I’m not usually a massive sci-fi guy, but there’s something about old school sci-fi that really resonates with me. Obviously this means I love the original Star Wars trilogy, but more so than that I love the weird retro sci-fi aesthetics of something like the Alien franchise rather than when the future looks too shiny and clean. When Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog was sold to me as an 80s sci-fi and retro anime inspired point and click adventure I was immediately intrigued, and was absolutely right to be.
Stories from Sol is set just after the Solar War, which your character served in albeit not particularly successfully. When their armoured frame (a big ole mech suit) failed to launch, our protagonist could do nothing but listen to their comrades get slaughtered by the enemy – which as you can imagine was pretty traumatising. Four years later they’ve been assigned as the head security officer on a small scouting ship, which is on a routine mission to check out some unknown signals deep in space.
Upon boarding the Gun-Dog you’ll meet all the characters that are working there, who are a varied bunch. First up is your girlfriend Cassie, who secretly pulled some strings to get to work with you and is bubbly, chocolate obsessed and downright adorable. Another highlight of the team is Chief, the engineer of the ship who is rather intimidating but ridiculously dedicated to her work. There are a few less savoury characters too, like the mech pilot who was in your squad in the war and blames you for the death of his allies. All of them are bursting with personality, and this is only helped by their charming character models and emotive animations.
All your new pals/enemies can be found all over the ship, which you’ll be wandering around as part of your daily security duties. Moving between areas is as simple as selecting the move command and choosing a nearby room, and all the rooms are full of objects to interact with that’ll help you keep on top of the ship’s issues and fill in some backstory about the Stories from Sol universe. It’s very much the usual point and click setup, but if it ain’t broke there’s no point trying to fix it.
After a few hours of getting to know people and dealing with the daily space drama on board the Gun-Dog, things start to kick off and become more serious. I won’t spoil anything in this review, but the stakes get alarmingly high for many characters and you’ll have to make some seriously tough choices to ensure their safety. Some of these choices have a time limit associated with them too, which will lead to some tense situations. There are multiple endings you might end up with too, so don’t assume you can just walk your way to a happy ending by choosing any old option.
As much as I enjoyed the early hours of less hectic sci-fi life and socialising, Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog really comes into its own when the stakes are raised. Despite the added danger as your adventure continues, the vast majority of the game still takes place on the ship itself. You’ll become incredibly familiar with the ins and outs of this somewhat outdated spacecraft, and even during the most stressful situations it feels like a home worth fighting for full of people you care about.
Alongside telling a wonderful story full of colourful characters, Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog is also a visual and audio delight. It feels like you’re in an early season of the Gundam anime, but with an incredible chiptune soundtrack that absolutely slaps when the action kicks off. I’d go as far as to say I can’t remember the last time a soundtrack delighted me as much as this, which I just wasn’t expecting from a point and click game.
I have very few complaints about Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog, but it won’t be to everyone’s taste. It’s not a particular fast paced game, and especially in the early hours I got a little overloaded with sci-fi jargon. It’s also very much a by the numbers point and click game, so don’t go expecting taxing puzzles or shed loads of mini games to mix things up. You’ll occasionally do a bit of simple hacking (which is of course a pipe mini game) or have to look at items in your inventory, but this title is much more about reading than anything else.
Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog is a classic sci-fi adventure with a very human feeling to it, thanks to its delightful characters. I adored my time aboard the titular Gun-Dog, and even when the going got tough the game is as compelling as it is tense. This sci-fi point and click throwback might not be high octane enough for some, but for me it was exactly the old school adventure I was looking for.
