Solstice

Choose wisely. The consequences matter.

nifty game

Very meh. Wasn't impressed with the story or characters, I mainly liked Yani and Galen. It's a pretty game though.

Visual novel with an intricate story, good character development and a lot of choices. The last few achievements are painstaking and require several replays of the last part of the story. Overall quite interesting though I wouldn't bother trying to get every last plot variant for the final achievement.

Solstice is a dystopian mystery thriller visual novel. It does give you some choices that direct the story (four endings possible). But mostly it is a collaboration of beautiful artwork and crafty story-telling. One of my more enjoyable stories to follow along to date (and I really enjoy visual novels of all genres).

I have only discovered two of the four endings and am over two hours in. There is lots of dialogue and every character you meet has their own story told and brought to resolve by the end of the main story in some way.

My only possible negative is that the game may end up being to short in the long run. I really enjoy the artwork in this game and the characters too. I wanted to know more about them so I am hoping in the future for a second game or something to follow up on the back-stories or further future stories of the characters.

A guide to help you with achievements & when to save! I recommend only using this after your first blind play-though however! 💖

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1485672804

This is hands down one of my favourite visual novels.
The world building is amazing, the characters all have depth of both personality and personal history and their motivations generally make sense and are believable.
The art work, which drew me in the most, is absolutely breathtaking, and the character designs are varied and beautiful. There's a nice mix of races which you don't always see and some variation of body types, making it feel more real.
The storyline is really compelling and it was an utter joy to go through multiple times to get all the endings and see the different dynamics you could invoke between characters.

This piece has a real lasting effect on me as a story, honestly I wish it were a book I could buy too!
Definitely recommend if you like beautiful art, realistic characters and a compelling story. :3

I'm a bit sad to give this game a thumbs down but there are a few strongly negative things about this game that deserve it and are compelling me to write this review.

Firstly, the technical issues. You'd think that for a visual novel, the chance for bugs and issues would be low but that is not the case. It is convenient that the game auto-saves at times, but only because in only the first 5 hours of playing, the game has crashed inexplicably 4 times. I will just be going along and suddenly the game is gone. Sometimes it happens with no warning, other times it seems to happen when opening or closing the journal. Regardless, it's extremely irritating. There are also issues with the way the text displays, oftentimes jumping out of the text box to scroll all the way across the screen. This makes it very disconcerting when trying to read the text - something you're doing nonstop since this is a visual novel.

Secondly, the format issues. Normally, visual novels are written from first person perspective. You play as the main character and are inside their head with access to their thoughts and motivations. This game has 2 'main' characters that you, the player, make choices for, but the game is wholly third person. There are no thoughts ever given to the player outside of small 'journal writing' sections, and key events that the 'main' characters participate in are kept secret from the player. This may work in a novel written from the third person where the reader is learning about the main character and discovering their secrets, but it doesn't work at all when you are supposed to be controlling these characters half the time but the other half of the time, you have no idea what they are up to. The format makes it hard to understand the characters which is just compounded when the game keeps switching perspective between its two leads.

Finally, the story issues. I like a mystery story and this game is trying to be that in some ways, but due to the format, it's impossible to 'reason' anything or know what's actually going on when you can't even trust that you know what your main characters are up to. I like the setting of the story in general and the story that it is telling. The side characters are interesting as well. But the way the story is told make it frustrating more than intriguing. If the game absolutely had to be told from two different perspectives, I wish that they could have made the player choose which perspective to play the game from at first and then they are bound to that perspective for the entire game. Then they can replay it a second time to find out what the other character was up to.

Anyway, there are definitely some pros about this game which makes me still want to recommend this game to people who accept the above issues. The art is sublime. The backgrounds are really beautiful, but the characters are all really well-drawn too. As others have mentioned, the characters are also quite diverse which is rare but very welcome. Of course there are still more white men than anyone else though, so don't get too excited about it. It's still nice to have some diversity, however. I also find the story to be an interesting one. I just wish that the format didn't hinder the story so much. It really makes me wonder why the developers thought this would be the best way to present their story.

Overall, I can't recommend this game to the average player because the cons just detract too much from what could be a really cool story. The technical issues and challenges of the way they chose to present the story break immersion constantly and the format also keeps too much hidden to actually make the story a mystery that the player can solve. However, I think the potential for a great game and story is in this game so if you're curious and willing to deal with the cons, I could recommend this game when it goes on sale for maybe $12 or less. It's worth $15 if you're really desperate for diversity, I suppose, but keep in mind that this is a fantasy setting, so even if there is an Asian-presenting character, or a Black-presenting character, they won't actually be representative of a real-world cultural member of that ethnicity (if you care about more than appearances).

