While a good idea, SolSeraph just doesn’t seem to execute its ideas well enough to make it a good game. It’s a great concept but needs a bit more fleshed out.
SolSeraph
ACE Team · Jul 10, 2019
About
Build your cities and set up defensive structures to protect them from the constant threat of monsters. Brought to you by ACE Team, SolSeraph combines action and strategy for a rich gameplay experience reminiscent of the 16-bit era.
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- A spiritual successor to Actraiser, SolSeraph is one of those titles that goes into the file of games we really wanted to like because in theory it had all the ingredients, good ideas and influence from great games of the past, but unfortunately comes together in an uninspired way. The basic elements of Actraiser are present but SolSeraph is an homage that fails to capture the spirit of the game that made players feel like a god 28 years ago, resulting in a pale imitation.
- 6.0SolSeraph could have hemmed slightly closer to the conventions of its clear inspiration, and it may have been better for it. The changes to the sim aspect create gameplay depth at the expense of tonal depth, and the action segments can be annoyingly clunky, especially with the unnecessary addition of enemies that are untouchable until an unclear point in time. The willingness to riff on one of the most beloved classics of an entire console era shows a remarkable amount of audacity, and it actually halfway works. It's the half that doesn't that makes SolSeraph such a qualified recommendation.
- 6.0SolSeraph is a love letter to fans of Actraiser and feels like it should somehow contain the name in its title. Sadly, it falls short on several areas that keep it from resurrecting the genre like many hoped it would. Ace Team continues to be a developer I cannot take my eyes off of though. Their creations are unique in and of themselves, and always entertain me even when they fall short of that great status mark.
- If anything, SolSeraph made me want to play ActRaiser once more. Oh wait, I can’t, because nearly nobody bought the damn SNES cartridge back in the day. Well, I guess I’ll have to stick with you, SolSeraph. I doubt Square Enix is planning to re-release ActRaiser in any given form anyway…
- 5.0I can’t recommend SolSeraph on the whole because that would be silly of me. Its issues are obvious and pretty problematic. But there will be some players out there that will possibly like it; those who have a fondness for games from yesteryear, that don’t mind a bit of janky platforming and basic tower defence. SolSeraph is a bad game, but there’s just something about it. It’s unlike anything else currently available, and if you have the patience for it you might find it strangely enjoyable like I sometimes did, but also occasionally mightily frustrating.
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