Pier Solar HD Review

Beginning its life ten years ago in 2004, Pier Solar was conceived on an internet forum for the SEGA Mega Drive. So what, by Odin’s beard is it doing here? Well thanks to its evolution from home-brew fan project to the biggest 16-bit game ever, the developers have decided to HD-ify the original Mega Drive 2010 release (they really did release a cartridge!) and put it on every modern platform available.

Pier Solar HD tells the story of Hoston, a young botanist, who sets out to cure his father from a mysterious illness and he and his friends become embroiled in a quest to save the world, etc... etc... RPG-cliché Townville here we come. Forgive that cynical jab as it’s not meant in a negative way but just serves to show how Pier Solar HD encapsulates all the good and the bad about 16-bit RPGs. It may be a love letter to that era but it also comes with some of the annoying aspects you forgot about that RPG hotty you fell in love with all those years ago.

Nothing like taking down a big fat boss on a Monday morning

Controls are understandably basic and as this was designed for the Mega Drive (Genesis) a controller is the best tool for the Pier Solar job, which makes playing this on the PC feel just a little bit odd. The game is also coming out for modern consoles but it’s the kind of experience we’ve been having on portables since Square Enix decided to remake the Dragon Quest series for the DS. In my opinion that’s where this game belongs as pouring tens of hours into this on a PC feels jarring.

But that’s a personal subjective opinion and if the thought of playing a visually older-style RPG doesn’t bother you then you’re in for a treat as Pier Solar delivers a glorious homage to 90s RPGs with just a few problems that’ll depend on how much tradition you like.

Split into the traditional overworld map and separate battle screen you’ll spend a lot of time bashing enemies with the turn-based combat system. Here everything is as you’d expect with an added few systems like Gather - which allows you to gather your energy for more powerful spells for attacks. It’s a bit like Limit Break from Final Fantasy but here you can direct your Gather power to a particular character which turns out to be an essential tactical nuance for nearly all the boss battles.

It’s worth mentioning here that the game doesn’t go easy on you. If you like your RPGs unforgiving with overpowered bosses then Pier Solar is the place to be. However, it’s not unfair, and if you master the Gather system the game offers a satisfying, not frustrating challenge.

The turn-based battle animations tend to drag when you're fighting so many battles

Just because this is a 16-bit RPG it doesn't mean the visuals take away from the experience. Far from it, as the art-style is tremendous with little touches to give the world of Pier Solar a very lived-in and mature feel. My favourite RPG is Dragon Quest IV because of the atmosphere it manages to create with so little in the way of technical prowess, but Pier Solar makes that look like a toddlers scribble compared to the tapestry-like feel here.

What stands out most of all is the HD improvements made from the original 16-bit visuals. Usually I'm a purist about original art-style but here the difference is astounding and beautiful. Every square foot looks stunning and helps to build that indispensable atmosphere that all great RPGs have that allow you to sink into their world completely.

But if you feel that HD is unnecessary then the original graphics are available too. Interestingly Pier Solar offers an HD+ setting too which improves the character sprites and helps them to look part of the world - in the default HD setting they appear just as blocky and garish as the original game which doesn't jive as well with the smooth, detailed backgrounds.

The HD version makes the backgrounds stunning, with an HD+ setting for the character models

If you want that element of purism then Pier Solar HD delivers it in other ways, such as repetitive battles, unnecessary exploration (like traversing a maze of city streets to find an item shop) and the ever-present possibility of getting wiped out by a regular battle if the enemies have the wrong kind of powers. It even takes it so old-school that staying at an inn won’t restore your health. Those types of design decisions will test your patience and for me it made playing Pier Solar more of a slog than a joyful reunion of Ye Olde Videogame.

Make no mistake this is a tremendous homage to classic RPGs but that means it also comes with a few caveats. The experience is long and there are tedious sections both with exploration (no hand-holding here!) and with countless battles. But if you’re of that era and still hanker for spending all weekend in your pyjamas playing an epic quest on your Mega Drive then Pier Solar will let you relive that fantasy, if you’ve got the patience for it.