314:
other objects will decrease the player's mass. At this point, life forms will evolve in the planet, creating spaceships, planetary shields and cannons. If the player wishes, they can accumulate more mass until their planet becomes a star. Life forms will disappear, but the player is able to attract planets to form a planetary system, further grow the star by absorbing other planets, or a combination of both. The player can also create multi-star systems by selecting planets from their system and make them absorb asteroids until they become another star.
306:. Life forms are also present in the game. They appear on planets sufficiently big to store life, and are represented by a variety of ships of different size and attack power. Spaceships are coloured green if they belong to the player's planet, or to a planet that belongs to the player's planetary system; red if they belong to an enemy planet or planetary system; and white if they don't belong to any planet or system. All the spaceships in the map are controlled by the game's
318:
they will be reduced to a lesser size within the same type of object. For example, if the player controls a small star and collides against a medium star, the player will be disintegrated while the AI-controlled star will be reduced to a small star. Being reduced from a small star to a life planet is not possible, as well as being reduced from a small planet to an asteroid. In these cases, the player is
397:
composed the game's score. According to Watts, this was done because there was "no way I could do music as good as he can." Both the
Windows and Xbox 360 versions of the game were developed simultaneously. About the Xbox 360 version, Watts commented that "the lack of keyboards and the aging Xbox 360 hardware were a bit tricky, and updating the Xbox version is a huge pain to do."
295:
536:, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the game received an average score of 72 based on 8 reviews. Most critics praised the physics-based gameplay and soundtrack, but criticized the exceedingly difficult missions and somewhat repetitive gameplay. However, the game won the
589:
were also well received. App Spy's Andrew
Nesvadba, on his review of the iPad version of the game, highlighted the overall sense that "nothing about the game feels like a waste of time or effort," but criticized the lack of control over the life forms. Meanwhile, Andrew Martonik from Android Central
396:
was "mainly expanding on original idea and polishing it to perfection." However, he commented that the concept of both games took several design iterations to reach its final version: "I played with many, many ideas before finally settling on what I have now." Sound designer and musician JP Neufeld
317:
Growing the star will increase its gravitational force, which increases the number of planets the planetary system can have. They are also able to attract planetary systems composed of stars with lower mass than that of the player, or being attracted to stars with bigger mass. If both stars collide,
313:
At the beginning of the game, the player accumulates mass by colliding their asteroid against other asteroids until enough mass has been gathered to become a small planet. From there, the player has to absorb other asteroids to make their planet grow enough to become a life planet; crashing against
328:
also includes a variety of achievements and object-oriented missions that can be played at any time. Missions can be found following the directional arrows in the interface, and the AI keeps track of which missions the player has finished. The game also keeps record of several accomplishments the
241:(2009), and features most of the same key gameplay elements of its predecessor, expanded and polished considerably. It was developed over ten months and includes a score composed by sound designer and musician JP Neufeld. Solar 2 received mainly positive reviews from
420:
and Linux versions of the game. However, given that the original game was developed using the
Windows-only XNA platform, he expected the ports to be ready sometime before the end of the year. In October 2012, the Mac port was announced and released on Steam. The
287:. However, the player is free to not finish the game, and is able to stay at the form of the object of their preference. Eight different objects are available in the game: asteroid, small planet, life planet, small star, medium star, large star, neutron star and
333:
allows the player to save progress at any point. A "save system" feature is also present; it allows the player to save specific configurations of stars and planets that the player has created. The player can respawn from them at any time.
566:
audioscape." He also highlighted several features he would have liked to see in the game, such as a more complex universe to explore and the ability to control the life forms in the planets controlled by the player. Graham Smith from
36:
345:
was developed by Jay Watts under his video game studio
Murudai. Watts, who received a degree in biotechnology from an Australian college, had no previous knowledge of video game development prior to coding
365:. Many of the key gameplay elements featured in the sequel, such as the infinite sandbox, were envisioned during this timespan. In an interview with FleshEatingZipper, Watts revealed that
884:
298:
A player controls a medium size star with 5 orbiting planets. A mission start circle can be seen, along with arrows pointing to the other available missions.
768:
1244:
329:
player has reached, such as the distance travelled, the number of objects and enemies destroyed by the player or the spaceships belonging to the player.
1204:
275:
played from a two-dimensional perspective. The player is given an asteroid, and their main mission is to accumulate enough mass to become several
827:
1164:
699:
307:
554:'s Gord Goble criticized the difficulty of the missions but praised the game's soundtrack, which he called a combination of "new age-meets-
1254:
1239:
801:
1234:
540:
20,000 first prize at the 2011 Microsoft Dream Build Play competition, and became a finalist at the 2011 IndieCade festival.
