| Solasta 2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gameplay & Story | Release Date | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
Solasta 2 is a CRPG from Tactical Adventures built on D&D 5e mechanics. Read on to learn everything we know, our first impressions of its early access build, and if it's worth your money.
Everything We Know About Solasta 2
Solasta 2 Plot
Solasta 2 takes players to the distant island of Neokos, where a new threat emerges. Unlike the first game's focus on the aftermath of a great catastrophe and the return of magic, this sequel centers on a quest driven by family legacy
and a confrontation with an ancient, mysterious evil known as the Shadwyn.
Solasta 2 Gameplay
Solasta 2 builds on the turn-based fights and story of the first game, giving you an even deeper Dungeons & Dragons adventure. Create and lead a team of four heroes on the island of Neokos as they take on a journey tied to their family and face a big threat from the Shadwyn. The game follows the D&D 5th Edition rules, with a focus on smart fights where you strategically place your characters, utilize powerful spells, and capitalize on each and every advantage.
Solasta 2 Release Date
Solasta 2 entered Early Access on March 13, 2026. Details on the game’s full release have yet to be revealed.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Steam |
|||||
| $35.99 |
Solasta 2 Review (Early Access)
A Misty Step in the Right Direction
There are a few things in this nerdy life of mine that I love more than a meaty Dungeons & Dragons campaign, and one of those is a good CRPG. In the past few months, I’ve logged more than a thousand hours into just Divinity: Original Sin 2, Wasteland 3, and Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader.
Now, with Solasta 2 being marketed as a CRPG built upon "the world’s most popular TTRPG’s ruleset," the bar was very high for me going into the early access. Thankfully, the game was able to give me a lot to be excited about. I thought I would have to convince myself to be more lenient, recognizing that comparing years-old masterpieces to an unfinished game would be unfair. But after playing through Early Access, I instead find myself having to calm the overly excited geek in me.
With a compelling opening narrative, astonishing performances, and faithful D&D implementation, Solasta 2 left an indelible impression that I can only hope they continue to build upon. Even with just a small slice of what will be a much larger experience, I can already tell that Solasta 2 is pushing CRPGs forward in significant ways.
Family at the Heart of the Conflict
Solasta 2 brings us back to the eponymous realm where the first game, Solasta: Crown of the Magister, took place. Newcomers need not worry about continuity, though, as this game follows a new set of characters on a brand-new journey. While knowledge of the historic events that preceded the game, as well as familiarity with the pantheon of gods, would help the experience, it’s far from a prerequisite.
Here, players take on the role of the Colwalls, four adoptive siblings who begin their journey with a trek back home to attend their foster mother, Ma Hin’s, funeral. Shortly upon arriving, chaos ensues as Deorcas, an estranged Colwall sister, invokes the wrath of Maraike, the goddess of life and death. It is then revealed that the departed matriarch bore a heavy debt to the angered deity in the form of an unresolved covenant. Despite having no knowledge of the agreement, the siblings must inherit the responsibility of appeasing Maraike.
After the disastrous family reunion, the Colwall siblings are suddenly transported to the unfamiliar land of Nekoria together with Deorcas and Father Rickard, the de facto head of the family. With Rickard badly injured and Deorcas abandoning her faith and family, the four siblings have only each other in their quest to unravel the mysteries behind Ma Hin’s dealings with Maraike to save their family.
While dealing with wrathful gods is nothing new in the world of fantasy, this game’s more personal take on the matter makes for an arguably more compelling hook. I found myself deeply invested in the Colwalls because they weren’t Chosen Ones. They’re just looking out for their family, and that level of relatability is something I appreciate in an RPG.
Strong Emphasis on Session Zero
Experienced D&D players know that session zero is essential to any fun and harmonious campaign. For the uninitiated, this is where players, together with the game master, align schedules, set expectations, and, perhaps most importantly, create characters. With that in mind, Solasta 2 sets the tone right with its in-depth character creation.
In terms of cosmetics, I could spend hours just creating the ideal look for my party. From complexion undertones to freckle placements, Solasta 2 gives players great freedom in designing their heroes. This easily overlooked feature adds a significant amount of immersion and personalization for those, like myself, who are fully into the role-playing side of the game.
Character customization is a lot to tackle, especially having to do it four times, but thankfully, the game also allows you to randomize looks or tweak premade models if you don’t want to get into the nitty-gritty of cosmetics.
Moving on to functional customization, players will select their characters’ Class, Ancestry, and Background. Character creation is deep and complex, with each category having several options to choose from, but any seasoned D&D player will feel right at home as it deviates very little from established Fifth Edition (5e) guidelines.
Newbie Accessibility Shines Through
For newcomers, on the other hand, character creation can seem daunting, but the game goes the extra mile in making information as digestible as possible without compromising the complexity that makes D&D great.
Classes have complexity ratings, tooltips are abundant, and the game offers character build suggestions at multiple junctions. These are the types of features that really make a difference in turning an overly complicated web of systems and mechanics into an enjoyable experience. Hopefully, features like this will become more commonplace in the genre.
The downside is that it’s frankly an inordinate amount of reading if you’re coming into the game completely blind. But it’s worth it. Mastering the systems at play feels incredibly rewarding, and Solasta 2 does exceptionally well in providing the tools and information needed to do so. If the alternative is having to stumble my way through a dozen interwoven game systems, I’ll take the reading any day.
Though if you really just want to jump into the action, the game also provides a quick creation option as well as various premade class archetypes to choose from.
