Solar 2 | Cheerful Ghost

Solar 2: Because You Want To Advance The Universe

I heard about Solar 2 from the recent Humble with Android Bundle 5. I picked up the bundle and decided to give Solar 2 a spin from Linux. First off the game plays perfectly from Linux with the keyboard and my USB controller. Valve has really done a good job getting the Linux client working and I also give mad props to the developers that make cross platform games. Its a cool trend I hope keeps trending upward.

Solar 2 is a hard game to describe but essentially its a game about the lifecycle of planetary bodies... I know that sounds strange but the above video can show you a bit more of it in detail. Basically you start the game out as an asteroid and you need to slam... Read All I heard about Solar 2 from the recent Humble with Android Bundle 5. I picked up the bundle and decided to give Solar 2 a spin from Linux. First off the game plays perfectly from Linux with the keyboard and my USB controller. Valve has really done a good job getting the Linux client working and I also give mad props to the developers that make cross platform games. Its a cool trend I hope keeps trending upward.

Solar 2 is a hard game to describe but essentially its a game about the lifecycle of planetary bodies... I know that sounds strange but the above video can show you a bit more of it in detail. Basically you start the game out as an asteroid and you need to slam into other asteroids to gain enough mass to become a dead planet. As you evolve to a dead planet you must suck up more asteroids to evolve life on your planet. From that point the life forms put a shield on you and launch little fighters to protect you and attack other planets. The life forms fighters are totally uncontrollable by you so you need to know how they operate and work with them. From the life bearing planet stage you suck up further asteroids as you evolve into a Star.

From the Star stage you can suck up other planets to orbit you and evolve them to have shields and attack other stars with planets. Essentially you do this until your star evolves into a Black Hole and then you finally finish the game by sucking up all the matter you can and then the Black Hole explodes and you start over again as an asteroid.

The game also features a few quests you can do to break up the pace of celestial advancement. I really enjoyed the quests where you had to steal other Stars planets because they contained a "key card" someone needed. The game works within its game mechanics yet adds fun quests that keep the game fresh.

At the end of the day I am really impressed with Solar 2's simple mechanics and beauty. The score entirely captures the games mood and is one of the best accompaniments of music to this kind of game I've heard in a while.

If you get the latest Humble Bundle, and you totally should the first game you should play is Solar 2, its a beautifully stunning game that deserves your attention.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/12/2013 at 07:25am

Awesome that you reviewed this! Glad you like it :)

Have you attempted a multiple star system yet? I think the most I ever got up to was 4 stars.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/12/2013 at 03:58pm

I got up to 2 and that was fun. How easy is it to handle 4?

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/12/2013 at 04:17pm

I don't remember it being very easy. I seem to recall getting overpowered by larger systems, and losing all of my planets. As you get bigger, other systems get more powerful.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/12/2013 at 05:25pm

This sounds really cool. And isn't something I'd find without CG! Thanks for the review!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/12/2013 at 05:29pm

Nab the bundle, you can add all the games to Steam and they run on Mac, Windows and Linux.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/14/2013 at 04:25am

If anyone has any questions for Jay Watts, the developer of Solar 2, let me know. He has agreed to do an interview with the site about the game.

Very excited about this one!

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