A principle of Mindfullness is the concept that we cannot cure what has happened to us, we can only learn to heal from our past, and move onward.

SOLAR ASH packs a pretty predictable yet emotionally satisfying story of desperation and forgiveness into a fast paced 3D platformer. A story of slowly learning to heal. The movement mechanics are wonderful from the get go, each system building until you're speeding up the torso's of giant monsters, navigating the SUPER MARIO GALAXY-esque gravity system to pull off perfect attack chains.

When you're on the games wavelength, you truly can get lost in the experience. However, there are a handful of hiccups that break immersion. You'll inevitably hit a point where the speed and precision you're attempting to pull off will push the game engine too far. I got knocked into the interior of a building model while fighting some enemies and had to reset to get out. It's still respectable that the game pulls off so many unique layers at once. Probably could've had more enemy variety (once you hit the second section of the map you've seen all the baddie varieties).

A short but spectacular little adventure that will hook you with its traversal mechanics, and should keep you engaged through its uplifting finale. A real hidden gem.

Reviewed on Nov 14, 2023


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