I bought this game because I had played Cinders and found it to be a great game. Solstice did not nearly have the impact that Cinders did, but it was not a terrible game. If you go into this with the mindset that you are basically reading a book, it is not so bad. Achievement hunters will probably get sick of this game seeing as how one of the achievements is to find every single variant in the game. This does not mean get all four endings. This means getting all four endings and every single variant within those endings. Needless to say, I will be glad to uninstall this sucker and never see it again. I do recommend this game (especially if you are not an achievement hunter), but wait for a sale if you are thinking about getting this.

Solstice is an excellent achievement in branching narrative. It very cleverly plays upon the idea of how the narrative works in both consequences and in overall events of the story itself.

The premise is a classic one, what happens when a variety of people who all harbour secrets and mysteries are enclosed in a limited space for a duration of time and their response to a murder. This of course is all packaged neatly into the cityscape of 'The Jewel of the North' the city which itself hides multiple secrets. You assume the role of two characters both who arrive shortly before the city closes for the winter and who have their own agenda to fulfil.

The gameplay is standard for a narrative game, click to proceed and keep reading with occasional dialogue choices. Where the game is clever is that it isn't always obvious as to what the consequence was... Sometimes it's direct, I. E. Choosing which scene to go to next, and sometimes completely obscured, as in depending on your choice the narrative and character response is exactly the same even with different choices and the outcome is only revealed at the very end of the game. I loved this aspect as it made one curious as to how one's actions actually influenced others and made the npc's more believable as a cast since they still respond as individuals during the game and so feel less like puppets. This was an integral part of their characterization and believability.
The game has no fast forward or skip option so each time you need to play through carefully and read, for many this might be tedious but I found it refreshing as each time it required more careful introspection of one's responses, which gave further satisfaction at the games end.
The game is quite advanced in its endings as well, with four major endings as well as multiple additional consequences for the characters depending on how you play (for the pc's) or how well you develop and respond to their character (npc's). This dynamic is particularly clear for all characters and adds an element of role playing to the game that would otherwise be absent. In addition the opportunity to control two characters and have them interact with each other is even more refreshing and although one scene requires both simultaneously it is carefully handled to be shown who is currently under the players command.

The characters are well developed and incredibly diverse. Not only racially but in terms of their interests and personalities. In addition the depth of characterization is very well accomplished from each characters sprites that convey emotions in vastly different ways, to the carefully chosen words to give each one personality throughout the story.

The overall narrative explores some intensive themes such as personal responsibility, individual reaction to systems of authority as well as exploring how each individuals psychology assists them in adapting to the scenario in which they find themselves. Due to this the multiple outcomes give different weight and perspectives to the themes of the narrative and the entire story becomes an exercise into sociology, psychology and philosophy.

Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys explorations of the human psyche and is interested in seeing how games and game mechanics can create a reflective environment to explore questions of humanity and society without being preachy.

"Solstice" is another great game from MoaCube and I can wholeheartedly recommend it to any fan of visual novels out there.

What stands out the most? Amazing, very realistic characters. Not only protagonists (I absolutely adored both Galen and Yani), but also other citizens. Everyone has unique personality and motives. Nothing is ever presented as black or white. Everything has layers - people themselves, their relationships, their goals. Writer/s did such an outstanding job with presenting this isolated city - especially with it's past and present dark secrets. Everyone suffers and everyone is hiding something. Very engaging storytelling and the overall plot is no less intriguing.

Also, the atmosphere created by both outstanding visuals and music makes "Solstice" an unforgettable experience. I thought "Cinders" was gorgeous, but this is another level of beauty. Even when the story gets grim, the game still feels weirdly warm, almost magical.

This game is one of a kind and you should give it a chance, especially since it gets big discounts during sales. Honestly though, I wouldn't mind paying the full price - it's absolutely worth it.

Short version for prospective buys:

I would not catagorize this game as interactive fiction OR a visual novel. Instead, it's more like a movie where you have to read all the dialog.

Also, you have zero control over your character, not even their name. You will be forced to play two different characters, sometimes simultaneously. Presumably because the author thought it would be good experiance for players to identify with highly-educated flirty gay caribian doctors who think highly technical asian women are janitors. And a very stuborn highly-skilled asian woman who apparently has no flaws.


