GOTD 5/30/2016: Sol Divide (PS1)
Toward the end of a console's lifespan, there's that fun little window in which small developers and publishers start pumping out quick, dirty little ports and budget titles with hopes to reap some modest sales to a niche audience. Sol Divide is one of those games, coming as a hastily done US port of a then five-year-old arcade game by XS Games. What it is, though, is an odd little shooter/beat 'em up hybrid from Psikyo, and while I don't usually dwell on developers and the like in these posts, Psikyo's reputation for quirky arcade games with severe flaws is as pertinent as ever in this one, especially when pairing that core with an inexperienced budget publisher.
In Sol Divide, you can choose from a cast of three characters in a pretty straight port of the arcade game. Each character has the same basic abilities to shoot, employ melée attacks, and cast magic spells in their quest to take down the evil demon king. Each character has slightly different combos, firing weapons/patterns, and a unique magic spell all their own. There is a magic meter and a life meter, and using most spells simply uses up some of your magic, which can be replenished by attacking enemies or picking up restorative items. There are a few spells, though, that are simply one-off uses, and must be found again if they are to be re-used. Each character also has a unique opening stage.
The game plays out like a horizontal shooter, but with huge, winged warriors instead of ships or dragons. They are big targets, but there is every bit as much focus on brawling as shooting, adding a bit of fighting flair to the mix that works pretty well. There are vague RPG elements such as leveling up your attack and extending your life bar, but much of success hinges on using the right attacks in the right situation. There is a branching path option as well, but it is almost insignificant, as Sol Divide is all but a boss rush in arcade mode. It can also be a little tough in later stages as well, since continuing restarts the stage instead of where you were, so you just have to get good enough to at least clear each stage in one life, no credit feeding through bosses. The toughest part of this is that life does not recover between stages, and you can only recover via power-ups typically earned through melée.
Also included is an Original mode, which is not just an arrange mode... it re-emphasizes the RPG elements, tasking the player to clear a 17 level tower. You can earn items along the way, which are now used through a status screen, and you gai experience points from fighting to level your attack and life. Spells are all single-use in this mode as well, so loot collecting is big. Dying sends you back to base, where you keep your level, but lose your items like a roguelike. There is an item to be found that lets you return with items to store some, but the big problem here is that you can't save. Still, in the right mood, it's a unique mode with which to spend an afternoon.
Sol Divide has an odd, pre-rendered look about it, which makes it dark and drab, yet not entirely ugly. To me, it recalls old movies like Sinbad or Clash of the Titans with their stop-motion effects, and carries a charm for it. The US port, though, omits the story scenes, preserving only the opening and ending, but not bothering to translate the ending at all from Japanese. It's sloppy work, but the gameplay is all there at least, and it's the cheapest way to play. There are also physical releases on Japanese PS1, Saturn, and PS2, as well as European PS2, though the 32-bit ports are the only ones with Original mode. It's a weird, fun little game, though it's also rough in nearly every way.
Played this one?
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