Pier Solar and the Great Architects is a game that makes up for its mediocrity by being interesting. It is the first instance I can think of where an indie studio released a game for the Sega Genesis post-support, a trend that is alive and well today with titles such as Tanglewood and WaterMelon's own Paprium. While it's possible some other title predated this and kickstarted the practice, Pier Solar is the first one I remember hearing about. It was pretty popular at the time, and I was a little upset that I didn't have enough money when it released to get a copy for myself.
If you also missed out on playing this at release then you still have a few options to enjoy it today, including paying over 250$ (at the time of this writing) for a used copy on Ebay, or going a more cost-efficient route with the PSN rerelease. You could also just grab a rom and run it through Kega Fusion. Talk about adherence to authenticity, it doesn't get much more Sega Genesis than that!
Another way in which WaterMelon succeeded in creating a quintessentially Genesis title was by slavishly designing Pier Solar to be as dull as any other JRPG on the system. Oh, okay, yeah I know, I get it. You all like Phantasy Star! Unfortunately, that doesn't change the fact that Pier Solar is as pedestrian as they come, with no real unique systems or underlying mechanics to provide it identity. Just mash out your attacks with little forethought or consequence. The real difficulty comes from running low on supplies in the middle of a labyrinthine dungeon, and one too many random battles finally wearing you down. Pier Solar lacks mechanical substance, and again, that is nothing if not characteristic of most JRPGs of the time, especially on Sega consoles. It's accurate even if it may not be good.
Pier Solar's biggest saving grace is its presentation, which is just beautiful. Dungeons and towns use very vibrant color pallets and are dense with sprite detail, it doesn't take long to realize why WaterMelon needed a 64-meg cart to pull it all off. While it's undeniably a Genesis game, it looks much closer to something you'd see on a Sega CD, like Lunar, or perhaps even the 32X. It's impressive. The soundtrack is also excellent, though I think the Sega CD enhancements take away some of the punch afforded to it thanks to the Yamaha YM2612.
The story is fine for what it is, just your typical RPG tale of a hero leaving his home town on a small quest which blows up into a larger conspiracy that could end the whole world. Typical stuff. The ending is weirdly bleak, however, and feels entirely unearned. Spoilers for this game that came out twelve years ago:
Hoston and his party save the world but are left wondering what to do about the Pier Solar, a device capable of rewriting history. Hoston determines the best COA (course of action) is to use the device to create a reality where it never existed in the first place, which will require him to sacrifice himself for reasons. Everyone rightly calls this idea stupid, and they even make a point of saying they could just leave and come back once they figure out a way to properly destroy it. Hoston, who has now become a suicidal defeatist on a dime, uses the device anyway. As he floats through the void, trapped forever in a place of non-existence, he's visited by a specter parading around in the image of his father. This being spells quite plainly how bad his choice was: His friends may never know who Hoston was, but his absence will affect them all the same, leaving something hollow in their lives. And without Hoston, his parents marriage will ultimately dissolve, leaving them both unhappy. Jesus Christ! It's not even bittersweet, Hoston just straight up makes a shitty choice and the game then calls him (and by proxy you) a dumbass. Roll those fucking credits.
Despite some misgivings, I still think Pier Solar is a feat. An eight person team put in several years of incredibly hard work, endured the departure of one of their lead sprite artists who took their work with them, and still shipped a genuine Sega Genesis game. The biggest ever, in fact! By any metric, that's a huge accomplishment. Genesis homebrew existed before Pier Solar, but it was even stronger after, inspiring others to get into the scene and create their own games. As a statement, a show of passion, I think Pier Solar is incredible. As a game... ehh, it's okay. It's a very standard 16-bit RPG with great presentation, and you might get more mileage out of that than I did.
If you also missed out on playing this at release then you still have a few options to enjoy it today, including paying over 250$ (at the time of this writing) for a used copy on Ebay, or going a more cost-efficient route with the PSN rerelease. You could also just grab a rom and run it through Kega Fusion. Talk about adherence to authenticity, it doesn't get much more Sega Genesis than that!
Another way in which WaterMelon succeeded in creating a quintessentially Genesis title was by slavishly designing Pier Solar to be as dull as any other JRPG on the system. Oh, okay, yeah I know, I get it. You all like Phantasy Star! Unfortunately, that doesn't change the fact that Pier Solar is as pedestrian as they come, with no real unique systems or underlying mechanics to provide it identity. Just mash out your attacks with little forethought or consequence. The real difficulty comes from running low on supplies in the middle of a labyrinthine dungeon, and one too many random battles finally wearing you down. Pier Solar lacks mechanical substance, and again, that is nothing if not characteristic of most JRPGs of the time, especially on Sega consoles. It's accurate even if it may not be good.
Pier Solar's biggest saving grace is its presentation, which is just beautiful. Dungeons and towns use very vibrant color pallets and are dense with sprite detail, it doesn't take long to realize why WaterMelon needed a 64-meg cart to pull it all off. While it's undeniably a Genesis game, it looks much closer to something you'd see on a Sega CD, like Lunar, or perhaps even the 32X. It's impressive. The soundtrack is also excellent, though I think the Sega CD enhancements take away some of the punch afforded to it thanks to the Yamaha YM2612.
The story is fine for what it is, just your typical RPG tale of a hero leaving his home town on a small quest which blows up into a larger conspiracy that could end the whole world. Typical stuff. The ending is weirdly bleak, however, and feels entirely unearned. Spoilers for this game that came out twelve years ago:
Hoston and his party save the world but are left wondering what to do about the Pier Solar, a device capable of rewriting history. Hoston determines the best COA (course of action) is to use the device to create a reality where it never existed in the first place, which will require him to sacrifice himself for reasons. Everyone rightly calls this idea stupid, and they even make a point of saying they could just leave and come back once they figure out a way to properly destroy it. Hoston, who has now become a suicidal defeatist on a dime, uses the device anyway. As he floats through the void, trapped forever in a place of non-existence, he's visited by a specter parading around in the image of his father. This being spells quite plainly how bad his choice was: His friends may never know who Hoston was, but his absence will affect them all the same, leaving something hollow in their lives. And without Hoston, his parents marriage will ultimately dissolve, leaving them both unhappy. Jesus Christ! It's not even bittersweet, Hoston just straight up makes a shitty choice and the game then calls him (and by proxy you) a dumbass. Roll those fucking credits.
Despite some misgivings, I still think Pier Solar is a feat. An eight person team put in several years of incredibly hard work, endured the departure of one of their lead sprite artists who took their work with them, and still shipped a genuine Sega Genesis game. The biggest ever, in fact! By any metric, that's a huge accomplishment. Genesis homebrew existed before Pier Solar, but it was even stronger after, inspiring others to get into the scene and create their own games. As a statement, a show of passion, I think Pier Solar is incredible. As a game... ehh, it's okay. It's a very standard 16-bit RPG with great presentation, and you might get more mileage out of that than I did.