The only puzzle games I play these days seem to be from the Eastasiasoft publishing catalogue, with the Sokoban-focused and ice-themed SokoPenguin being one of the most recent examples. That particular game wasn’t great, but the latest offering looks to continue the icy trend for an ice sliding puzzler titled Skater’s Solstice.
Should you get your skates on to pick up Skater’s Solstice, or would it be best to give it the cold shoulder instead?
Developed by Double Mizzlee, Skater’s Solstice is a top-down, ice sliding puzzler. It’s rather similar to their other title, Shivering Stone, in which you slide blocks around a chilly environment. The main difference here is that you’re actually sliding a skater all about the place, all in search of an exit for each stage. The concept is so simple it seemingly doesn’t require a tutorial, but I’ll explain what it entails anyway.
There are fifty stages in total, with each possessing two objectives: reaching an exit point, and collecting up to three stars which are scattered within. You must direct the skater either up, down, left, or right, in a bid to guide the unnamed character to completing the aforementioned tasks. The skater will slide in the direction of input until a wall or an obstacle is hit, at which point you can move once more.
Considering the large amount of stages present, I would expect variety through the introduction of fresh gameplay elements. Alas, it’s not the case. Soon enough on the adventure, pop-up spikes enter the fray as a dangerous hazard for the skater to avoid, and then portals arrive to teleport them to different parts of a stage, but that’s your lot. Sure, the stages get bigger and more complex due to a greater number of obstacles as well as hazards, however this leads to a different problem altogether.
As the icy stages grow in size, with additional areas to worry about inside the same stage, most of the environment you’re traversing is off-screen. So essentially you’re moving while blissfully unaware of what’s ahead and teleporting without knowing where you’re going to end up. Furthermore, the vast sliding distance, and inability to see the whole stage, makes it very difficult to time movements to ensure that any spikes on the route are retracted at the moment they’re passed over. Both issues cause an abundance of level resets, which although swift, are still irritating to experience.
From start to finish, there’s a real fluctuation in the difficulty and, unfortunately, it’s down to those bad design choices more than anything else. A stage could be done and dusted in less than thirty seconds, while the next may frustrate for over ten minutes. A saving grace though, is that collecting the stars is merely an optional objective and so you can just make a beeline for the exit if you wish. Getting to the exit is generally an easier path, which alleviates a bit of stress.
In regards to the visuals, the little skater stands out well with great clarity for the wintry outfit worn by them. Less praise can be given for the icy environments however, mainly because once you’ve seen one, the rest are just as bland to look at. A few trees copy and pasted around the perimeters, as well as some snow to separate the iced areas, isn’t enough to create an interesting setting.
On a more positive note, Gamerscore enthusiasts will be fairly satisfied that acquiring the full 1000G won’t take up much time. Even without a guide to follow, you’re looking at just over an hour to complete all fifty stages and the related achievements. And if you factor in the low price tag, there’s no doubt about its appeal in that sense.
Ultimately though, Skater’s Solstice presents a promising puzzle concept that hits a slippery slope too swiftly. While it contains a respectable number of stages, the ideas run out fast and there’s a lack of fresh elements to keep your interest. Even those that are implemented just bring flaws to proceedings, which curtails the level of enjoyment that can be had.
Unless you’re an achievement hunter, Skater’s Solstice doesn’t have a whole lot to offer and you should look elsewhere for some puzzling fun.
Skater’s Solstice Glides onto Consoles: A Chill Puzzle Adventure on Ice – https://www.thexboxhub.com/skaters-solstice-glides-onto-consoles-a-chill-puzzle-adventure-on-ice/
Buy Skater’s Solstice on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/skaters-solstice/9MWF9BZNVLXK