What was good:

The pictures were pretty
The music was nice


How can this game be improved:

0) Go study some Choice of ... Games. They are generally of very high quality story wise, and choice wise. While this game has "polish" and "shine" those games have substance.

1) Make some interesting choices. In this game, almost all choices boiled down to one of two questions: What motivates the character and why do you agree with the author on this bit of social commentary. There is no possibility of dissagreeing with the author on their social commentary, you MUST agree with the author, you just get to choose why.

2) If you have to tell the player when they just made a meaningful choice with something in the UI your doing it wrong. It should be made immediately obvious by the dialog and way other characters treat the Player Characters (PC). I suspect the problem is the choices are all too simmilar. It's hard work to write a route through the story where the PC is a beligerant jerk. Shorten the story and provide that route.

3) Let the player decide who their character is. Forcing the player to play two different characters at the same time is not only irritating and confusing for the player, but I feel it defeats the entire purpose of the genera. Even Otome games like Amnesia provide for this possibility (though "Punch Him" should totally have been at every choice point in that game)

4) Don't state your opinion on something, and force the player to choose one of three reasons they agree with you. I'm thinking of the entire 5 minute conversation on wheather the lady in the bath house should call the Doctor "Doctor". Not only did this diatribe add nothing to the narrative, it's totally out of place. The "they willingly signed a contract so they are all slaves" thing is another place where the choice was more like an english teacher prompting a high school student for analysis "We know jane didn't like this becaus the auther said so, but WHY didn't Jane like this"

5) The transcript (scrollback buffer, story log, whatever it's called in this game) only goes back to the most recent choice, and actually resets the people moving around in the pictures. Every other game puts up an overlay where the player can scroll back indeffinately. That's because you sometimes don't pay much attention when you play through again and can't remember exactly what was said. In short the "cool graphics" thing you were probably going for is a hindreance, not a help.

6) When your writing a story, you MUST provide clear indication when the point of view changes. Making the player read two paragraphs on a journal page BEFORE they get to know who's writing it is just painful. Also the wierd 2 person omneciant view (where the player is choosing for both PCs at the same time) is seriously detremental. This is the only place in the chunk of the game I played where I felt that a repeat of the conversation would have been acceptable, there was really only one choice in that whole thing anyway "Work together? Yes or NO (other games would have a Pretend to thrown in, but I didn't see one here).

7) Other than replacing the awkward two PC's talking to each other simultaneously thing, get rid of all the repeated dialog. It was VERY tiresome to read the something, then read it again 5 minutes later as the other character. If someone wants to know what other choices do, then they can play through again with skip mode and find out. Recall the "Novel" part of the genera name and follow the same rules you do for writing. How many books do you like where every other chapter is nearly identical?

Excellent visual novel by the same developers who made Cinders (another VN that I enjoyed). Unlike Cinders, this is not an otome game, but a mystery, fantasy story. However, there are romantic elements in certain paths. I believe it takes place in the same universe as Cinders, as there's one reoccurring character.

Pros:
- Beautiful, stunning artwork; detailed character design
- Stylish and helpful interface
- Fitting, elegant music
- Excellent writing
- Intriguing story
- Many choices and branching paths
- Queer character representation (including one of the protagonists)
- People of color representation (including both protagonists)

Cons:
- Witnessing all the variants can get very tedious
- Read journal entries cannot be skipped
- Occasionally, already read text can't be skipped
- There's no way to save the villain from themselves

Overall this was a fairly good game, with stunningly beautiful graphics and a rich narrative, world and atmosphere. A few problems would make me rank it beneath Cinders (other game by this dev), and I didn't feel all that compelled to play through all endings obsessively.

The main problem I have with this game is construction. Cinders wrapped a simple-yet-intense story around a fairytale almost everyone knows by heart; this meant we knew the story beats already and could concentrate on the actual crucial choices and the heart of the nuanced, achingly real and complex characters (well, the female characters at any rate). Also, Cinders is by her nature boxed in - that's the whole point of her story, her desire to break free from control. The reason there are only a few - but crucial - decisions to make is thus transformed from a potential flaw into being an important part of the story's concept. They also impact on the outcome a lot.

