Solasta 2 has an impossible act to follow, but I'm hooked on its D&D roadtrip vibes

No-one would envy Solasta 2 for having to follow in the footsteps of the all-conquering Baldur's Gate 3. Larian's behemoth has set a modern standard for D&D games that any other participants will immediately be compared to. Yet once I lurched myself past a few Early Access wobbles, I found myself completely immersed in the world of Neokos. Developer Tactical Adventures says its sequel remains "faithful to the tabletop experience," and I'm already in love with the way its map-hopping escapades feel like I'm in a traditional Dungeons and Dragons campaign.

Baldur's Gate 3 is a masterful RPG, but one driven by its narrative and the tightly designed environments that comprise each of its three acts. Solasta 2, by comparison, puts its focus more squarely on mechanics, with a presentation that feels like an old-school D&D roadtrip. Once I'm through the introductory hour or so, where I establish my party of four adopted siblings, attend a family funeral, and am unceremoniously whisked to unfamiliar lands, I find myself facing a hex-grid map, and a profound sense of nostalgia.

I have goals - specifically, seeking out another member of my extended family, Deorcas (voiced by BG3's Lae'zel, Devora Wilde) - but they're intentionally vague at first. Instead, my initial momentum is propelled by a party companion, Jebfa, who is concerned she's being stalked and needs escorting back to her camp. This is signposted off in the distance, but along the way are a smattering of marked and unmarked events, each of which ranges from minor dice-roll diversion to full-blown encounter.

Despite being warned that Jebfa's death will spell a game over (Tactical Adventures notes this will not be the case in the final game, but it is for now), I promptly lead her away from her desired destination and instead towards a seemingly abandoned coastal town. This puts her into immense danger, as my investigations uncover the presence of both haunted skeleton knights and an astonishing amount of angry giant crabs, but it proves the right move - I wouldn't have survived the battles that followed without her impressive magical talents.

Solasta 2's combat is its real shining star at the moment, with a whole heap of environmental variety that has a very real impact on every decision I make. My slightly rusty D&D knowledge is quickly polished up thanks to the comprehensive displays and tooltips, which explain every modifier and effect being applied to every possible move at my fingertips. I find myself encouraged to switch between ranged and melee attacks, which Solasta 2 puts no restriction on doing, whether it's to take advantage of high ground or to free a hand up for the gestures required to cast certain spells.

The events that don't immediately break into a battle (although some get there eventually) have a real sense of your DM reading you a little set-piece they've crafted. This is enhanced by the writing direction, which speaks to you and your party directly ("As you walk through the ruin, you step on a slab whose sound catches your attention"). Most serve as a simple ability check or other dice roll, but there's enough care put into the text that it captures that sense of adventure. Expect a lot of reading, but in a good way.

Many of the smaller events across the map will sit there until you choose to stumble upon them, but some ask that you rush there within a certain number of long rests. These encourage you to push through fatigue and risk the negative effects of exhaustion in return for their potential rewards. I didn't encounter any so memorable that I would have been heartbroken to miss them, but I still found myself chasing down every last one.

The marks of Early Access are certainly present. While most of my party looks good, the animation rigging doesn't get on well with my Dwarf Cleric Isolde's face, and she constantly looks in pain while talking. The character creation is also relatively limited for now, with just four ancestries and six classes at launch, and while there are a fair number of hairstyles and so on I wasn't able to push the boat out on the look of my party as much as I would have liked. I do, however, love the touches that play off each member's strengths, like my Halfling Rogue, Coralie, reading books to the party because she's the most linguistically adept.

The early hours are also remarkably railroaded, with very few chances to make path-altering choices. I have the option to talk back to the town guards who tell me to lay down my weapons and come peacefully, but I can't actually escalate matters into a brawl. It feels a little like your DM asking you nicely not to derail the whole adventure while they're still in the setup process. Given the notification that some existing restrictions are merely a concession for Early Access, perhaps that's something that will change down the line.

Such is the nature of an early launch, after all, and given how well it worked for BG3 it'd be silly to begrudge Tactical Adventures for its relatively light early offering. There's already a robust roadmap, and I'm having enough fun dancing about the map and getting into scraps that I'm willing to wait and see what comes. While the estimated Act One playtime is 10-15 hours for what's currently implemented, I've already blasted past that, and can see myself toying around with it more.

Before I get her into too much more trouble, I return Jebfa to her friends, and learn a little more about what Deorcas has been up to in the region prior to our arrival. That gives me a firmer idea of where I should be going - but I think I'll check out that dilapidated church across the road first. I've just got a feeling it'll be worth my time.