Indie games make up a vital segment of the video game industry these days. There was a time when AAA developers ruled the gaming industry but those times are long gone. We have seen AAA developers making a mess of the game quite often now and at such times, we are glad that these indie developers are working hard day and night to make sure that we gamers are never short on quality games. Solo Islands of the Heart is a brand new game by Team Gotham and Merge Studios and this is our review of this beautiful and amazing game.
Solo Islands of the Heart is one of those games that really surprise you when you play the game. At a first glance, the game looks like a traditional indie game however it really sets itself apart from the rest with solid puzzles and a little bit of platforming here and there. Solo is a cute game which is mainly focused on helping a person find out more about love and relationships. The game works exceptionally well if you play the game by keeping yourself in the character’s place and answering all questions honestly.
The game starts with you choosing as a character which are all really cute options. You get to choose your gender as well and the game also asks which gender you would be interested to love. The options here cater to everyone which is a really positive gesture right from the start of the game. You then begin on your journey to find the true meaning behind love and relationships. You start at a small island where your house is located and then you travel to the first archipelago using a boat which is named after your loved one.
After arriving at the first island, you will notice that the map is really small and there’s a lighthouse in the distance. The lighthouse is basically your final destination for each archipelago however you must solve some puzzles before you can reach it. The game follows a very simple format for its entirety and does not force you to rush anything. There’s plenty of time for you to simply sit on a bench and enjoy the seagulls flying over the islands and watch different cute animals run around the island.
The game can also be a great soothing experience, well, apart from some puzzles which will really test your mettle. However, we will get to that part at a later level. Let’s go back to the basics at this point. After the basics, the game tells you to follow the path and then you arrive at this obelisk which activates a sleeping totem near it. Once done, you must make your way to the totem which then asks you a question based on love and relationship. Depending on your answer, it then spawns an island from under the water.
Islands though pretty much remain the same no matter what answer you choose however the colors definitely vary. Also, the ghost of the gender that you love will also spawn in various locations asking you different questions depending on your choice of answers. You will also meet the ghost in different other locations where you can interact with it such as swings, edges of cliffs where you can gaze at stars, do yoga and even share a gossip. There’s even a point near the end of the game where the ghost is trying to reach an apple on the tree and you help them get it.
Once you have spawned the next island, you will need to repeat the process to spawn the next island. Find the obelisk and wake up the sleeping totem in order to raise the next island until you finally reach the lighthouse and from there you can move to the next archipelago. However, in between the islands as you progress in the game, you will meet many animals and creatures which will ask you of small favors such as taking pictures of fish or seagulls for them. These offer an excellent change of pace as you can search for their requirement and fulfill them.
These are completely optional choices and you do not have to complete them in order to reach the next island. However, they are an excellent source of some extra trekking and checking out some areas of the map that you might miss otherwise. You can also feed and pet different animals as you explore the islands. You will often find fruits such as Apples or Bananas and Cheese in the later levels which can be fed to these animals. Some animals will only let you pet them after you’ve fed them.
As you progress in the main story, you will unlock more items which will allow you to solve more advanced puzzles in the game. The game starts very easy on you however at the later puzzles, you will be spending quite a lot of time trying to figure out what to do next. The puzzles are quite simple and all require the same goal, to reach the obelisk or the totem to advance to the next island. You will need to use different unique blocks to reach them.
You can move them around and place them in strategic locations which will allow you to reach difficult to reach destinations in the game such as far off islands and higher cliffs. Some of the blocks will lift you up, some extend while some can stick to any surface they are put against. Each block comes with a unique attribute and you use them to help you get around the game in order to solve the puzzles. Apart from these, you will also come across some shadow puzzles in which you use these blocks to caste the shadow on the ground and open the next area.
The puzzles do not feel repetitive at all. There was hardly a time when I felt bored during my playthrough. Frustrated yes but never bored. Each puzzle brings something new to the table. The game really sets the pace where it goes very easy on you at the start and then some of the later puzzles are absolutely mind-boggling. You will think that it is impossible to cross that large gap with only three blocks but then you keep trying and trying until you figure out the solution and it suddenly feels very easy.
The game is not very long when it comes to story. The puzzles will take some time to complete but even if you are a good player and can solve the puzzles fairly quickly, the game will take around 2 hours to complete. If you know all the puzzles and are on your second playthrough, you can complete the game in nearly an hour and twenty minutes or could be even less if you rush it. However, Solo is not a game that you must rush. It encourages slow gameplays and playing the game slowly is indeed the right way to enjoy this cute little indie game.
There are also some side puzzles in the game which are completely optional but they are an amazing source of tickling with your mind. Similar to story puzzles, these side puzzles get more complex in the later stages of the game. These side puzzles range from watering the plants to helping a stranded animal back to his home with a loved one safely. The game gives you a taste of the side puzzles at the start to get used to them and then really picks up the pack with complexity in later islands of the game.
Solo features a very cute little design and is a very solid puzzle game. It might be an indie game but it offers a good time for you to sit back and relax in its soothing world and relieve all the pain that you might have. The art style of Solo really suits the theme of the game and you can even change it. The game offers different weather conditions and even art styles. The best bit is how to change them. You play a certain song and you can change the weather or the art style of the game. You unlock songs as you play the game.
Solo also comes with little perks such as you can play songs on your guitar. You unlock special songs as you play the game but you can also play whatever you want on it if you know the right tunes. It comes with a camera using which you can capture your favorite moments in the game or even take some selfies with the totems or the animals in the game. These little perks make Solo a really solid gaming experience. Everything was very well thought of when the game was being developed.
Final Verdict
Solo Islands of the Heart is a beautiful and relaxing game. It deserves to be played and it deserves to be in your gaming library. The game teaches you a lot about love and relationships and also makes you feel like you have actually accomplished at the end of the game. The art style of the game is amazing and the puzzles are simple yet mind-tickling at the same time. The sound could have been better as I kept hearing the same song throughout the levels. Apart from it, Solo is an amazing game and I will highly recommend that you give this indie game a shot.
Final Score: 9/10
