The Solus Project

64%
Game Brain Score Based on 3,043 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
The Solus Project Game Cover
The world of The Solus Project is totally worth exploring thanks to an interesting story and great art direction. It's just not much fun to actually play.
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"The Solus Project" is a first-person survival game set on a mysterious and uninhabited alien planet. As a lone astronaut, players must navigate the harsh environment, gather resources, and uncover the secrets of the planet in order to survive and ultimately find a way back home. With a focus on exploration, problem-solving, and atmospheric storytelling, players will experience a sense of isolation and desperation in their quest for survival.

  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Virtual Reality
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Play​Station VR
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

64%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,043 reviews
story659 positive mentions
stability68 negative mentions
  • The game offers a beautifully immersive experience with stunning graphics and atmospheric sound design.
  • The exploration and survival mechanics are engaging, providing a sense of urgency and tension as players navigate the alien environment.
  • The story unfolds gradually through environmental storytelling, keeping players intrigued and invested in uncovering the planet's mysteries.
  • The survival mechanics can feel trivial, as resources are often abundant and do not pose a significant challenge.
  • The game can become tedious with excessive backtracking and a lack of clear objectives, leading to frustration.
  • The ending is disappointing and leaves many questions unanswered, which may detract from the overall experience.
  • story1,657 mentions

    The story of "The Solus Project" is primarily delivered through environmental storytelling, including journal entries and ancient artifacts, which many players found engaging and immersive. While the narrative builds intrigue and mystery, some reviewers noted that the pacing can be slow, with a lack of clear objectives at times, leading to a feeling of aimlessness. The ending, however, has received mixed feedback, with some players feeling it was underwhelming or left too many loose ends, despite the overall richness of the lore and atmosphere throughout the game.

    • “With stunning visuals, changing weather systems, and a gripping story, The Solus Project keeps you on edge while you piece together the planet’s secrets.”
    • “The visuals are jaw-dropping, the soundtrack haunting, and the story is gripping.”
    • “The story is thin but the numerous journals and other texts made me want to know more and search every part of the islands, whether it be in the burning sun or freezing shadows.”
    • “The story was lackluster, did not engage me much.”
    • “The story hypes you up for what would seem like some sort of scary, awesome alien monster but at the end of the story - there's just nothing.”
  • gameplay679 mentions

    The gameplay of this title is a blend of exploration and survival mechanics, with players navigating a visually stunning alien world while managing basic needs like hunger, thirst, and temperature. While some find the survival elements engaging and atmospheric, others criticize them as overly simplistic or trivial, often detracting from the overall experience. The game is primarily linear, with a focus on puzzle-solving and exploration, but many players feel that the mechanics can become repetitive and lack depth over time.

    • “An enigmatic and desolate world, with gameplay similar to Subnautica and other survival/exploration sims.”
    • “Great story and great gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is exploration-focused, with some survival mechanics thrown in for good measure.”
    • “It's too much wandering around hoping to find what you need with survival mechanics that are more of a nuisance than a challenge.”
    • “The survival mechanics are very surface level.”
    • “The gameplay itself was probably the weakest point of this game.”
  • graphics624 mentions

    The graphics of "The Solus Project" receive mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning visuals, dynamic weather systems, and immersive environments that enhance the game's atmosphere. However, some players criticize the repetitive textures and occasional graphical glitches, suggesting that while the game looks good for its time, it may not hold up against modern standards. Overall, the visuals are often described as beautiful and engaging, particularly in VR, but there are notable concerns regarding optimization and consistency.

