The Red Solstice Review

"Game over, man, game over!" cries one of my compatriots as we trudge through corpses and spent shell casings. I've been conservative with my munitions for the past half hour, but now I find myself setting my assault rifle to full auto and blasting anything that moves. "Come on, stick together people. Get to the objective," the calm and confidence in my voice is a ploy that I hope my teammates overlook. Perhaps they'll be distracted by the lifeless forms of our squad mates as we walk past them toward an insurgent base bristling with guns and ill tempered mercenaries.

When we reach the facility, I kick in the door and lead the charge. My ammo counter turns red as I cram another magazine into my assault rifle and begin blasting my way through zombies, then switch to my sniper rifle and lay into the mercenaries. With the assistance of a reservoir of combat drugs, I manage to bring down one or two of them before their combined fire tears the ragged remains of my team down. At the familiar game over screen I chat with a couple of the other players and we talk about strategy and character builds. Within a few minutes, I'm clamoring out of my drop ship, nervously tossing flares and surveying my surroundings. Swarms of undead descend upon us and my ammo counter dips. "Stick together and focus on the objectives!" I bark, and the dance begins anew.

This is a typical scenario in The Red Solstice, a multiplayer focused tactical action-RPG. Players don power armor and hoist heavy weapons as space marines tasked with clearing out a zombie infestation on Mars and rooting out the source of the infection. At a glance, it seems simple enough: a top down shooter with an RPG system built in. Bare bones graphics and sound, a low price point, and a generic plot round out the generic budget indie cash grab stereotype. This couldn't be further from the truth. The Red Solstice is a game that, for better and worse, demands that the player figure things out on their own. The tutorial is brief and far from exhaustive, the mechanics are deep and complex, and character building is immensely nuanced.

With eight character classes that can be customized with ten different skills each and a plethora of weaponry, The Red Solstice provides players with a diverse host of playstyles. From supportive medics, to assassin-like marksmen, to scavenging recon specialists, The Red Solstice has something for everyone. With so many toys, experimentation is one of the game's strong suits. Unfortunately, tinkering is throttled by a somewhat slow leveling system that keeps skills, equipment, and even classes locked until enough games have been played. This was one of the most frustrating parts of the game for me as I had to wait to unlock skills and gear that I really wanted and struggle with items that I didn't particularly like. The only explanation I can think of for such a slow progression system is that the developers want to gradually and gently ease players into game without worrying about complicated systems. If that is the case, then the attempt is a spectacular failure.

There are no less than seven types of corresponding damage/armor. There is a massive list of items to be scavenged. Enemy types are numerous. Objectives are randomized and sometimes vague. Maps are large by RTS standards and the combinations of game modes are dazzling. The laundry list of things to keep in mind goes on. At its best, this web of intricacies ensnares the player by keeping action fresh and engaging. "Do I brave this dead end to activate a radar upgrade? Do I risk looting this high quality locker while enemies are bearing down on me? Which type of ammo do I load?" Considering all of the avenues for advancement during a mission is a tactical joy. Rarely, however, the complexities end up feeling superficial. The greatest example of this is the weird three stage shooting system.

Weapons can be set to automatically fire at anything that moves, fire on a single target when left clicked, or fired manually on the cursor by holding down shift and clicking. The first option penalizes a player's accuracy all the time, the second only when the target is in darkness, and the final is always accurate and provides a 40% damage boost. Manual fire is the preferred way of shooting, but due to lag, mediocre hit boxes, and weird interface quirks it's a devil to get working while on the move (which is nearly always). The middle option is the medium I use most of the time, but in a target rich environment I will opt to use auto aim. Rather than provide three legitimate options, this system of extreme rewards and penalties feels like a minigame in which the UI makes the game artificially harder. Luckily this is the worst of the game's flaws-one which becomes tolerable with time.

When I first booted up The Red Solstice, I was frustrated and lost, but with time (and a few Steam community guides) I grew to like the game more and more. It's a hardcore co-op experience that is a joy to play with friends and strangers alike. The intense combination of strategy and action is not for everyone, but if you've got patience and a Dark Souls' level of appreciation for punishment, then The Red Solstice is a no-brainer.