Solasta 2 vs. Baldur's Gate 3 in Early Access Review

Solastar 2 received a lot of attention as it prepared for early access. A lot of this is thanks to the fact that it's yet another turn-based Dungeons & Dragons RPG, making it perfectly poised to fill the Baldur's Gate 3 shaped hole in our lives.

I've been able to play it for a little over a week now, and it seems to live up to all the comparisons Baldur's Gate 3 made. Early user reviews on Steam were mostly positive, with praise for the combat, companions, and visuals. Although some concerns have been raised, many see it as a great foundation for the full game.

Solasta 2 combat screen, showing the character's turn-based combat.

“Is there a problem? Yes, it was the same when BG3 launched in early access,” reads one of the positive reviews of Solasta 2's early access release. “This game is a huge improvement over the first game, and the developers are quick to listen to the community. There's a lot of heart put into this game, and it's closer to the D&D rules set than any other game.”

We can see this sentiment reflected in many of the positive reviews. Another review said, “It's like Solasta 1 and BG3 have an illegitimate child.” They also praise the cast, which includes Amelia Tyler, Devore Wilde, and Ben Starr. You may remember two of them from Baldur's Gate 3.

Nonetheless, some concerns are mentioned in both positive and negative reviews.

“I'm very excited for the game's full release, but unfortunately it's barely playable right now,” the negative review reads. They go on to mention some performance issues they've encountered and also touch on the writing. “If anyone from the development team is reading this, I'm sorry to be blunt, but from what I've seen so far, the writing is mediocre at best, especially the main character's dialogue options. I'm sorry to see another review referencing BG3, but if I may, one of the many strengths of that game was how much personality every character had.”

Who does Deborah Wilde play in Baldur's Gate 3?

Choose your answer

One answer per user

Of course, we expect technical issues to be resolved in the Early Access phase, but we'll have to wait and see what changes are made to the writing. That may be the case, as Baldur's Gate 3 itself changed a lot about the story and companions ahead of its official release, completely rewriting the Dream Guardian and Wyll as characters.

At least Solasta 2 didn't collapse under the weight of expectations. This is no small feat compared to its pre-launch Game of the Year winner. Only time will tell if this is actually the next big thing for D&D fans looking to get their game fixed.