Solasta: Crown of the Magister brings a tabletop experience to XBOX Series S/X via XBOX
Someone with no table-top gaming experience explains why this table-top simulator is so good.
Get ready to hear about a small but mighty game development studio from Paris, France, called Tactical Adventures! These talented folks, comprising 15 to 20 game industry veterans, have created something extraordinary with their latest game, Solasta: Crown of the Magister.
They’ve made a tabletop gaming experience accessible to not just the PC and Xbox crowds but also to those who may have never had the chance to gather a group of people around a table for a classic game of D&D. Now, that’s pretty impressive, right?
To top it off, all the captivating screen captures used in this article are credited to the author. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s delve into the magical world of Solasta: Crown of the Magister!
Social capital refers to the value of your personal network. To understand it better, consider how many people you could call for help if you had a flat tire other than AAA. Imagine you needed friends to play a tabletop game like D&D instead of fixing a flat tire.
That’s your social capital when it comes to tabletop games. For most people, this number is probably relatively low. If you want to improve your social capital for tabletop games, ask your doctor about Solasta: Crown of the Magister today. It could make a big difference!”
I personally missed out on the experience of playing tabletop games when I was growing up. However, explaining why I enjoy these games so much is hard. Since the 1980s, tabletop gaming has taken a backseat to video games.
However, it has been enjoying a renaissance by bringing nerd culture into the mainstream fold. The hit Netflix series Stranger Things is often attributed to the surge of interest in tabletop gaming in mainstream culture, just like how HBO’s Game of Thrones is blamed for popularizing “step-porn.”
The sound of dice rolling in Solasta: Crown of the Magister satisfies my ears during long RPG sessions. The game’s bells and whistles, usually hidden, create an ASMR-like symphony of dice rolls, making me appreciate Solasta more than similar RPG strategy titles like Pillars of Eternity and Wasteland 3. The game uses the “Fifth Edition” ruleset for Dungeons and Dragons.
Everything in Solasta: Crown of the Magister is pure bliss for a tabletop RPG enthusiast like myself, from dice rolls to character creation. I always wanted to sit in a basement with a group of adventurers, munching on junk food, but I never had the chance. The epic saga of Solasta provides a taste of that experience.
At the game’s beginning, you can choose from a catalog of pre-made characters or create four party members using the highly satisfying character creator.
The characters can be customized or rolled, and there are three voices for each biological sex. These voices are young, middle-aged, and older voice. The impressive part is that these voices can be completely different characters based on the personality tags you selected or randomized in the creation process.
There are four of these tags in total, with the secondary tags possibly the same as the first one. So your character can not only be greedy but doubly greedy! Violent? How about really violent?
The battles in the game were incredibly frustrating at times, to the point where I found myself swearing for hours. I remember spending seven hours on one fight in a castle room. Although I eventually managed to beat that room, I was angry because it was much easier than I had realized once I realized the enemy’s weakness. That’s what happens when you like to “figure it all out yourself.”
I was raided by a streamer while playing this, and one of his viewers joined me by taking over two of my characters! I thought this was amazing. Please take a look at the highlight from my Twitch stream here. Not only did we finally beat the Green Dragon, I learned a lot. Shout out to BACON LORD BOY! Now, that’s what I call social capital!
One thing I learned about the game is that if any of your party members die, it’s game over. This was even more serious when playing in Iron Man mode, as it meant the game would be over for real. I initially hoped to replace a halfling rogue character that I regretted creating, but unfortunately, Andre is now part of the team for the long haul.
I enjoy playing single-player games, as they provide an excellenttabletop experience. However, if you have friends who also have access to the game on Xbox or PC, then multiplayer mode is a lot of fun. It allows you to host two to four players and enjoy the game together. I like waiting for my turn and watching everyone else’s moves as I plan my next move.
However, I needed clarification on the crafting system. Even after playing the game for over 12 hours, I had inventories full of ingredients, but I couldn’t find the right combination to craft anything other than arrows or bolts. I had mountains of herbs and jewels, but I was clueless about how to use them. It’s probably a user error, as I have faced similar situations in other games.
Eventually, I discovered that on Xbox Series S/X, a lot of essential item actions are selected by a menu that pops up when you press the right thumbstick. For example, you can read a crafting recipe from this menu. Once you read a crafting recipe, your entire party will have access to it. The left joystick acts as a cursor and provides extended details on most things on the game screen. However, I still don’t grasp crafting well because I can’t seem to find exactly what is needed. This is one of the few downsides of this game.
One night, I had the pleasure of playing a two-player pickup game with a random PC player on my XBOX. This person skipped most of the cinematics, and I was annoyed but pressed on. After experiencing co-op combat, I understood why this player was in a hurry. They probably thought I was going to leave, but I didn’t. For about three hours, I fought through the beginning of the original campaign with this other person.
Eventually, around 4 a.m., it became apparent that this other player was falling asleep, so I finally called it quits. Nonetheless, I had a lot of fun. If you have friends with free time, Solasta: Crown of the Magister is well worth the hall pass from your regular game. You don’t need a basement anymore to have a tabletop experience with your pals.
One of the coolest things about this game is observing your party travel on the overworld map. As you watch your party cover hundreds of miles to reach their destination, you receive a text stream of what they do on the way.
Your party will always entertain you as they play dice, discuss religion, forage for food, or take a moment to think alone. Moreover, they will also come across events on the way, including enemy encounters.
The dungeons in the game can be pretty challenging and even infuriating at times. Personally, I am not a massive fan of the puzzle aspects of dungeon crawling, but I stick with it. As a middle-aged man, I have done more pictograph puzzles than I would admit. One piece of advice is to always bring enough food rations for your journey.
Each character in the game consumes one food ration per day, which totals four per day for your entire party. Without food, your character cannot take a “long” rest at campfires. Fortunately, certain classes like cleric and ranger have spells and skills that can help with foraging along the way.
The voice acting in the game is very well done with conviction and heart. You can tell that the actors enjoyed themselves while performing the dialogue. Even simple lines that trigger when performing tasks like crawling through small spaces will make you laugh.
The cinematography in this game is remarkable. The camera angles used in the cut scenes are chosen in such a way that it seems whoever is responsible for them, knows how to tell a story and make the viewer laugh. Some of the cuts are just too perfect. It’s not just about the cuts, but the timing of the cuts adds to the overall experience.
The controls on the XBOX Series S/X can be touchy, especially when switching characters on the quick pinwheel menu. However, you can always manually select the character if needed. Sometimes, you may find yourself in an awkward position during a fight, but don’t worry; there is always a way to overcome it. It may take some time, but the game is so engaging that seven hours sometimes feel like only two.
I won’t go into all the game details, but I encourage you to check out Solasta: Crown of the Magister and try it. It’s available on PC, XBOX One, and XBOX Series S/X and is included in XBOX Game Pass and with cloud gaming.
As of February 6th, 2024, the game is no longer available on XBOX Gamepass. It may return at a later time.
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