Red Solstice 2: Survivors Review, A Touch of Nostalgia and Intense Strategy Gameplay!

Following the summary first impression us for Red Solstice 2: Survivors last May, finally the game has been officially released and received a not so bad reception from the fans. The changes offered from the alpha version aren’t that many and it still feels the same, but at least we’ve got access to all the content that was previously inaccessible.

Developed as a sequel to the strategy game The Red Solstice which was released in 2015, this game promises a more exciting and tense tactical real-time playing experience. In order to see how solid the final quality it has to offer, we’ve been playing the game for the past week and got enough impressions to summarize it in a review. Instead of lingering, just take a look at the full review below!

Friendly for New Players

You don’t have to worry about the number “2” in the title of this game, because Red Solstice 2: Survivors is actually quite friendly with new players. The storyline is presented through dialogue pieces and cutscene images that are packaged quite neatly, not to mention that you will not be given a lot of information spontaneously so that the delivery of the story feels lighter and easier to understand. In the game, you play as a group of tough warriors named Executor who carry out a secret mission to save Mars from the power of the STROL alien race. Although the identity of the group and the mission they carry out are confidential, we find it a little strange when every NPC seems to know about your identity.

One other factor that makes this game so friendly to new players lies in the full Archive feature. There is so much information that is presented from the story, information about items, types of aliens, buffs, and much more. This is arguably one of the most comprehensive Bestiaries compared to most of the games we’ve played over the last few years. All the features and information on offer are very accessible, so those who missed the first game might be able to get the full details needed to understand the full story of the Red Solstice universe itself.

Pretty Solid Strategy Gameplay

As a result, when we tried the release of the full version, we didn’t find much difference in terms of gameplay which initially gave us the sensation of playing the classic StarCraft series. You need to use the mouse to click and move the character and attack enemies around the battlefield, which can also involve more exciting action with the Class Skills of the warrior character you control. So even though at first glance there are clear similarities, it won’t take long until you notice a strong difference as well.

During the course of the game you only need to control one soldier, which in the early part of your task is to collect reinforcements in the form of additional soldiers who follow the command. If you have got several soldiers, you can give various orders that play an important role in managing the strategy of combat power. Each soldier has weapons and stats that can be strengthened as the game progresses, and they are also divided into several classes such as marksman, healer (must have at least one) and many more.

This game provides the option of two shooting modes while in the middle of combat action, namely manual and sentry. Manually controlling the shot has many advantages, such as higher attack power and long range of sight, but with a note that you need to be able to aim with precision. While sentry mode allows your character to attack automatically, the attack range is only limited in a much smaller circle. Although practical, later there will be many moments where the number of enemies coming from various directions will explode and can penetrate the sentry mode defense. This is indeed very dangerous, because the character you play can die easily in just a few fatal attacks.

Customization also plays a very important role in maximizing the combat power of your character. In this game you are offered with a fairly complete character upgrade option. The options it offers already include default weapons, support and defense components that can be further customized with additional skills. Besides being able to provide extra abilities that are more varied, but also can have an effect on the active skills that your character uses. So before starting the battle, it’s a good idea for you to prepare weapons, equipment and also a variety of skills that are considered most suitable for the battle scenario that must be faced. But be careful, because there are also skills that have reciprocal effects such as the use of grenades with AoE attacks that can injure teammates.

The options for the types of weapons offered are still the same, namely primary and secondary weapons. Interestingly, the backup weapon that you can use has a higher attack power, it’s just that you need to shoot it manually without auto aim. Each weapon has a very precise and non-stackable bullet capacity. This means that if there are still bullets left in one magazine that you don’t shoot until you reload, then the remaining bullets will be wasted and not added to the remaining bullets you still have. If you have run out of bullets, the remaining option is to fight with your bare hands and use special skills to eradicate the enemy.

Mission and Exploration Flow

Different from the original game, the map in Red Solstice 2 has a larger size. This allows you to explore more places, including how each mission also takes on a different location. You can take advantage of various spots in the map to your advantage, such as how players can amplify shot output and reduce the spread of ballistic fire by taking cover in specific places. There are also reactions that can be inflicted as a secret weapon to subdue the enemy, such as exploding oil drums or cars to produce AoE attacks.

The main mission in Red Solstice 2: Survivors moves in a linear fashion, where you have to pass through an area to reach a certain position at the end of the map. During this journey you will be faced with many intense battles that can threaten the lives of the squad at any time, but at the same time there are also many distractions such as sources to look for valuable materials such as ammunition bags, automatic turrets and many more. Hunting for materials is a very important activity, especially in multiplayer mode, because the stock of ammunition and equipment that you can carry will never be enough to face the dangers that lie in the way.

After completing the mission, you will be thrown back on the World Map screen that provides access to find resources or create new equipment. Any action you take in this menu will affect the in-game time for several days. Even if you delay the course of the battle mission, the world infection of the STROL alien race will grow fiercer and affect the difficulty level as well. To add an extra challenge, there is also an alien race invasion status with progress which if it reaches 100%, then humanity will be declared to have perished.

Conclusion

In the end the impression we got didn’t change much, because the final version of Red Solstice 2: Survivors is pretty much identical to what we’ve played before. The gaming experience offered is at least still fun and enough to evoke our nostalgic memories with games of the same genre in the past. The content it offers is also denser than the first series, including the scale of the play area as well.

It’s just that the shortcomings that we feel are more related to the technical side which is unfortunately not so perfect, because along the course of the game there are various kinds of bugs that are quite disturbing. The storyline that is presented also feels bland and immediately makes us not interested in following it in full and focusing more on the gameplay.

Excess:

Pretty solid strategy gameplay
Dense with new content compared to the first series
More massive scale of play area

Lack:

Navigation feels uncomfortable
Various bug problems that interfere with the playing experience
The main campaign scenario is so bland

Final Score:

7/10

For those of you who are curious, Red Solstice 2: Survivors is now available on PC via Steam. The game itself is pegged at a fairly affordable price here IDR 210 thousand.

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