Solar Smash, by Paradyme Games, approaches with a disarmingly simple premise: you are given a planet and an arsenal of universe-ending tools, and the only objective is to indulge in spectacular destruction. While it can be categorized as a simulation game, its true essence lies elsewhere. Solar Smash is less a game to be won and more a digital canvas for stress relief and creative chaos. It is cathartic, making the player a god of annihilation, with a palette of imaginative and visually stunning weaponry to orchestrate the end of worlds.
Solar Smash lies in its huge and diverse arsenal, not just missiles and asteroids, but in its imaginative way of organizing weapons, into the categories: futuristic Alien Tech, mythical Monsters, so that the possibility of truly unique destructive combinations opens before the player. A fleet of UFOs can be summoned to blow away the surface with green beams, a giant, worm-like creature can be summoned to burrow into the planet like it were an apple. The army of giant purple spectral beings, known as the celestials, is also one of the most visually impressive since they are used to smash the planet with their fists until it breaks. The ability to layer these effects-freezing a planet with an ice ray before striking it with a volley of meteors-allows for an almost artistic approach to planetary demolition, making each session another unique performance of cosmic doom.
Its primary strength comes in the form of a deeply cathartic effect. In a world that demands order and responsibility, Solar Smash allows for a pocket universe where a player can unleash unchecked power without consequence. There's something viscerally and immediately satisfying-and even stress-relieving-in just watching a planet's population counter drop from billions to zero as you strike it with a massive solar flare. This is a pure power fantasy, a digital sandbox where the only goal is to experiment and witness the stunningly rendered aftermath. It is an exceptionally useful relaxation instrument due to this emphasis on artistic liberty instead of well-organized goals. No grinding levels, no bosses to fight, just the rawness and bliss of setting fire to a world and freezing it or reducing it to rubble when you want to play, thus it makes it an ideal game to play in small, happy bursts.
Nevertheless, the design that allows Solar Smash to become a terrific sandbox turns out to be its ultimate weakness at the same time. The experience is inherently transient, lacking in long-term, goal-oriented gameplay loops to retain player interest indefinitely. For some, the novelty of obliterating planets, even with the diverse toolset, will eventually wear off into repetition. Once you have seen what every weapon does, the core can feel shallow. The destruction is visually magnificent but is largely passive-you start the chaos and then simply observe it. Such a lack of a richer strategic involvement, or a narrative form will probably leave players who want to be challenged, have a story, or feel progression in their experience finding it beautiful, but ultimately transient, a cosmic firework which burns bright, but soon burns out.
To sum up, Solar Smash is a highly imagery and thoroughly rewarding sandbox of destruction game. It is a masterpiece of minimalist design to players in need of a catharsis and a way of venting their destructive creativity, but players in need of more organized play may quickly grow weary of it.
By Jerry | Copyright © Gameyaya - All Rights Reserved
