Overall, this is a very satisfying top-down CRPG fantasy game and it fills that strategic fantasy niche many crave, like myself. It implements the D&D 5e rules well, and boasts a fine reputation as "the most D&D accurate video game yet". There's a ton of finer nuances you can explore that often aren't in other D&D based games, like the need to provide light sources for your party (and if I recommend one thing, it's invest in *light* spells), and other random, somewhat trivial powers that aren't seen often.

All of that is good, but what about the bad? Well, it's pretty janky. This game was done by a small, independent studio and that singular creation focus shows. There are armors that show skin, helmets that clip through noses, and all sorts of things. What bothers me the most is how lazily the dialogue and plot is written. As an example, there's an early scene where a gap exists in a long path, and the party is peering down into the hole made by it. One person, and for me it was a lady with the 'formal' dialogue tag, so it was especially egregious, says, "I wouldn't wanna take a dump in THAT hole!"

Really? REALLY? 'Take a dump'? Are you fourteen and writing for 'Beavis And Butt-Head'? It was so jarringly anachronistic and juvenile it frustrated me. This sort've dialogue is all over the place, where odd, modern metaphors and similes are sprinkled in liberally. You'll often hear "You suck!" as a combat bark, and it smacks to me of writers sporting a sense of humor that doesn't jive with the rest of the atmosphere, or a serious lack of quality control overall. You'll also run into the problem during dialogue scenes where your moronic tank with a -1 in social skills is randomly selected to make a hard persuasion roll, while your face character with a +7 is right over there.

This lack of polish extends to other areas without foresight, like the crafting system. There are neat recipes you'll get quite often for unique weapons and armor, but you need a 'primed' item to construct them. Good luck actually finding some of those primed weapons, however, like a longsword my tank is wielding. I'm level nine at the moment, on my second playthrough, and I've *never* seen a primed longsword, anywhere, which precludes me from crafting some of the very neat magical variants I see in recipes, just sitting there taunting me. Pro-tip: plan to use greatswords. The primed versions are everywhere.

Character creation is a bit of a mess, and good luck getting your faces to look decent. They're quite ugly. But that isn't a thing that really bothers me, overall, although I know it will for some.

All that aside, I've poured a lot of time into this game and something about it just charms you. There is a feeling of playing pure D&D translated from a table-top that isn't matched in other titles, and if you're into that kind of thing, Solasta will grab you the same way.

Overall, this is a very satisfying top-down CRPG fantasy game and it fills that strategic fantasy niche many crave, like myself. It implements the D&D 5e rules well, and boasts a fine reputation as "the most D&D accurate video game yet". There's a ton of finer nuances you can explore that often aren't in other D&D based games, like the need to provide light sources for your party (and if I recommend one thing, it's invest in *light* spells), and other random, somewhat trivial powers that aren't seen often. All of that is good, but what about the bad? Well, it's pretty janky. This game was done by a small, independent studio and that singular creation focus shows. There are armors that show skin, helmets that clip through noses, and all sorts of things. What bothers me the most is how lazily the dialogue and plot is written. As an example, there's an early scene where a gap exists in a long path, and the party is peering down into the hole made by it. One person, and for me it was a lady with the 'formal' dialogue tag, so it was especially egregious, says, "I wouldn't wanna take a dump in THAT hole!" Really? REALLY? 'Take a dump'? Are you fourteen and writing for 'Beavis And Butt-Head'? It was so jarringly anachronistic and juvenile it frustrated me. This sort've dialogue is all over the place, where odd, modern metaphors and similes are sprinkled in liberally. You'll often hear "You suck!" as a combat bark, and it smacks to me of writers sporting a sense of humor that doesn't jive with the rest of the atmosphere, or a serious lack of quality control overall. You'll also run into the problem during dialogue scenes where your moronic tank with a -1 in social skills is randomly selected to make a hard persuasion roll, while your face character with a +7 is right over there. This lack of polish extends to other areas without foresight, like the crafting system. There are neat recipes you'll get quite often for unique weapons and armor, but you need a 'primed' item to construct them. Good luck actually finding some of those primed weapons, however, like a longsword my tank is wielding. I'm level nine at the moment, on my second playthrough, and I've *never* seen a primed longsword, anywhere, which precludes me from crafting some of the very neat magical variants I see in recipes, just sitting there taunting me. Pro-tip: plan to use greatswords. The primed versions are everywhere. Character creation is a bit of a mess, and good luck getting your faces to look decent. They're quite ugly. But that isn't a thing that really bothers me, overall, although I know it will for some. All that aside, I've poured a lot of time into this game and something about it just charms you. There is a feeling of playing pure D&D translated from a table-top that isn't matched in other titles, and if you're into that kind of thing, Solasta will grab you the same way.