Sol Cresta

Sol Cresta can be a little annoying with its mechanics for anyone who is willing to take the time to get good at it. There are way better scrolling shooters already on Nintendo Switch and the one thing that makes this one notable is the pedigree behind it. At the very least, the music is pure fire and energy - some of Koshiro's best work to date.

Behind Sol Cresta lies the desire for redemption of a Platinum Games wounded in pride since Star Fox Zero. A Shoot 'em up with ancient inspirations but aware of coming into the world in 2022, capable of introducing a huge variety of innovative and brilliant mechanics but that exaggerate with the amount of its contents, which become almost suffocating. Excellent work done on accessibility in a genre in which it is not obvious to have so much freedom of approach, less brilliant than done in terms of legibility, crippled by a shallow color palette and a difficult understanding of the layout of the individual stages. Absolutely unacceptable that its plot has been cut and is being sold separately in a DLC priced at € 10.

Sol Cresta is a game that you need to chew on for a bit before it shows its true value. But stick with it, learn its idiosyncrasies, and you’ll find a unique, satisfying entry into the crowded shoot-em-up genre. Is it an all-timer? Probably not, but considering Platinum just waltzed into this club for the first time, it has done an exemplary job.