By contrast, Solstice is based around a mystery....which we are not allowed to solve, because that would derail the ending. Our supposedly intelligent protagonists either fail to do some pretty obvious things, or are occasionally allowed to try something smart only to have it fail in a contrived way. I understand this is not a Sherlock Holmes game, but then it should not have been based around a murder mystery, should it. The world was rich enough to give us lots to think about without adding a whole level of Nancy Drew, especially since it turns out we can't do much about it. Seriously, out of the dozens of decisions you can make, only four or five seem to have an actual impact on the ending - two of which are virtually random, ie, choose the blue pill or the red pill but we won't tell you which does what - and the only impact even those decisions have is on how boned everybody ends up being.

It was also a mistake to have two protagonists, IMO. It means repetition in narrative, loss of focus, and gives us twice the amount of "supposedly very smart person who had every reason to prepare for this trip...who doesn't know the first thing about the situation they walked into because that allows the player to get exposition". This happens again and again, and really loses the connection wth the characters as a result.

It's a pity, because compared to many other games of this sort, the characters are rich and very complex, nuanced, and beautifully rendered. The story is rich and complex too, but that very complexity probably explains why the rails are so strict, and thus I can't enjoy it quite as much. I would have preferred having a lot of the world building done in a series of notes - avoiding "stupid, unprepared protag" syndrome and allowing them to be skipped on playthroughs - and a story that wasn't quite so convoluted if it gave us greater agency over it.


I'd recomend the game on sale for people who like fantasy/sci-fi novels, and who will read it as such, not so much for gameplay. Would still recommend it though, it's an interesting experience.

This game presents itself as a game about treasure and mystery, but is really a somewhat unclimactic and underdeveloped whodunnit. Whodunnits can be fun, but the issue with this game is that it has you collect information about people as if you are going to use it to some purpose (which takes up a good portion of the game), but you never do and it makes it all feel like a waste of time. There's magic but it's almost like an afterthought, there's politics but you play as almost powerless characters who can't change anything except by killing everyone, there is the mysterious kala but it's written off as a meaningless aside. In addition, instead of allowing you to find clues and eliminate suspects, the game just outright tells you who didn't do it and narrows the list down to a select few for you. Who wants to be a detective with no real intrigue or important discoveries to be made and with a verdict practically handed down for you? Only about three of your choices really make an impact, since most just change the dialogue slightly. Also, none of the characters are redeemable and none of them are given time to grow or change which made the story seem stagnant.

In short I would NOT reccomend buying this at full price, if you must try it, wait for a sale. It really needs more plot development.

Interesting premise, but an overall poor plot (I've unlocked all endings at the time of writing; I'm a fast reader), cringeworthy dialogue, and cardboard characters.

The most characteristic example of the horrible writing is perhaps the two optional "romances." I know people crap on BioWare romances, but maybe we should be kinder to them, because if Bioware is jejune, then this game is outright juvenile. Two characters have sex once or twice, and I'm to believe they're in transformative love now. All plot points and themes involved in this visual novel are about as substantitive as that--they rely on stereotypic scripts and cliché turns of phrase.

I can't bring myself to muster any reaction to this game other than apathy. It's good that I didn't pay $20 for it.

Wish there was a 'meh' option. I didn't hate this? but I can't really say I'd recommend it.

The romantic interests were really boring and felt as shoed in as the romances in most action movies. Good thing there was the option to completely ignore them without hurting/changing the plot at all.

The game's very pretty. The character designs are great for the protagonists .. (not for the romance interests) ... but the plot didn't really change enough based on your actions. There might be a slightly different scene here or there, but it all leads to the same ending where one of 5 things happens.

The variants system is a little irritating as one character only really has 3 variants? but you need to get them 3 times each because they're counted as different across 3 endings despite no real changes between them.

The world building was good, and the location was nice, but I honestly feel not enough was done with the setting.

Overall I just felt .. disappointed. There's some good here. But on the whole I just can't recommend it unless you're getting it on sale, and not expecting much from it.

Solstice, like its predecessor Cinders, is a beautifully painted interactive storybook where your choices affect the ending. You play as Yani and Galen, two new employees to a city called the Jewel of The North - a warm utopia situated in the middle of a frozen wasteland, thanks to a protective dome encapsulating it from the harsh elements.

You quickly learn however, that one's right to dwell in this paradise comes at a heavy price. You will solve the mysteries of the city and the inhabitants you encounter through your actions as Yani and Galen. As you guide them through each scene, they make notes on the people and places they encounter, which provide helpful references for the player.

The technology within this world is a complimentary mix of sci-fi and fantasy, and it is very apparent in the aesthetics of the city.

