This is a transcript excerpt covering the score awarded to Stories from Sol: the Gun-Dog on the So Videogames podcast, Episode 430.
Let’s start it off with Stories from Sol: the Gun-Dog. I talked about this last episode and spoiler it’s a banger.
As a quick recap, you can go back to last episode to hear all the details, but basically it is a visual novel done in a old school Japanese PC style, which kind of reminds me a little bit of Snatcher and a little bit like Phoenix Wright in some ways, but mostly like Snatcher, if people are familiar with that. But basically it’s kind of a faux retro throwback visual novel. There’s a couple different presentation types, black and white or monochrome or full color, but basically you play a character who is a officer in a space sci fi navy. You’re getting shipped out to, I don’t know, Jupiter or something like that, in order to go on a test run for something, and you’ve got a little bit of a checkered past.
You got into some combat, but there were problems with your Gundam-style mech, and so your whole crew died while you were forced to sit on the sidelines and watch because you couldn’t fly your mech into battle. That messed you up a little bit. So you’ve got some baggage. Other people remember how that went down and they’ve got some some umbrage to take out against you. But regardless, you go in the ship and you think you’re going to be doing some kind of a military thing in visual novel style.
You meet people on the ship, you talk to them. Everybody’s got a really cute portrait. Music is absolutely on point. Very retro, but very cool. Lots of appropriate themes that really convey the emotion of each scene. The animations are very emotive, and I think they’re very indicative of what kind of person each character is. Just from a couple frames, you can kind of get their vibe. This person is silly. This person is angry. This person is kind of flirty. A lot is being communicated with the visuals, which I think is really great. It’s always good to to show more than you tell.
I will say that although the writing is telling, it’s very economical. It’s to the point, but also descriptive, very personable and funny. It’s really hard to be funny when you’re doing games and games writing, but they nail it here. The writing is just outstanding. Every character has great dialogue, strong personality, very clear storytelling, which I think is also a feat in itself. And just so many little warm human moments that very easily could not have been there. So I really want to give special shout out to the writing. I think it’s just outstanding.
I’m not going to give away the whole thing here, but needless to say, what you think is going to be a generic mission out in the stars to do some military stuff quickly turns into something else. I’m not going to… I’m not going to give away the whole plot, but let me just say it quickly turns into a murder mystery. And so there’s kind of a genre switch. You have to do things that you didn’t think you were going to have to do. The game unfolds in a surprising way, and it all works. It really works so well.
Graphics are on point. There are little mini games to engage in that could only be done in the the realm of video games. I mean, everything about it just really comes together. I think the story choices, the way they’re presented is really good and clear. I think the UI is really excellent. Overall, I think it’s just really outstanding.
I had a couple of problems with the story flow that I was talking to the developers about and I believe they’ve really gone to back to the drawing board and patched some of that stuff. But overall I just had like a marvelous time. I really couldn’t put this game down. I had the just just the most enjoyment with it. It was fun. It was reminiscent of of good stuff from the past, but it also was modernized. It’s not just a nostalgia trip, it’s a really tight piece of work that anybody who likes sci fi stories or visual novels can enjoy. It just really moved along at a good pace, and I appreciate that. It’s very tough to do a good visual novel that really leverages its medium, but this one succeeds in every aspect. I just I just could not get enough of this one, and I am very excited to see what these developers do next.
This one, basically, it’s my strongest recommendation. For fans of visual novels, they just don’t come better than this, so Stories from Sol: the Gun-Dog gets top marks from me. And I did finish this by the way. Stories from Sol: the Gun-Dog is… it’s just really the shit. I give it a solid 8.5 out of 10 and my highest possible recommendation for visual novel fans. It’s just a blast. And if you like this show, there’s a real good chance that you are going to like this game as well.
So kudos! Stories from Sol: the Gun-Dog is an 8.5 out of 10
Disclosures: This game is developed by Space Colony Studios and published by Astrolabe Games. It is currently available on PC, PS4/5 and Switch. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PS5. Approximately 7 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game (was/was not) completed. There are no multiplayer modes.
Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated T and contains Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Language and Mild Blood. The official description reads: This is a visual novel/adventure game in which players assume the role of an officer engaging in various space missions. Players use point-and-click mechanics to reveal clues, interact with crew members on a ship, and advance the storyline. Some scenes depict brief instances of violence: characters in a fist fight; mech suits shooting, punching, stabbing each other; ship guns firing on enemy craft–sequences are highlighted by screen-shaking effects, impact sounds, and mild explosions. Some characters are depicted with small bloodstains and bullet wounds on their bodies. The game contains several references to alcohol, primarily centered around a recurring character’s alcohol dependency; a whiskey bottle is featured prominently on her desk. The words “bullsh*t” and “a*shole” appear in the game.
Colorblind Modes: There no colorblind modes available in the options, although players have three distinct color schemes to choose from.
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: All dialogue is subtitled (see examples above) but it cannot be resized or altered. There are no audio cues needed for gameplay. This game is fully accessible.
Remappable Controls: No, this game’s controls are not remappable. There is no control diagram. Moving the cursor is done by left stick or d-pad. Confirm/cancel are mapped to the face buttons. There are no realtime elements, so time pressure is not a factor.
Transformers fan. MOTU stan. Black Lives Matter, pro-LGBTQIA. Anti-fascist.
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