    • “With stunning visuals, changing weather systems, and a gripping story, The Solus Project keeps you on edge while you piece together the planet’s secrets.”
    • “The visuals are jaw-dropping, the soundtrack haunting, and the story is gripping.”
    • “The graphics are truly out of this world, and I'm enjoying the gameplay of exploring an alien world a lot.”
    • “Although the environment with its day and night cycle can be quite pretty, most of the graphics are just repetitive and low quality, even for a game from that time (2016).”
    • “I am well above recommended spec but the graphics are below par and it froze then crashed on my first time out.”
    • “It feels like the graphics honestly belonged to a game from a decade ago.”
  • atmosphere526 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and haunting qualities, featuring stunning visuals, dynamic weather effects, and a rich sound design that enhances the sense of isolation and suspense. Players appreciate the eerie and mysterious environments, which contribute to a feeling of impending danger and intrigue, making exploration both thrilling and unnerving. Despite some criticisms regarding pacing and gameplay mechanics, the overall atmospheric experience is considered a standout feature that captivates players throughout their journey.

    • “Good survivor/exploration open world game that provides suspense and a terrifying atmosphere.”
    • “A heavily atmospheric journey through beautiful alien landscapes.”
    • “The atmosphere created by the dev team is f***ing great and the plot keeps you interested and wanting to learn more about the strange forsaken planet you find yourself on.”
    • “Given how good the atmosphere was and how poor everything else, I think this game should have been a straight-up survival game.”
    • “The problem is that this is a game that relies solely on atmosphere, given that nothing happens 99% of the time, and doesn't have the sense of presence that an experience like this requires.”
    • “Very imaginative environment and atmosphere on a distant planet, but as that novelty fades away, the visuals, level design, and quests became very dry after the first few hours.”
  • music254 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and immersion, particularly during tense moments. While some users found the soundtrack to be haunting and beautifully composed, others criticized it as repetitive or reminiscent of other works, such as the film "Gravity." Overall, the sound design, including ambient effects and reactive music, significantly contributes to the game's eerie and engaging experience.

    • “Huge shout out to the sound/music designers, the music and effects are amazing, it really adds to the tense atmosphere and immersion of being on an alien planet with impending danger at any moment.”
    • “The visuals are jaw-dropping, the soundtrack haunting and the story is gripping.”
    • “The atmosphere and music further contributed to my enjoyment, eventually motivating me to purchase the official soundtrack.”
    • “Mediocre, repetitive soundtrack.”
    • “Some of the music sounded a bit like a rip-off of the film Gravity's music, though (the song titled 'Debris' in particular). Now, whenever I listen to the soundtrack for Gravity, I'm probably going to wind up thinking of The Solus Project instead, particularly during tornado/water spout sequences, though there are a few musical differences.”
    • “Graphics are bland but okay, music is absent, sound is okay, game is buggy.”
  • optimization100 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing smooth performance and no stuttering, while others report significant issues, particularly in VR, including stuttering and frame drops. Many users noted that performance can vary greatly depending on hardware, with some configurations struggling even on high-end systems. Overall, while there are moments of excellent performance, the game still requires further optimization to enhance the experience, especially in VR settings.

    • “I can’t see any bugs; it is well optimized and polished by now. Unreal Engine does a great job.”
    • “The game world is beautifully rendered with UE4 and highly optimized for any machine.”
    • “A big plus is also the perfect optimization; I have a GTX 980 Ti and it can handle the game perfectly well.”
    • “Last time I played it, the performance was terrible on a GTX 1080.”
    • “Another downside is that the game's performance can drop very badly after playing it for a few hours, almost as if it is running out of memory (due to a memory leak).”
    • “This game has serious performance issues in VR.”
  • stability76 mentions

    The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant bugs and glitches, particularly in VR controls and cutscenes, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences. However, some users noted that they encountered few to no issues, especially after patches were released, indicating that stability may vary depending on individual experiences and system configurations. Overall, while some players enjoyed a relatively bug-free experience, a substantial number found the game too unstable to recommend.

