Sole is a meditative and abstract action-adventure game that challenges the player to solve a series of mazes and puzzles as the only source of light in an otherwise dark world. With Sole, Gossamer Games has done their best effort to create a highly stylized and spiritual indie game that would challenge gamers with its messages as much as its puzzles, and they certainly succeeded.
The first thing that caught my attention with this game was the masterfully crafted environment. The scenery and animation style were stunning and I only found myself more and more amazed by the ever-changing environments. The structures and castles that I navigated on my journeys were equally impressive, clearly displaying an acute attention to detail by the development team regarding the textures and reactivity of the environment. Being the only true source of light in the game, everywhere that the character goes so do luscious flowers and trees. The ability to essentially grow your own environment simply by moving around was a wonderful touch that Gossamer added to enhance my overall experience with the game.
I also appreciated that the game did not hold the player’s hand, providing no hints or help on any of the challenges outside of basic explanations and context. I felt like a game with a minimal but still explorable environment would only be enhanced by the occasional necessity for discovery of new and wonderful natural phenomena. The puzzles mandated that the player do a certain level of exploration deeper into the game, and while some people may find this to be frustrating I found it to be a nice and refreshing addition to the game that sent me a message that the game took itself seriously enough to require a different standard of work from the player than they are typically used to. Brilliant!
The ambiance and generally relaxing tone of the game was also an enjoyable component of Sole. The soft background music and the soft, clay-like colors made a game enveloped in darkness feel safe. The movement was very fluid and enjoyable and navigating through the world had the feel of gliding across the ocean or flying through the air. I felt like I was a ship sailing through a sea of darkness on my way to discover new lands and monuments. Gossamer Games managed to cultivate an environment for their game that gave the player a situation frightening enough as being the sole source of light in an eternal darkness but an environment comforting enough that the player could enjoy anxiety-free exploration. In its basic form, Sole seems like a very simple game, but its complexity comes from the finite details that Gossamer Games put into this future indie classic. The shades, the music, the colors, and the unnarrated storyline culminated excellently in a very memorable and enjoyable game.
Score: 7.5/10
Check Out the Sole Xbox One Trailer:
Sole is available for Xbox One and PC/Mac via Steam.
Xbox One Review
I've been playing video games since I got a Playstation 2 when I was about 5 or 6 years old. The original Star Wars: Battlefront series and the Spyro series initially ignited my interest in gaming, but it wasn't until I got older that I truly appreciated the subtle details that make video games such a unique form of entertainment. My favorite type of video game would have to be any lengthy and plot-driven open world game, with my favorite games of all time being Batman: Arkham City, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, and Firewatch.
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