Another interesting point, is this world appears to be within the Cinders universe, as indicated by a character called Madame Ghede, who makes a second appearance in this game as Galen's mentor.

The story is thoughtful, raising interesting questions about the balance between comfort and control within a society, and how susceptible it is to misuse. Many of the characters manage to be sympathetic despite the skeletons that reside within their wardrobes; making them feel very human.

I have yet to uncover all the endings, but I can say that I am thoroughly impressed and enchanted by this game.

Solstice is a beautiful EVN brought by the creators of Cinders but this time it's an original story (as far as I know).
A story driven game with many choices that has the potential to shape your characters outlook and behaviour by how you respond to other characters. Lead by 2 character with different prespectives with each their own secrets.
The story is full of mysteries and lore with must have replayability. Recommended for VN lovers.

Short version: good story, lots of moving parts that make it difficult to find the "good end." Enjoyable, but probably best worth it if it's on sale.

PRO:
- Beautiful art style
- Lots of story elements that resolve themselves well
- M/M romance is sweet and a nice touch
- Story length is just right
- Pivotal decision takes story in 3 fairly different directions with interesting changes to perspective


CON:
- nearly impossible to get good ending on first few playthroughs
- F/M romance is basically a throwaway
- List of clues for solving the mystery didn't actually come into play much

As I write this, I am mid-way through my second play, trying to uncover things I missed on my first playthrough. I'm wishy-washy on whether I'd recommend the game, but went with yes since it was clearly intriguing enough for me to start a second play through. In my view, it had great positives and disappointing negatives.

THE POSITIVES

The artwork was gorgeous and I loved playing characters of diverse backgrounds. The story was intriguing and sufficiently unique that I didn't feel like I was reading something done a million times before. The length of the game was perfect for a busy professional who wants to find time to finish something, and it was clearly sufficiently interesting that I went for a second play-through. There were some intriguing mechanics around things like how notes were presented (I liked the layout) and having the player play multiple characters. I haven't done that before in this style of game.

Overall, the dialogue was generally well-written and enjoyable. The game felt creative and cohesive. The central mystery was mysterious! The layers of what you discovered about characters as you played were revealed at a nice, natural pace, and it was genuinely intriguing.

THE NEGATIVES

For a game that's designed in the vein of a choice game, you could go huge blocks of time without a choice presenting itself. It didn't play well as an RPG for a few reasons - firstly, the fourth barrier was broken a few times because the characters that you're playing had secrets that you yourself didn't know whilst blundering through the story. Secondly, the decisions didn't feel meaningful. As an example to avoid spoilers, if you tried a friendly response or action, you didn't necessarily act in a friendly manner or come across as friendly - sometimes the NPCs would even chastize you for being friendly. Thus decisions felt arbitrary, and the game is more about navigating through someone else's story than making it your own.

For me personally, I felt like I was getting chastized by NPCs for the bulk of the game for not analyzing the situation correctly and making the 'right choice'. I'd have been far happier if I felt that every path was a different, valid one towards a goal.

The best way to play this game is without the expectation that you're actually playing the characters that you're making decisions for - rather, your observing their journey from the outside. If you expect otherwise, you will probably be disappointed. If you're happy without playing it more like reading a novel than as an RPG, it's probably very enjoyable.

Solstice is a game full of secrets. You play dual roles in the game; Galen, the new doctor, and Yani, a young woman found unconscious outside the city. They both have their secrets. The local eccentric disappears,starting off the mystery. You explore the mystifying Jewel of the North, which itself is a giant secret standing in the middle of a frozen wasteland. You'll meet the skeleton crew that stays behind to keep the city running during the true winter, and I'm sure you have guessed they all have secrets, too.

The story is interesting and, like any good mystery, you have to peel a lot of layers to get to the real truth. The artwork & music are beautiful. The game has 4 main endings with several smaller variations per ending, so it has replayability. It took me a little less than 6 hours to complete the first play through. It is a standard visual novel where you make choices throughout that effect the outcome of your game.

The first time I played through this game, it was on a review copy for IndieGames.com. I liked it enough that I have since purchased it and am playing it a second time.

It's a visual novel from the same folks who did Cinders. Like Cinders, it has excellent characters and writing. Like Cinders, it is gorgeous. Unlike Cinders, it's a mystery with two protagonists to give different points of view, and it'll leave you guessing as you navigate different branches, ask different questions, and get different pieces of the puzzle depending on how you play.

I highly recommend it. If you don't usually like visual novels, you should still consider giving this one a try. It's so, so good.