Red Solstice 2: Survivor is a tactical squad-based strategy game developed by Ironward and published by 505 Games. The follow up to “The Red Solstice” Ironwards bestseller which had excellent reviews on Steam. Once again set on Mars you can roll solo or squad up with 7 of your friends in an attempt to survive and secure the future of humanity. Today we are going to look at the Alpha build, but the full release is just right around the corner scheduled for June 17th, 2021.
After playing through the prologue and first mission it’s clear the development is solid. I didn’t play the first game, but I do know it was built on a custom engine developed back in 2014. Red Solstice 2: Survivors however was built in Unreal Engine 4 which has led them to a quality alpha build. Graphics are on point and the gameplay is fast and responsive. We didn’t experience any type of freezes or network lag effects during our timing playing this alpha. While the UI outside of missions is robust with content, I still found it easy to navigate and get to where I need to go. A great start from the development aspect for this title.
When you are in the dropship UI it acts as your command center granting you access to all your gameplay functions. In the world map interface, you can navigate your dropship to different locations. As you complete missions, you unlock new areas of Mars, allowing you to gain more supplies and level up your facilities. Global infestation must be kept at a manageable percentage otherwise the STROL will defeat you. In alpha, we only have the option to play Ironman mode. It does not allow us to save and come back in Ironman mode, so I am not sure if the infestation meter exists on a normal campaign. The world map is pretty straightforward, keep track of your resources, deploy your squad and take over Mars.
You can view all your character statistics in the armory, swap loot, and adjust your squad for deployment. It’s a lootless game full of loot haha! As of right now, the only thing you can loot off the ground is items like explosives, health packs, ammunition, and consumables. Your character upgrades come by leveling up and completing missions. You can also change components for your modules, systems, and upgrades in both defensive and offensive slots. I guess the diablo in me wants to see some named legendary weapons, so I am not sure exactly how I feel about this yet. You can also change your color scheme, swap out weapons and combat suites. Aside from this, the armory allows you to tech up your followers, customize your squad, and invite friends.
I really like the simple yet deep options to customize your playstyle and improve your character strength. As you level up you will gain points to add to your skill tree which features 3 branches combat suit, squad implants, and bestiary (That must be a typo “Beastiary” is what I think they were looking for). You can also gain statistics and XP through completing achievements that climb you up the rank ladder. It’s a great system but we will see how it holds up without an actual loot system. If you have a question about literally anything in the game Ironward built an archive system that has definitions and overviews.
I think anyone would enjoy the top-down MOBA style combat in a modern setting like Red Solstice 2: Survivor. Once you are on the ground the combat is engaging, fun, and very challenging. But it’s the 8 player squads that will make this game great. All your friends can get in on the action which will only lead to great times chillin’ on Discord. I am looking forward to watching this game grow and hanging with the homies.
