Ballad of Solar might have tiptoed under the radar for a few of you resource management fans, but challenging gameplay, varied tasks, and a fun atmosphere make this title a can't-miss experience. Just beware the extra layer of cheese... we promise, there's a good game buried just after the excessive eye rolling.
Ballad of Solar, you say? Well, that can't be good... I mean, when did that even come out? And who is this blond bimbo of a man strutting out on his giant white steed? Excuse me while I gag on the cheese that's exuding from this ridiculous parody of a resource management game.
But, I'm a good sport, and I know I've been wrong before, so I'll control my gag reflex and give it a shot. You never know, right?
OK, so Ballad of Solar... what is your story? Apparently there's a kingdom and it gets attacked, kingdom is in ruins, blah blah blah, princess imprisoned, Prince Charming has to come and save the day... so far, they are not winning me over with their originality.
And the voice acting... please stop talking little man... you sound like Prince Adam from my old He-man cartoons. And, while you might think that bit of nostalgic putty might make me swoon with delight, I'll remind you that nobody liked Prince Adam. Nobody... although this video almost redeemed him... (sorry, this makes me laugh so hard, I had to share it...)
The graphics in the cutscenes reminded me again of those old 80's cartoons with silly villains, bright colors, and weirdly drawn jaw lines.
So far, Ballad Of Solar was turning out to be a ballad of suck. Ugg another wasted moment of my life I'll never get back.
But forge through the mucky mucky I will, to the very first level. Ok, well these graphics aren't that bad. They are actually nicely drawn and detailed with cute little grassy knolls and brightly colored trees and resources. I loved that the food resources were delectable little cupcakes and donuts... because, come on, if you had your choice, wouldn't you love to have a cupcake bush or a donut tree in your backyard?
And the gameplay, well... there certainly are a lot of varied tasks to do. Chopping trees, collecting food, repairing buildings, filling up holes, saving children, moving boulders, harvesting honey, purifying forests... ok ok... so maybe this game isn't so bad after all.
As you progress through Ballad of Solar, you pick up various characters who are in charge of doing various tasks. There are also some tasks that can be performed by more than one character, so you can pick and choose who you want to do the dirty work. This is nice if you've had enough of Prince Charming...
My favorite character that you pick up is the second unlikely hero to join your ragtag team, Yord the Troll... he just wants to draw noodles... he's ADORABLE. I especially like his little victory dance when you complete a level. Kind of looks like me when I get the silly notion that I have any kind of rhythm at all.
Believe it or not... before too long, I was checking the clock and realizing I had spent WAY too much time on this game already... but I kept wanting to play "just one more level" - a sure sign that perhaps I had harshly misjudged Ballad of Solar and our poor Prince Adam look-a-like. It's not his fault he's bad... he's just drawn that way.
Ballad of Solar, my humble apologies for the earlier trash talk... because deep down inside, past your tight pants heroes and silly 80's cut scenes, and cheesy storyline, there lies a resource management game worthy of conquering.