Solasta: Crown of the Magister Reviews
Solasta's tactical battles shine brightly, even in the shadow of a drab and by-the-numbers fantasy story.
TTRPG video games at their finest.
With its extremely faithful rendition of the Dungeons & Dragons 5e ruleset, Solasta: Crown of the Magister is a dream come true for all those D&D fans who also happen to love video games. However, strict adherence to this ruleset is also the game's main flaw, as it results in an overwhelming experience for all those who do not live and breathe Dungeons & Dragons. Those who power through the initial difficulties, though, will find a solid cRPG featuring great tactical combat and amazing depth.
Solasta: Crown of the Magister has a few notable problems, and it starts to stumble the closer you get to the finish line. However, it still manages to offer an engaging and highly customizable experience that will keep you entertained for many hours.
If you’re a Dungeons and Dragons enthusiast that demands slavish adherence to licensed and familiar content, then Solasta: Crown of the Magister may disappoint you. If, on the other hand, your concept of D&D is more defined by the mechanics of character and party creation and the flow of exploration and combat defined by rolls of the dice, then Solasta will deliver a very authentic experience. It often doesn’t look pretty and it still has a few ugly bugs to iron out, but the inclusion of an excellent level creator and a superlative UI put Solasta: Crown of the Magister in the must-play column for both fans of the Fifth Edition rules and CRPGs in general.
Solasta is a faithful adaptation of D&D, full of heart, which respects the rules to the letter and which gives a good feeling of paper role-playing. The result is an independent title with big ambitions but little budget and it is felt on all the elements.
Review in French | Read full review
There may come a time when Solasta achieves the lofty heights I see for it, though that future is uncertain. If you buy it right now for its $40 asking price you may feel put out, but for those that are even minorly interested I strongly encourage you to keep an eye on its development. I can’t say where its development will take it, but with the strong showing already available, I am more than happy to keep diving back into this game. It’s rare to find a tactical RPG with this many options and depth, even where many of the marks of quality still need to be ironed out.
My gripe here is I wish Tactical Adventures had thought twice about its setting and had done as much to turn the “ruined ancient empire” trope on its head as it did with Solasta’s tactical combat. Once it gets better at this, Tactical Adventures has the potential to join the ranks of Obsidian, InXile, or Larian as a top-tier RPG dev house.
Solasta: Crown of the Magister is an authentic D&D experience, with great tactical combat and plenty of deep systems to chow down on.
Solasta is a very good tactical RPG that offers a faithful adaptation of Dungeons & Dragons' fifth edition and a robust and satisftying combat system. It doesn't break new grounds, nor does it really try to, but Solasta succeeds at almost everything it sets up to do. If you love turn-based combat and a classic fantasy adventure there aren't many reasons not to try this game.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Solasta's storytelling may not be up to much, but its tactical combat and accessible approach to D&D rules make it worth considering for CRPG fans.