Sol Cresta Reviews
Platinum's modernisation of the classic shoot 'em up form has delivered something thrilling, distinct ‒ and in need of a bit of a polish
If you're a fan of this now very old series, you might find Sol Cresta's mould appealing. It's certainly fun to improve, win shields, and prolong your survival by grabbing back lost ships; and to be able to whip your craft into formation and quickly destroy bosses with a countdown of powerful ordnance - and the audio is sublime. At the same time, with all of its interesting ideas, one can't help but feel that there are elements here that need more polish and careful implementation. There are very few memorable boss attacks, and while some stage junctures are somewhat shrewd, others come off as ill-conceived or uninspired. By no means is that to say it's unenjoyable - there is a definite groove within its visual mess that becomes clearer over time as you chip away at the interesting core gameplay - but the fact of the matter is that Sol Cresta is up against a wealth of extremely steep competition, and to stand out it needs to be hitting the all-important notes with greater finesse.
An impossibly ugly attempt at a faux retro 2D shooter that thankfully plays better than it looks, but still feels like a mostly wasted opportunity.
Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.
Sol Cresta is a fantastic shoot ‘em up that should keep fans of the genre entertained for a long time. Die-hard shooter fans won’t be disappointed.
Behind Sol Cresta hides the desire for redemption of a Platinum Games wounded in pride since the days of Star Fox Zero. A Shoot 'em up with ancient inspirations but aware of coming into the world in 2022, capable of introducing a great variety of innovative and ingenious mechanics but which exaggerates with the amount of its contents, which become almost suffocating.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A fun little gem for retrogames' lovers. It still has something to improve on Switch, both on the technical and the difficulty side, but it plays like a breath of nostalgia for long-time fans of shoot'em ups.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Sol Cresta can be a little annoying with its mechanics for anyone who is willing to take the time to get good at it. There are way better scrolling shooters already on Nintendo Switch and the one thing that makes this one notable is the pedigree behind it. At the very least, the music is pure fire and energy - some of Koshiro's best work to date.
undefined.SOL CRESTA is an intense and deep vertical shooter entry on Switch, and genre enthusiasts would be doing themselves a favor by adding it to their libraries. In-game achievements unlock new content, such as Caravan Mode, online leaderboards, and the aforementioned Sound Test. Even finishing the final stage on normal difficulty is a steep challenge that requires a fair measure of skill, particularly with swapping formations and the slowing of time that this ability grants. If this is the level of quality we can expect from future arcade-style shooters courtesy of PlatinumGames, I'll be demanding as many as we can get, until Kamiya-san blocks me on Twitter.
If you’re an old-school arcade shooter fan the Nintendo Switch was already bordering on a dream console...
Sol Cresta is not a bad bullet-hell shooter at all, but it’s far from being the most interesting I’ve played in a while. Its visuals and soundtrack did not wow me, and while it had one very interesting gameplay feature, it wasn’t exactly a new one: other games in the franchise have had them in the past. It felt less of a modern revival of an arcade franchise and just a new version of a 90s title which was locked in someone’s storage for the past 25 years.
An excellent shmup that blends the classic gameplay from the original Cresta games with a modern design philosophy, full of bright ideas, fast action and pure PlatinumGames style.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Sol Cresta is a very "old school" game and aimed at a nostalgic audience of arcades.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review