Solasta: Crown of the Magister is a role-playing video game created by Tactical Adventures and released in 2021. The game uses the rules from the 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons, as found in the System Reference Document. A sequel, Solasta II, is planned to be released in early access for personal computers in 2026.
Gameplay
Solasta: Crown of the Magister is a game where players make choices that affect the story, and battles happen in turns. The game takes place in a fantasy world that was almost destroyed by a terrible event 1,000 years ago. Players create a group of four adventurers to explore the ruins of an Elven empire and find jewels needed to give power to a strong object. Players can choose from ready-made characters or create their own. Each character has a unique personality and can talk to computer-controlled characters or interact with other group members. Character creation uses rules from the fifth version of Dungeons & Dragons and includes five races and seven classes. The story follows a set path with few choices.
Players can design their own adventures using a tool that is simple to use. Adventures made by players have a maximum level of 16.
Development
Tactical Adventures is an independent game studio located in Paris. It was founded by Mathieu Girard, who previously worked at Amplitude Studios. In September 2019, the studio announced that it would fund the game Solasta: Crown of the Magister through a Kickstarter campaign. The game became available in early access in October 2020 and was released for Microsoft Windows on May 27, 2021. A version for macOS was released on November 4, 2021. The Primal Calling downloadable content, released at the same time, added two new playable classes, three subclasses for each, one ancestry, and a new character background. The game was later made available on consoles, including Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on July 5, 2022. A version for PlayStation 5 was released on March 6, 2024.
On April 14, 2022, Tactical Adventures released the Lost Valley paid DLC, which includes a separate campaign for Solasta. A free update with this release added multiplayer co-op mode and a new subclass for each character class. The Inner Strength DLC, released on November 15, 2022, added three new character classes and the dragonborn ancestry. A free update with this release also added 17 new feats and three new character backgrounds. The Palace of Ice DLC introduced a new, higher-level campaign, new spells, gnomes and tieflings as playable races, and other changes. A bundle containing the base game and all released DLC, called the Lightbringers Edition, was released on May 25, 2023.
On June 10, 2021, Tactical Adventures announced a new subsidiary team named Talyon, based in Lyon, France. This team will develop a tactical RPG set in the same world as Solasta.
Reception
Solasta: Crown of the Magister received "generally favorable reviews" on Metacritic. Rick Lane of PC Gamer gave it a score of 70 out of 100. He pointed out that the game's writing had weaknesses but noted that its strategic battles and ease for new players were strengths. Phillip Willis of RPGamer described the game as a good way to learn about D&D and role-playing games, though he said the story was not very original. Willis gave it a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars and said the game offers a fun experience, even though it is short. Abraham Kobylanski of RPGFan wrote that the game's combat and systems are strong, but without a more interesting story, the game feels incomplete. Jody Macgregor of PC Gamer praised the game's improvements over time. After several downloadable content packs were added, the game now includes many options for customizing characters, such as creating unusual party groups similar to those in tabletop games.
Sequel
A sequel called Solasta II was announced by Tactical Adventures at The Game Awards 2024. It is currently scheduled to be released as an early access game for PC on March 12, 2026.