PC Critic Reviews

Solarpunk is a solid, cozy, low intensity game, but if you’re looking for an adventure that lasts more than a hundred hours, you should probably look somewhere else.

Solarpunk is a great cozy survival crafting video game set in a world of floating islands. Players can explore the floating islands using the airship and gather resources for advanced recipes. Despite it being a survival, it is more of a relaxed craft and build title, perfect for players who enjoy cozy, creative survival games. It has both Solo and Co-op modes, allowing players to craft, build, explore, and automate solo or with their friends.

Solarpunk is a laid-back gaming experience in which resource management and base-building take precedence over exploration and survival.

I do get a decent degree of enjoyment out of survival crafting games, and as much as the survival element here is not overly high stakes (which works for me), the crafting does provide a degree of fun. The game does feel a little clunky at times (I managed to die on an island by crashing my airship… I didn’t have a dock on the island, so I ended up having to destroy the bed I had set as a spawn point so that I could die and be sent back to the original island where I could access my airship). Whether you get enjoyment out of the game will depend primarily on whether you need a story or any indication of lore to motivate you. If you are fine just grinding and get a lot of enjoyment out of building a house to your own design… then Solar Punk could be for you. I would probably still suggest waiting for a sale, though.

Solarpunk is a nice, relaxing crafting game, which is held back by its inane world and restrictive progression.

Solarpunk has an interesting concept and promising approaches, but these are overshadowed by a lot of idle and technical issues.

Solarpunk is a solid crafting adventure, but its progression is too linear and it fails to fully capitalize on the potential of its game world.

Solarpunk doesn’t capture the spirit of its namesake until far, far later into the game, but it’s at least a relaxing sandbox where you can do pretty much anything you want (as long as it fits within the confines of its cozy game genre). Its best moments come from building alongside friends and watching a small floating island grow into a thriving home. It’s definitely not a game for everyone, especially since it can feel a bit empty at times. However, players who enjoy setting their own goals and taking things at their own pace will find plenty to like among the clouds.

Solarpunk, as a genre and movement, is built around imagining better futures and alternative ways of living. Here, that idea never fully develops; there is a beautiful sky to explore, but not enough substance beneath it.

Solarpunk is just okay. Graphically, it’s quite charming in its approach, along with good sound design. But there are still a lot of problems that could’ve been worked out if it had taken longer to develop. Issues regarding UI where inventory doesn’t show, or acts as if it’s full when it’s not and a tutorial that explains mechanics found in similar games, but doesn’t explain the mechanics that are specific to this one. While there are moments of an interesting title, like the use of renewable energy as a power source over finite energy, it just feels pretty aimless, and some QOL upgrades found in similar titles could’ve been used in this one. Hopefully, with more updates, Solarpunk can be the solarpunk genre game worth playing.