Solasta: Crown of the Magister is a tactical role-playing game with turn-based combat. It is set in a fantasy world that was nearly destroyed in an apocalyptic event a thousand years ago. Players create a party of four adventurers to search the ruins of an Elven empire for the jewels needed to empower a powerful artifact.[2] Players can use pre-made characters or make their own.[3] Each character has their own personality and can answer questions by non-player characters[4] or engage in banter with the other party members.[3] Character creation follows the fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons rules and includes five races and seven classes.[3] The plot is generally linear.[5]
Players can create their own adventures using a tool designed to be easy-to-use.[6] Player-made adventures have a level cap of 16.[7]
Development
Tactical Adventures is an independent studio based in Paris that was founded by Mathieu Girard, formerly of Amplitude Studios.[8] They announced Kickstarter funding for Solasta: Crown of the Magister in September 2019.[9] The game entered early access in October 2020[10] and was released for Microsoft Windows on May 27, 2021.[11] The macOS version was released on November 4, 2021. The Primal Callingdownloadable content released at the same time adds two new playable classes, along with 3 subclasses for each. Primal Calling also adds one ancestry and a new character background .[12] The game was later ported to consoles on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on July 5, 2022.[13] A version for PlayStation 5 was released on March 6, 2024.[14]
On April 14, 2022, Tactical Adventures released the Lost Valley paid DLC, a separate campaign for Solasta. A free update with this release enables multi-player co-op mode and adds a new sub-class to each of the character classes.[15][16] The Inner Strength DLC, released November 15, 2022, adds three additional classes and the dragonborn ancestry to the game. A free update with this release added 17 new feats and three new backgrounds.[17] The Palace of Ice DLC adds a new, higher-level campaign; new spells; gnomes and tieflings as new playable races; and other changes. A bundle of the base game with all released DLC, called the Lightbringers Edition, was released simultaneously on May 25, 2023.[18]
A new Tactical Adventures subsidiary team, named Talyon, was announced on June 10, 2021. This Lyon, France based studio will develop a tactical RPG based on the same setting as Solasta.[19]
Reception
Solasta: Crown of the Magister received "generally favorable reviews" on Metacritic, where it has a 77/100 score.[20] Rick Lane of PC Gamer rated it 70/100. Lane criticized the writing but praised its tactical combat and accessibility to newcomers.[5] Writing for RPGamer, Phillip Willis called it an excellent introduction to both D&D and role-playing games, though he said the story is too cliched. Willis rated it 3.5/5 stars and concluded that it "provides a fun, if somewhat short, ride that most will enjoy".[3] Abraham Kobylanski of RPGFan wrote, "Solasta's combat and systems make for an excellent foundation, but until it gets a compelling story, it will feel a bit empty."[4] Writing for PC Gamer, Jody Macgregor praised the continued evolution of Solasta. After multiple DLC were released, he said it now features a wide variety to choices in character customization, including the option to create oddball parties reminiscent of his own tabletop adventures.[21]