Silent Protagonists No More
Solasta 2 solves what is, to me, a pain point shared by a large number of CRPGs out there: silent protagonists. Sure, there are dialogue options, but they’re rarely voice-acted, and my characters are relegated to little more than facial expressions. Well, Solasta 2 says, “To hell with that!” and gives players four custom protagonists, each with fully voiced lines and unique personalities.
Each character will have a chosen familial Role and Personality. These two traits determine the dialogue options open to them, and the sheer number of possible combinations makes for a dizzying array of potential personas.
It’s a novel take on branching dialogue that I’d surprisingly only ever seen in the first Solasta. More than that, it’s an innovative way of making a multi-protagonist system still feel personal and immersive. Other multi-protagonist games will usually have one be the "main character" or have dialogue default to whoever the player was controlling last.
Just a couple of hours in, and I felt connected to each one of my characters. I could just imagine what their dynamic was growing up together. It’s fascinating watching them play their roles and take turns being the party’s mouthpiece.
It’s not flawless, though, as some dialogue options can feel forced, or even worse, nonsensical. For example, choosing your heroic and noble paladin as your family’s black sheep makes for some jarringly strange dialogue where the flavor choices really just do not align.
We’ve Seen This Combat Before
Games like the first Solasta already proved that video-gamifying D&D combat was possible, and Solasta 2 mostly follows that formula. Each character has one action, a bonus action, and a set amount of movement each turn, and most everything else, from turn order to damage, is dictated by dice rolls.
It’s a tried-and-true system, but I wish the game could have improved on it further. The game strictly follows D&D 5e rules and adds little we haven’t seen before, other than a few homebrewed spells. The big worry here is that Solasta 2 could suffer the same fate as the first game, with combat eventually becoming stale and repetitive.
Don’t get me wrong, innovating on such a long-established and beloved blueprint is a tall task, but even a few quality-of-life improvements like the ability to fast-forward NPC turns would go a long way.
On the flip side, a notable pro is the game’s UI. I’ve never been a fan of the typical messy hotbars CRPGs resort to. In contrast, Solasta 2 features a neatly compartmentalized UI, with dropdowns dividing actions between spells, weapon attacks, items, special actions, etc. It’s an improvement that seems minor but makes a significant impact in the moment-to-moment experience.
Overworld Map Amplifies Tabletop Experience
Solasta 2 utilizes an overworld map divided into hexgrids for covering long distances instead of a fast-travel map or an open world. It's an interesting approach to traversal that diversifies the gameplay but runs the risk of becoming tedious in the long run.
In the overworld, you use movement points (MP) to move from hex to hex until you get where you're going. Here, you can find points of interest, combat encounters, and random events. Should you run out of MP, you can either take a Long Rest or force a few more spaces with a higher risk of negative outcomes.
The hexgrid is a highlight of the Early Access, divvying up gameplay sections and bringing the experience back to its TTRPG roots. The random encounters and decision-making events evoke the feeling of a long-term D&D campaign where the journey is just as interesting as the destination.
However, it bears saying that I've seen this system before, and it hasn't always been the best idea. As it stands, the overworld exploration is a refreshing addition to the franchise, but imbalanced encounters or a lack of variety could turn the game into a tedious slog. I appreciate the risk, though failure in this regard could be a death knell.
Unpolished but Commanding Presentation
My expectations were admittedly low when it came to presentation, since early access and beta builds don’t paint a full picture of what a game will eventually look and sound like come full release. However, Solasta 2 exceeded my expectations and even gave me goosebumps at one point.
First, the soundtrack is definitely a bright spot, not only scoring each scene well but elevating them into thrilling cinematic experiences. I’ll definitely be recommending this game’s soundtrack to all my Dungeon Master friends for their campaigns.
Solasta 2 also boasts some seriously impressive voice acting, with NPC performances that are deeply emotional and expertly nuanced. The same can't be said for the custom characters, however, as some deliveries, especially with branching dialogue, come off as wooden and awkward. Hopefully, the protagonists’ voice lines can be refined, as they can be pretty distracting when everyone else around them is consistently outstanding.
Visually, the game also presents a strong initial outing, featuring well-crafted models, lush greenery, and decent animations. While there are some unsightly textures here and there, that’s par for the course for early access builds. It’s far from perfect now, but Solasta 2 has the DNA of a gorgeous game.
Lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the game’s stellar visual direction. While other CRPGs feature static cameras and sparse cutscenes, Solasta 2 goes all out on cinematic set pieces early on. The game doesn’t shy away from using clever camera angles, artistic mood lighting, and a mix of close-ups and wide shots to elevate even routine story beats into visual spectacle. There are a few immersion-breaking flaws, like occasionally desynced dialogue and erroneously framed shots, but I expect those to be addressed in future updates.
Following in the Footsteps of Giants
Baldur’s Gate 3 took the world by storm back in 2023, and it introduced hundreds of thousands of players to the world of high fantasy and CRPGs. Now, almost three years removed from that groundbreaking release, players are hungry for the next big thing in the space.
The final game will likely dwarf the amount of content available in early access, so it’s way too early to tell. But if Tactical Adventures continues with relatable storytelling and striking presentation while refining its gameplay, Solasta 2 could just be the next breakout hit.
Game8 Reviews
You may also like...
Solasta 2 Product Information
 |
|
| Title | SOLASTA 2 |
|---|---|
| Release Date | March 13, 2026 (Early Access) |
| Developer | Tactical Adventures |
| Publisher | Tactical Adventures |
| Supported Platforms | Steam |
| Genre | CRPG, Adventure, Action |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | Rating Pending |
| Official Website | Solasta 2 Official Website |
