Solasta 2 Preview
I’m old, which means it’s increasingly difficult to round up like-minded friends for a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Luckily, there is no shortage of video games that make use of the 5th Edition Ruleset. Case in point: Solasta 2, which I previewed back in early 2025. Now, the first full chapter of the game is available in Early Access. That’s around 10-15 hours of enticing content, with much more on the way.
Party On
On a superficial level, Solasta could be mistaken for a sibling of Baldur’s Gate 3. There are superficial similarities, because they’re both isometric CRPGs set in a D&D-inspired fantasy world. But BG3 had an oversized narrative, and Solasta 2 is a more modest adventure focused on four adopted siblings and a recently deceased mother with some complex ties to the supernatural. Solasta 2 is a family drama with magic and monsters.
Solasta 2 is a standalone sequel to the first game and makes major strides in every area, from graphics to writing to combat. In Solasta 2, you play as a quartet of siblings who journey to a continent called Neokos. The overarching quest is to defeat a big bad called Shadwyn. I’m being a bit vague here both to avoid story spoilers and because all we have so far is Chapter 1.
Unlike Baldur’s Gate 3 and many other CRPGs, you don’t grow a party, you start with one: the Colwall family. Your first task is character creation. It’s easy to get lost in the game’s options. Somewhat streamlined, you currently choose from Human, Elf, Dwarf, and Halfling races. From there, you dive into all the usual D&D choices: class, subclass, background, personality, and even the languages characters understand. Hint: split the languages between all the characters.
Throw in all the cosmetic options, and it’s a lot. Of course, you can let the computer do most of the work and pre-roll your group. But that’s no fun.
Combat’s Where It’s At
Solasta 2’s switch to Unreal Engine 5 does more than enhance the beauty of the world, it really elevates combat, too. Solasta 2 has one of the most thoroughly accurate implementations of the 5th Edition Rules, including elements like weapon mastery and new class features. The game’s dynamic lighting systems impact the gameplay beyond mere aesthetics, like requiring characters to use abilities to see in the dark.
Solasta 2’s combat is full of verticality and intimately connected to the environment. Using cover and destructible elements are incredibly important and having an elevated position can be a great advantage. With its wide range of spells, weapons, and abilities, Solasta 2’s combat and exploration feel fantastic. It manages to dance perfectly between moment-to-moment fun and respectful adherence to D&D mechanics. The game does a pretty good job of managing what could be either too much or not enough information. So many CRPGs are a morass of onscreen info-dumps but Solasta 2’s UI doesn’t overly intrude.
Since my time with the demo in February, Solasta 2 has become a more polished product and its great to see how the first chapter has unfolded. Outside of the game’s engaging combat, characters are entertainingly written and acted and I really like the story’s family-focused drama. I wouldn’t say character models are always cutting edge perfect, but overall the game looks — and plays — much better than the first Solasta title from 2021.
Rising to the Top
We’re certainly in a golden age of CRPGs, and any game that can positively distinguish itself is worth some attention. Solasta 2’s narrative is engaging and its combat is a great balance of pure D&D mechanics and great level design. The diorama-like art style, memorable characters, and exciting encounters have made me more than willing to see the story arc through to the end.
***PC code provided by the publishers for preview***
