It’s scenes like this from movies like The Martian that I some times pause or just look at the picture. I wonder not what if, but when we actually start sending astronauts to Mars or other solar systems, if something were to happen, if somehow they become lost, how long would they survive and could they actually make it. Then I start to wonder, what if we could be put in a situation like that now to see how you or I would react. Would there be frustration, self-doubt, inspiration to keep on? Well, what is what you will experience in The Solus Project from Developers Grip Digital and Hourences and Publisher Teotl Studios have done here.
The Solus Project in case you might not know is the spiritual successor to the game The Ball from 2010. The Solus Project is a game of adventure…a game of exploration where you will have to learn how to craft in order to survive. I will say this, the game starts out slow and for that, some people might start having thoughts. But let me tell you this. Starting out slow is not a bad thing, it’s the thing that needs to happen. If you crashed on a planet that you knew nothing about, would you want all the action hitting you at one time? No, you wouldn’t. You need to be able to explore, to put the pieces of the puzzle together (yes there are puzzles).
Using the two Move Controllers in your hands (the controls will take some time to get used to, but give it some time and you will be moving around like nothing else), Earth destroyed and your ship crashed into pieces, you are set out to figure out what happened, why it happened and what is going on as you are only left. With your device in your hand that serves as your well, personal assistant, it will tell you when you need to eat, rest, sleep, drink and whatever else you will need to do. I really appreciate it as it has this timing that with the situations going on I started to say “really?”
I am going to say this now. If you like that feeling of the unknown or if you like an open-world planet for you to explore without any map assistance, then you are going to love this. The Solus Project does an amazing job with the immersion and making you feel like you are the only one around. The night and day cycles add to the mix of the unknown of what is out there and when you mix that with the weather patterns and open world in VR, you truly have something special…so so very special!
But when you are playing and like I mentioned, you may start to question, when will there be action? Be careful what you wish for. The mystery will get stranger as you embark further with this planet. Secrets will be explored in different areas. And like all good storytelling, the more you explore, the more of your question of what happened will be answered. So this goes back to what I was saying. Don’t be into much of a hurry, explore, you just never know what part of the past will become your present and possible future.
I am not going to ruin the sense of self-doubt about you on this planet and what else is out there. You must be able to find the answer to these questions on your own. But I will say that what you think you might know, don’t expect it to be known. Just make sure you don’t…well, I already said too much.
With a game that did not have VR built from the beginning, The Solus Project has transformed a game into a world full of immersion that adds the on-point music and sound effects. With the feeling of an almost sadness of being alone on a planet that needs to be explored to have that satisfaction of having all your questions answered. It adds all this into a Sci-fi portal of a story. All you have to do is open the door and step on through to The Solus Project to be part of it.
The Solus Project is out now on PlayStation VR and is also available on Steam. A review code was provided.
To learn more about Grip Games please visit their site and follow them on Twitter. To learn more about Hourences please visit their site and follow them on Twitter. And to learn more about Teotl Studios visit their site, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
In case you missed the trailer, please enjoy. Until next time, I have some more of this planet to explore.
Mr. PSVR, October 11, 2017, theplaystationbrahs.com
