Solasta 2 looks poised to deliver a beautiful and authentic feeling CRPG experience

While it may not be as well known as Larian’s offering, the original Solasta gave players an authentic Dungeons & Dragons experience from the comfort of their PCs and consoles when released in 2022. Now, three years later, its sequel, Solasta II, which also uses the 5th Edition ruleset, looks to improve on the foundations set by its predecessor, and I had a chance to check out an early pre-alpha build.

The demo provides you with a well-balanced team of four heroes: a dwarf paladin, a gnome rogue, a human fighter/cleric hybrid, and an elf sorcerer who are trying to track down an acquaintance in a nearby town. But, as any good tabletop RPG player knows, things are never quite as simple or cut-and-dry as they appear. Soon, I was dealing with mysterious tremors, an angry black dragon, and missing persons—all part of a typical day for a party of adventurers.

The quest does a fine job of putting you in situations to learn Solasta’s systems, providing standard tutorial prompts explaining stealth, ability checks, and other mechanics while also offering opportunities to engage in combat or tackle objectives in different ways. One such example was dealing with a group of kobold cultists who had captured my target. I could either go in with spells blazing, try to talk my way into their good graces, or convince them we were fellow cult members by collecting some nearby black dragon scales as proof. It made for a fun little jaunt, if not particularly noteworthy.

Right away, after booting up Solasta II, it’s apparent that this new game has received a massive boost in visuals over the first game—a boost that only becomes more evident the longer you play. Both the character models and environments have seen dramatic improvements, making this a very pretty game to look at. I admit I only dabbled a little in the original entry, but the time I did spend with it ... I’ll just say that I wasn’t playing it for its looks. Everything I saw here, from crumbling stone monuments to sandy beaches; it sold the fantasy world vibe as well as anyone else. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the game will look like and what fantastical lands I will visit when it eventually releases.

Aware that the build I played was pre-alpha, I expected some rough edges. Outside of the occasional bug (I got stuck in the environment a couple of times) and missing features (such as dropping or trading items), the small town of Ton Wen felt shockingly barren, with very little to interact with or discover. While it’s populated with a good number of townsfolk meandering about, they couldn’t be interacted with—whether for conversation or pickpocketing (no stealing from vendors, either). The various crates and doodads scattered around shared a similar fate, as they couldn’t be interacted with or searched. Any chests available for looting appeared on the minimap, somewhat diminishing the sense of surprise or excitement in stumbling upon treasure. Combined with the inability to check random boxes and the like, much of the exploration felt rather sterile. Again, knowing this is an early build, I hope things will improve by the final release.

When it comes to combat and overall gameplay, though, Solasta II delivers, feeling even more like playing a tabletop RPG with friends than the monolith that is Baldur’s Gate 3. The interface does a splendid job of clearly showing what bonuses are being applied to various checks, when you have advantage, and even your odds of hitting an enemy. Menus were clear and feel like the character sheets I play with during my weekly D&D night, adding to that feeling of being at home with the systems. Unfortunately, all that helpful information failed to save me from the army of ill-tempered crabs my party ran into—crabs that may or may not have caused a party wipe or two during my time with the demo. Dying to crabs is very much something I would encounter in a normal Dungeons & Dragons session with my friends.

One oddity I stumbled across was that regardless of how far apart your party members are from one another if one enters combat, then everyone enters combat. I learned this the hard way after sending my gnome rogue ahead to scout, crossing bridges and covering a considerable distance from the rest of the group, only to encounter some crabs. I’m used to only those in combat rolling initiative and taking part while others remain outside and free to act, but that wasn’t the case here. This led to several turns of my party struggling to catch up—unsuccessfully—before the gnome perished, resulting in a game over. Yes, if a single party member dies, it means game over.

While the demo is only a small snippet of what I expect will be a game spanning tens of hours, I could already see the care and charm the team is putting into this sequel. There are certainly aspects I hope get addressed or tweaked—such as the lackluster towns and the inability to send a character ahead safely—but at this point, it’s hard to tell whether these are bugs, pre-alpha limitations, or intentional design choices. Regardless, Solasta II already feels more faithful to an actual tabletop experience than many of the bigger names out there, and I appreciate that. The best way I can describe it is this: if Baldur’s Gate 3 is like having Matt Mercer as your DM, Solasta II feels like playing with a good friend who has a really cool setup. It may not be as fleshed out or intricate, but you’re still going to have a great time—and probably die to crabs. I can’t wait until I can roll my own characters and see what else is in store. 

For returning Solasta players or folks that may think this game could be for you, next week on February 24, everyone will be able to try this demo for Solasta II themselves as a part of the Steam Next Fest. So, get ready to take on some angry, ill-tempered crabs!