Cutscenes really feel like traditional BioWare fare however do a very good job of pushing ahead the story with out counting on speaking heads or blocks of textual content.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nYou create and play as a bunch of adventurers which have arrived within the impartial metropolis of Caer Cyflen, which is providing well-paid work to these keen to courageous the \u201cBadlands\u201d. The town council believes a plot is brewing in opposition to the adjoining kingdoms and search adventurers to find the reason for current assaults and disappearances.<\/p>\n
This quest will take you from forts on the outskirts, into buried magical libraries, lava-filled caverns, and elven palaces. There are shape-shifting lizards from one other dimension, a subservient human cult, mysterious artefacts, and the specter of one other cataclysm. Very long time RPG followers will roll their eyes, having seen related narrative hooks earlier than, however it offers some much-needed narrative context for the sequence of tactical battles. It\u2019s not the longest RPG marketing campaign, however dialogue decisions and character attributes \u2013 which influence each the way you navigate the atmosphere and strategy fight \u2013 add a level of replayability.<\/p>\nIt\u2019s not all fight thoughts you. There\u2019re some primary puzzles that require navigating or interacting with objects within the atmosphere.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nCreating your social gathering of 4 can take ages in case you spend your time researching the influence of each stat and high-level subspecialties, however it\u2019s one thing that tabletop p[layers will relish (and you can pick from several pre-made characters if you want). One of the character choices is \u201cpersonality\u201d, which ties into a dynamic dialogue system that is surprisingly robust. The nature of party banter and how your characters interact with quest givers can change, yet the dialogue feels fluid (outside of a few curt and distinctly generic responses).<\/p>\n
Many attributes and abilities tie directly into combat, but they can also affect your parties ability to move around the surprisingly vertical environments (for the genre at any rate). Level design and how you approach combat can drastically change how each fight plays out. Charging in can often leave enemies in control of high points and limit your cover. It also allows for more epic moments as your party battles up cliffside paths or fights on narrow ledges above magical chasms. There are very few conventional (think flat) combat arenas, while your foes are nimble enough to ensure nowhere is safe.<\/p>\nCombat can take place in vertical environments that force you to leap from ledge to ledge and even manage light sources in the dark (which, of course, impacts chance-to-hit).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSolasta: Crown of the Magister<\/strong> places a strong emphasis on its tabletop inspiration and, as such, every action and outcome is based on the role of the dice. Turn order, hit chance, saving throws, spells, class abilities, dialogue checks \u2013 it\u2019s all down to luck and modifiers. That said, the basic flow of turn-based, round-by-round combat doesn\u2019t stray far from genre basics, and you\u2019ll find your groove quickly. Movement, a major action, and maybe a free action, make up each turn at first.<\/p>\nMovement and character placement is particularly important, as verticality means opportunities to push enemies off ledges (and the same can happen to you). Thankfully, basic cantrips (think low-level spells) are often free actions, while there are several class-specific abilities to prolong your turn. As a\u00a0 result, constant levelling and advanced character builds allow you to take more and more actions each round. With each location only consisting of a few critical fights, this ensures the stakes high and ensure the game moves along briskly. It\u2019s a far cry from the often repetitive and drawn out encounters in most turn-based games.<\/p>\nYou\u2019ll quickly learn to appreciate the need to design smaller, more intricate, and densely detailed dungeons after you create your first barren-looking monstrosity.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nOne of the most advertised features for Solasta: Crown of the Magister<\/strong> was the \u201cDungeon Maker\u201d feature, which is both impressive for quickly crafting dungeon raids but currently lacks many narrative options. Tactical Adventures plans to expand this future going forward but, even in its current state, it feels almost as accessible and intuitive and Bioware\u2019s excellent Aurora Toolset from 2002\u2019s Neverwinter Nights.<\/p>\nAfter choosing from several tilesets, the ambience, and the background track, there is a myriad of props and light sources to decorate your location. You can bar the way with locked and trapped doors, sending players on the hunt for key items. Encounters can be tweaked to cater for any level party \u2013 offering several types of triggers if you want to catch players off guard \u2013 while loot chests can be filled with loot. Every creature and item available in the Crown of the Magister module is available to the DM. It\u2019s a fun and interesting way to get to grips with the complexity of the level design but doesn\u2019t feel fully featured just yet.<\/p>\nThere are a few visual flourishes to spice up enemy encounters and combat, but Solasta: Crown of the Magister is ultimately about the thrill of dice rolls and high numbers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhen it comes to presentation, Solasta: Crown of the Magister<\/strong> can look good, with sprawling and atmospheric locations, backed up by a great soundtrack. The biggest weakness is the character models for some secondary NPCs. Your party, most enemies, and key NPCs can look good, but others look plasticky and distinctly dated. Thankfully, you\u2019ll barely notice these when you\u2019re caught up in the tactical combat while the music swells, but dialogue sequences make it obvious. That said, even the somewhat janky cutscenes are still entertaining thanks to surprisingly good voice work and cohesive dialogue that comes together despite having to deal with several personality types. On the downside, performance could be inconsistent \u2013 I think lighting effects had the biggest impact \u2013 and loading times are long for larger outdoor larger locations (even using an SSD).<\/p>\nIf you can look past a few flaws and the currently limited Dungeon Maker feature, Solasta: Crown of the Magister<\/strong> is still a solid pick for fans of classic CRPGs and any amateur DMs looking for an intuitive way to craft dungeon gauntlets to challenge your friends. The campaign feels a little light on detail at times but is still fun to play thanks to the vertical combat complexities. The Dungeon Maker feature \u2013 if it continues to expand \u2013 could be the true highlight, granting the game a ton of longevity if full campaigns can one day be developed using it.<\/p>\n
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