acknowledge the potential for a great experience, the overwhelming consensus is that the game's stability is frustratingly poor, particularly in its early access state. However, the developers are noted for their active engagement with the community and prompt responses to feedback, which offers some hope for future improvements.
- “In time, the game should hopefully be bug-free and play like a dream; we can hope at least.”
- “The game left me with a large amount of frustration, not just because it was buggy and incomplete but because there is an amazing game behind all that grit.”
- “In the current state, the game is quite buggy, crashes often (once every couple of games), desync causes many issues.”
- “The way the game comes now is frustrating, as the glitches really ruin the fun, especially when you have an otherwise good run and have to quit it, just because.”
replayability
36 mentions
33 % positive mentions
58 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The game boasts high replayability due to its randomized missions, diverse character classes, and challenging gameplay, making each session feel unique and engaging. Players appreciate the meaningful co-op experience and the ongoing development that promises to enhance replay value further. Overall, it offers significant replay potential for both solo and multiplayer modes, ensuring players get their money's worth.
- “If you want meaningful co-op where every player matters, replayability, and a challenge, then this game is recommended.”
- “The game has big replayability, randomized missions, locations, monster spawns, bosses, everything to make every single dollar spent on it worth it.”
- “There seems to be a good amount of replayability - first because the game is hard, second because of how missions are randomized.”
- “However, the replayability comes from this random element, as well as trying to beat the game's current most difficult map, military sector on Aetriden difficulty, which has currently only been beaten once!”
- “The game has big replayability, with randomized missions, locations, monster spawns, bosses, and everything to make every single dollar spent on it worth it.”
- “I didn't even expect to play on more than one since it is like a sandbox frame; the replayability is already there with that one single map.”
music
24 mentions
42 % positive mentions
46 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its quality and ability to enhance the gaming experience, with a solid soundtrack that complements various gameplay moments, from the main menu to intense combat scenarios. However, some users express frustration over issues with accessing the soundtrack and suggest that it may not be worth purchasing separately. Overall, the music is described as enjoyable and fitting, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere.
- “But tight level design, simple but fun customization in both the story and other modes along with a good soundtrack, decent visuals that are easy to read and maps that are generally well paced make for a fun game.”
- “The red solstice has a pretty respectable soundtrack, too, with solid themes all the way from the main menu to the combat suit selection screen to the final, desperate run for the evacuation dropship while the area is crawling with monsters at the end of the mission.”
- “Great soundtrack”
- “[Note: don't buy the soundtrack!] I downloaded it and can't access it despite the fact Steam states it in my library.”
- “I support this game on Greenlight with my friends, and now you want to 'sell' me the soundtrack, armory, and operations?”
- “The music is slightly better.”
grinding
20 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that while the game starts off fast-paced and engaging, it ultimately becomes grindy, particularly when aiming to max out character ranks and stats. Players note that the grinding is exacerbated by dull class designs and repetitive mechanics, although some find enjoyment in solo play or multiplayer once familiar with the game. Overall, the experience can feel tedious, especially for those who dislike extensive grinding and farming.
- “Mostly it suffers from very dull and homogenized class design and tedious wave flow mechanics, which players try to remedy by seeing how well they can do by basically playing solo for an adrenaline rush.”
- “Red Solstice is a game that encourages grinding and memorization of map objectives (and it does this even over teamwork) in order to succeed.”
- “Considering the number of classes there are and there are like 10 ranks in each suit, that is a lot of grinding.”
atmosphere
18 mentions
78 % positive mentions
6 % neutral mentions
17 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised, particularly for its suitability in team-based strategy settings, with many users highlighting its immersive qualities and overall appeal. While the storytelling may not be groundbreaking, it complements the strong atmosphere that enhances cooperative gameplay. Overall, the game's environment is seen as having significant potential, especially if a compelling single-player campaign is included.
- “The atmosphere is perfect for a team-based strategy game.”
- “Excellent atmosphere.”
- “Great atmosphere!”
- “The atmosphere is different.”
- “The atmosphere is lacking depth and immersion.”
- “The overall atmosphere feels disjointed and fails to engage the player.”
optimization
8 mentions
0 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
75 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its poor optimization, resembling a badly optimized alpha version with significant FPS issues and outdated visuals. Users report a lack of developer support and an inactive community, indicating that substantial improvements are needed.
- “This game is just poorly optimized, as of yet.”
- “Poorly optimized, inactive community, little developer support.”
- “Unoptimized game, FPS issues (visuals are outdated even).”
humor
8 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its hilarious and often absurd dialogue, with a notable focus on quirky elements like the "spiky-humpbeast." Players find the comedic writing and ludicrous scenarios both entertaining and engaging, contributing to a positive overall experience.
- “Enjoy the awesome indie writing, by which I mean hilarious, ham-fisted dialogue, and a bizarre obsession with Tyler Hunt.”
- “Very funny game... for this price, very positive...”
- “Laughing at the ludicrous nature of the spiky-humpbeast which is making your backside its domain?”
emotional
4 mentions
50 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is largely criticized, with players finding the sidequests repetitive and lacking depth, often comparing them unfavorably to uninspired missions from other titles. The overall narrative and voice acting are described as dull, failing to engage players on an emotional level.
- “For those that enjoyed the single-player mission from Starcraft with only the grunts, but with bad voice acting and a boring story, this is for you!”
- “For those that enjoyed the single-player mission from Starcraft with only the grunts, but with bad voice acting and a boring story, this is for you!”
monetization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is criticized for its lack of advertising and poor community management, suggesting that these issues contribute to an overall mismanagement of the game.