Solstice Chronicles: MIA (PC) Review

From the get-go, Solstice Chronicles: MIA has some slight communication issues. After selecting one of the two initially available classes, an unnamed space marine is thrown into battle against a horde of oncoming alien monsters. By default, the game is configured to use WASD controls along with a mouse, but nowhere is that mentioned. There is an option to use a gamepad instead, but the option doesn't work by default, instead requiring the control setup to be selected from the menus.

The controls feel a little stiff and awkward at times. While the marine moves with standard WASD controls, the gun's reticule is aimed through the right mouse button, and fired with the left. Strafing and firing feels a little laggy and choppy on occasion, and there's sometimes a noticeable amount of input lag between moving and firing. Aiming is a little imprecise as well; between the spread and range shown by the gun's reticule, it often feels like the game isn't accurately representing the abilities of each gun very well.

The initial map gives out a lot of scattered information. Near the player, an unnamed space marine, are several crates containing ammo, along with several interactable objects. An automated turret is firing at the oncoming wave of aliens, while the player is safely behind cover. While the segment is scripted, it doesn't give a good introduction to the gameplay systems. The weapons in this segment are far stronger than any obtained early on in the campaign, and the turret's power level makes any attempts to learn how to manage ammo and aim correctly irrelevant.

After this short introductory section, there's a brief cutscene where the marine is captured by a large alien monster, and is rescued by a rogue drone named Saffron. Saffron is the source of not only some of the weakest and unconvincing cutscene banter ever produced, she's also responsible for helping the player manage one of Solstice Chronicles: MIA's few unique elements: the threat level system.

Saffron's four modules can be used to aid the marine in combat, and also manage the ambient threat level. The threat level is pretty self-explanatory, and determines the strength of incoming monsters, and interestingly, the marine himself. Saffron's modules can pull supplies from across the map, stun weaker enemies, or damage enemies in a wide area, at the risk of increasing the threat level, or she can call additional waves of enemies to lower it.

While the threat mechanics are certainly unique, they're a bit too abusable, at least in the first half of the campaign. It's easy to have Saffron call for a large number of supplies, raising the threat level, then pulling in wave after wave near automated turrets to bring it back down to zero. Having her pull in absurdly powerful weapons right before the level's bosses makes most of these larger fights a breeze, as the threat level is just as beneficial as it is dangerous.

 Aside from the drone abilities, each class has a selection of base weapons open to them, as well as limited use ones found in each level. Each of the two equippable weapons use the same stock of ammo, so with a little digging around, it's easy to stay stocked up. Each class also has skills that can be levelled up and unlocked as levels are completed, and the branching skill trees do allow for some minor customization, though overall, none of them really impact the flow of gameplay very much.

The classes themselves are quite a bit more unique. The Assault class is the general weapons and combat class, excelling at most ranges, and equipped with a powerful melee weapon for close quarters. The Demolition class has the most skills available, being better suited to grenade and flare usage and gaining skills to support it. Hellfire and Terminator are quite a bit more specialized, taking a more defensive and area-clearing role, respectively. Each class can more or less function at each role well enough to clear most missions, but their individual playstyles are pretty varied.

Gameplay maps themselves are extremely dark and linear. There are some spaces where the player may need to dig around for stray ammo or weapons, but the objectives are pretty obvious. Even with no in-game map of any sort, the maps are so straightforward it's essentially impossible to get lost. Enemies are also fairly predictable, with obvious and telegraphed attack patterns, and there are almost no bosses or encounters that really shake up the flow of the main campaign.

Solstice Chronicles: MIA's story could be called weak, but in reality, it's barely there. There's very little integration into levels themselves, with cutscenes generally saved for the beginning and end of levels. Saffron does make some small attempts to spice up the narrative with half-hearted quips at new areas or objectives, but her relationship with the marine starts off weird and doesn't progress naturally at all. The post-apocalyptic alien genre's been done before, and this is a far cry from being a shining exemplar of it.