I have no nostalgia for PC-88 visual novel games. I grew up at the perfect time to play them but, alas, I’m just some silly American rube. My background comes from King’s Quest and Wolfenstein, I didn’t have access to the NEC 8-bit home computer device. Back then, I didn’t even know it existed. Eventually, I’d end up playing games like Policenauts and Snatcher and develop a deep reverence for the flavor provided by those games. I jumped at the opportunity to review Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog after seeing the style, music, and tenor in trailers. I went in with little expectations outside of the portraits and music and was extremely pleased with the outcome.
Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog
Developer: Space Colony Studios
Price: $15
Platform: PlayStation 4/5 (reviewed) Nintendo Switch, PC
MonsterVine was supplied with a PlayStation 5 code for review.
Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog takes place on a SWIFT class patrol ship known as the JFS Gun-Dog. Sent on a mission to support a similar ship, the JFS O’Brien, the crew on the Gun-Dog knows little about what’s to come. The player character, who has a troubled history in the Jovian Colony Fleet after an issue with their mech not detaching during a mission, has risen to the rank of Lieutenant and is in charge of security on the JFS Gun-Dog. We meet them just after they’ve boarded the Gun-Dog and settled into their quarters.
The first task is to meet with the captain followed by a tour of the ship and introduction to the crew. This is halted when the PC’s girlfriend shows up and you find out that she’s stationed on the JFS Gun-Dog as well. Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog has a fun cast of characters that you unfortunately don’t get to spend very much time around. The entire game took around 6 hours and, fundamentally, lays the groundwork for a pretty compelling universe. Initially, Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog had a “Part 1” attached to it that was later dropped. The developers consider Stories from Sol to be an anthology series, with this as just one of many parts.
There are a few characters that get their time in the spotlight though. Cassie, the PC’s girlfriend, gets a lot of attention. Though Cassie spends a decent amount of time off-screen, she is a story focal-point. Commander Cassandra Quinn (Cassie) is joined by Ensign Hansen Crwys, Chief Engineer Mackenzie Cathays, and Lieutenant Vanessa Lord. Despite there being several other characters aboard the JFS Gun-Dog, all of who have their roles, the story focuses on those characters. The dynamic is NOT a friendly one. Primarily, it seems some members of the crew know about what happened in your past. Particularly, Ensign Crwys, who was there with you when your AF (Armored Frame) refused to detach. There’s a bit of a rumor going around that the player character is a bit of a coward.
After several days of travel, the JFS Gun-Dog finally gets within range to communicate with the JFS O’Brien and that’s when it hits the fan. Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog manages to maintain it’s Japanese-style of writing without falling into the pit of too much exposition. It’s very impressive how the details are there if you’re looking for them, but for the most part, characters are getting to the point. That’s not to say the game lacks flair, far from it, but characters seldom go off on tangents or reiterate what they said merely moments ago. Progressing through the game will get you to points where if you’re interested in more information, you can find it.
It’s clear a lot of work went into how Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog looks. The UI taking up a large portion of the screen still leaves a lot open for direct visuals. Settings are often very detailed and the character work is absolutely gorgeous. In particular, it’s impressive how each character is given their distinct version of the standard JCF uniform, with the exception of Lieutenant Lord and Commander Quinn who wear the same uniform. Fortunately, there’s a reason for that. Animations are fluid and impactful, only being used when most effective.
You’re also given an option for graphical style. Offering a Doujin mode, Studio mode, and Vivid mode, you can really play with how the game is being presented. Doujin mode gives the appearance of a fan-made project with a clean but novice look. Studio mode most resembles how the game is meant to look but with the added green palette effect from older computer games. Finally, Vivid mode is what I believe is the intended mode for display. Featuring the cleanest look with the most colors. I played through scenes on each mode and it’s impressive how good this game looks in all three.
The Final Word
I’m impressed by Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog. It’s a great story with fun twists, lots of incredible art, and a few simple but rewarding puzzles. I never felt too encumbered or lost running around the JFS Gun-Dog. And the story culminated in a very interesting way that had me excited for future entries in the series.
– MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