    • “Apart from a few issues brought about by the use of the teleport facility, which on occasions allowed me to jump to areas of the game that the game logic hadn't anticipated, it's been a bug-free stable experience for me.”
    • “The game runs completely bug-free for me, but I understand the first release was not really that stable.”
    • “Game runs great on 150% texture resolution on an i5, GTX 970 4GB, 8GB RAM setup.”
    • “I really wanted to like this game - but it is so buggy that I can't play it anymore.”
    • “Boring level design, totally unrealistic resource usage (food/water), controls feel clunky, repetitive sounds which are very annoying, buggy inventory (lost an electric torch for no reason), had to use a console cheat (fly mode) just to progress past a certain important part in the main story.”
    • “Every time I hit the loading screen, the game freezes and loops the loading animation and song.”
  • grinding73 mentions

    The reviews highlight a significant issue with grinding in the game, describing it as often tedious and frustrating, particularly due to slow movement, lack of save points, and excessive backtracking. While some players appreciate the survival mechanics and atmospheric elements, many feel that the gameplay devolves into a chore rather than an engaging experience, with certain aspects requiring unnecessary searching and reading that detracts from enjoyment. Overall, while the game offers a rich narrative and visuals, the grinding elements can hinder the overall experience for many players.

    • “Like many survival games, it starts awesome then it's a tedious walking simulator with increasingly annoying puzzles that don't make any sense and require most users to search the internet for clues.”
    • “The lack of being able to save anywhere without sleeping becomes tedious and some areas have a long stretch between save shrines while environmental hazards stop you from sleeping and can show up to kill you at random.”
    • “Unfortunately, survival is not tense or difficult, just tedious and boring.”
  • emotional30 mentions

    Players find the game to be a deeply emotional experience, often feeling a strong connection to the character and the immersive environment, which evokes feelings of loneliness and beauty. The narrative is praised for its emotional depth, with some players reporting that it left them emotionally drained yet satisfied, highlighting the game's ability to create a powerful and engaging atmosphere. However, some critiques mention that while the survival elements are challenging, they can also lead to a sense of invincibility that detracts from the overall emotional tension.

    • “This is a story that I thoroughly enjoyed, and I found the emotionally charged conclusion to it very satisfying.”
    • “There were some play sessions that left me emotionally drained.”
    • “Said narrative experience is strong and emotional.”
    • “The game has a great atmosphere, but the emotional depth is lacking, making the story feel dull and unengaging.”
    • “While the visuals create a captivating environment, the emotional narrative falls flat, leaving players feeling disconnected.”
    • “The atmosphere is impressive, but the emotional impact is minimal, resulting in a story that feels tedious and uninspired.”
  • replayability22 mentions

    Overall, the game exhibits limited replayability due to its linear, scripted story structure and lack of multiplayer or DLC options. While some players found enjoyment in their initial playthrough, many noted that the absence of additional content or dynamic elements significantly hampers the potential for replay value. A few users mentioned that playing in different modes offered a slightly improved experience, but the consensus remains that the game does not encourage repeated playthroughs.

    • “Took me almost 30 hours to complete and there is lots of replayability here.”
    • “The game is long, and replayable.”
    • “There is definitely some replayability here for me.”
    • “Not much replayability, since the game is linear, but I enjoyed the few evenings it took me to play this through.”
    • “The only problem is it has no replay value whatsoever.”
    • “It has very limited replayability as it's just a scripted story.”
  • humor8 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as a mix of unintentional comedy stemming from its poor controls and design choices, alongside some creative elements like the use of a laughing baby doll trope. While there are moments of imaginative humor, the overall experience is marred by frustrating gameplay mechanics that detract from the intended comedic effect.

    • “Great imagination went into this game, even a little humor.”
    • “Heh, they even did the predictable 'horror' trope of one part of the game following you around with laughing baby doll things, in space...”
    • “The controls are hilariously bad and counterintuitive.”
  • monetization4 mentions

    Reviewers appreciate the game's full-price model as a welcome departure from the prevalent trend of early access titles that often feel like cash grabs. However, there are suggestions to delay advertising VR support until the feature is more refined.

    • “Such a refreshing change to pay for a full-fledged VR game rather than yet another early access cash grab.”
    • “May I suggest you wait on advertising VR support until it's a lot more polished.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

60% average critic score

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Play time

10hMedian play time
159hAverage play time
3-21hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 56 analyzed playthroughs

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