Solar Ash Reviews

Solar Ash is ranked in the 67th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
4.9 / 5.0
Jan 3, 2024

Solar Ash is one of those incredibly rare masterpieces that doesn’t get enough recognition for what it gives you; with an intensely rich story that unfolds as you progress and the unique world design, it just keeps giving you more reason to keep going. The fact that it’s a puzzle platformer actually adds to this game’s unique flare and helps keep things a bit more lively where other games go stale after a while.

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GBAtemp
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Oct 10, 2023

Solar Ash offers a visual delight with satisfying sci-fi parkour exploration but its call for adventure is occasionally hampered by certain repetitive actions.

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7.9 / 10.0
Oct 5, 2023

There’s a sense of freedom and fun as you’ll explore the world, and it has terrific moments, but it doesn’t all work well on Switch

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7.5 / 10.0
Oct 4, 2023

Solar Ash is a worthy adventure platformer. Its movement mechanic is the main responsible for the agile and fun gameplay that permeates exploration and combat in yet another Heart Machine hit, as the company managed to make the transition to 3D. It's natural that some issues arise, as no game is perfect, but the Switch version is yet another port that suffers with inferior graphic quality and framerate drops. Fortunately, they do not completely invalidate the experience but a part of the chaotic beauty of the Ultravoid is lost in its sacrifices.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

A-
Oct 2, 2023

Any game that makes movement feel this cool and effortless is a must-play, as far as I’m concerned.

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9 / 10.0
Sep 17, 2023

Solar Ash offers sublime movement and an interesting story, with some fantastic mechanics that make you want to explore every facet of it.

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7.5 / 10.0
Sep 14, 2023

Solar Ash is short, sweet, and a little too repetitive. The gameplay is a ton of fun the first hour or two. By the end things were carried by the gorgeous visuals, excellent music, and heartbreaking story. This one should be a no brainer to at least check out through Game Pass

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7 / 10.0
Dec 20, 2022

Solar Ash is a 3D adventure that bets on its quick and stylish action to offer a fast-paced journey. Skating fast and solving navigation puzzles through its exotic sceneries is fascinating, especially due to the enticing creativity of its areas. Besides that, the battles against huge monsters are notable for being visually impressive. The concepts are solid and the universe is beautiful, but the execution leave [much] to be desired. The constant presence of trial and error, the erratic camera, repetitive progression and other issues hamper the experience as a whole. Overall, Solar Ash is a reasonable adventure but far from being unforgettable.

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8.2 / 10.0
Feb 2, 2022

Solar Ash is a game that doesn't try to go any further than it can, focusing on simple, effective gameplay with an interesting story and a mysterious world that encourages you to explore. It may stumble in some situations, but when it gets it right, all evils are immediately forgotten.

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GameMAG
Top Critic
7 / 10
Jan 17, 2022

Solar Ash feels like a middle ground between something like Jet Set Radio and Shadow of the Colossus. Sadly, the new game by Heart Machine lacks any meaningful ambitions or novelty, and yet if you love the genre, Solar Ash is worth a try.

Review in Russian | Read full review

7.5 / 10.0
Jan 7, 2022

Solar Ash is a surreal adventure that allows us to literally swim through the game. And although over time the fun becomes quite repetitive, losing some charm, the style does not allow us to break away from it until the very end.

Review in Polish | Read full review

Dec 30, 2021

Solar Ash is a fun, fresh adventure that’s perfect for players who love getting lost in strange new worlds and being rewarded for exploring their every nook and cranny. Its tale is engaging enough to keep you moving forward (and backward, and up and down and every which way), and the final reveal is both well earned and well executed. It might not be the best game you play this year, but diving into the Ultravoid to explore it’s vast impossibilities and unearth it’s deepest secrets is an experience that shouldn’t be missed.

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69 / 100
Dec 28, 2021

Solar Ash is a visually pleasing adventure that pulls you in quickly with its swift and elegant movement mechanics and a snazzy synth soundtrack. Despite the strong start, the experience begins to lose its grip the longer it goes, with unreliable performance and mundane combat.

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Dec 20, 2021

I feel comfortable saying that Solar Ash is going to be someone's favorite game. It has a singular artistic vision and a strong enough message that, for the right person at the right time in their life, it's going to ring true in a way that will resonate with them, perhaps like no other work of art. It's also hard to deny the game's visual splendor. For me, it is a game that I wish I loved, but only liked, and I fear that will be the most common experience. There are a few too many flaws to overlook, and it's hard not to compare it to the masterpieces it hoped to emulate. That said, the video game world could do with more ambitious, imperfect works like Solar Ash and fewer safer bets. It may not be quite the masterwork that Hyper Light Drifter was, but it's still likely to stick with you after the credits roll.

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6 / 10.0
Dec 19, 2021

A lot of games did similar things to what you can find in Solar Ash, and unfortunately this new Heart Machine's game can't offer anything new. It's still a fine game, but one would expect something much more than just fine from these developers.

Review in Russian | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Dec 15, 2021

All in all, Solar Ash is a well-built, well-colored and unique game that you won't regret experiencing.

Review in Persian | Read full review

Dec 14, 2021

Solar Ash hinges itself upon two core mechanics -- and almost nothing else. Skating around and dispelling corrupted masses of black goo is fun for a while, but when you've seen a game's whole hand in the first half-hour, it's a little hard to stay on board for the remainder.

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7.6 / 10.0
Dec 14, 2021

Solar Ash is a solid second effort from the talented people at Heart Machine Games, with an intoxicating sense of freedom, good boss fights and a gorgeous soundtrack. It's less polished and less deep than its predecessor, but it's worth your time and money.

Review in Italian | Read full review

7.5 / 10.0
Dec 13, 2021

Boss fights continue to be the highlight of Solar Ash, and while the gaming experience isn't perfect, it's still enjoyable.

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7.5 / 10.0
Dec 13, 2021

Solar Ash is a very well-built $20 platform that offers you a very entertaining package of stages, maps and platforming.

Review in Persian | Read full review