1110:
377:, released in 2009, became a commercial success; it sold 30,000 copies and allowed Watts to work full-time on its sequel.
898:
1229:
1259:
103:
1199:
772:
302:
The game takes place in a borderless and randomly generated universe, filled with asteroids, planets, stars and
709:
180:
573:
was also critical of the missions' difficulty, although concluded that it was "a good price for a universe."
319:
198:
developed by
Australian developer Jay Watts' video game studio, Murudai. It was released on 17 June 2011 on
310:(AI), and they will constantly engage in combat against enemy ships, asteroids or planets to destroy them.
1249:
425:
version of the game was released in March 2013. An
Android version was also made available in March 2013.
894:
889:
529:
413:
272:
242:
207:
195:
170:
1049:
831:
1224:
1219:
1209:
555:
53:
43:
1172:
989:
713:
276:
223:
1024:
1214:
1138:
86:
863:
545:
370:
254:
219:
203:
91:
967:
643:
303:
250:
161:
944:
222:. The game follows the player in their mission to accumulate enough mass to become several
1059:
994:
921:
858:
409:
366:
199:
633:
1193:
385:
279:. The game ends when and if the player manages to accumulate enough mass to become a
215:
79:
373:
was an inspiration for him: "I loved the simplicity of the game and the ambiance."
733:
362:
74:
1054:
559:
533:
451:
288:
280:
269:
246:
227:
192:
166:
582:
Nate Ralph mentioned the life forms as the only negative aspect of the game.
1084:
999:
389:
853:
35:
294:
738:
569:
500:
417:
284:
231:
211:
95:
1115:
704:
575:
477:
416:
for the Xbox 360. In July 2012, Watts announced that he was working on
293:
99:
253:
competition, and was among the video games showcased at the 10th
422:
769:"Featured Indie Dev: Jay Watts gets intergalactic with Solar 2"
544:
was also among the ten indie video games showcased at the 10th
537:
218:
tools, and its development was inspired by indie games such as
638:
551:
489:
388:, a set of tools focused on video game development created by
107:
384:
lasted for at least ten months. The game was developed using
322:, with random mass, close to the place where they collided.
1165:"Indie Selections For 2011 'PAX 10' Showcase Announced"
1111:"Congratulations to the 2011 Dream Build Play winners!"
249:. It was awarded the first prize at the 2011 Microsoft
176:
160:
113:
85:
73:
62:
52:
42:
28:
1018:
1016:
802:"FEZ Interviews: Jay Watts, Developer of Solar 2!"
594:had all the elements necessary for a great game.
412:for Microsoft Windows and on 19 June 2011 on
245:, scoring 72 out of 100 on aggregate website
8:
462:
821:
819:
762:
760:
758:
756:
727:
725:
723:
461:
436:
214:. The game was developed with Microsoft's
34:
25:
1078:
1076:
828:"Solar 2 Developer Interview - Jay Watts"
693:
691:
689:
687:
628:
626:
602:
624:
622:
620:
618:
616:
614:
612:
610:
608:
606:
1083:Nesvadba, Andrew (13 February 2013).
1044:
1042:
796:
794:
792:
790:
673:
671:
669:
667:
665:
663:
661:
7:
1025:"Reviewing Humble Bundle 5: Solar 2"
466:
441:
1137:Brown, Nathan (16 September 2011).
1109:Conditt, Jessica (28 August 2011).
432:
357:, for the Xbox 360. Development of
1245:Video games developed in Australia
528:received a positive response from
18:2011 open world sandbox video game
14:
1023:Martonik, Andrew (8 March 2013).
804:. FleshEatingZipper. 22 June 2011
585:The iPad and Android versions of
1205:Android (operating system) games
968:"Solar 2 now available on iPad!"
922:"Update July 2012 – What's Next"
732:Smith, Graham (14 August 2011).
408:was released on 17 June 2011 on
1139:"IndieCade finalists announced"
966:Watts, Jay (11 February 2013).
945:"Solar 2 Available Now on Mac!"
943:Watts, Jay (23 October 2012).
1:
826:Clark, Josh (29 June 2011).
698:Ralph, Nate (14 July 2011).
920:Watts, Jay (16 July 2012).
771:. Indie Pub. Archived from
1276:
830:. Dealspwn. Archived from
681:(tutorial). Murudai. 2011.
361:started in July 2008 as a
1255:Xbox 360 Live Indie games
1240:Single-player video games
470:
467:
445:
442:
33:
1050:"Solar 2 for PC Reviews"
283:, which then produces a
237:The game is a sequel to
230:, which then produces a
226:, eventually becoming a
1163:W., Tim (9 July 2011).
548:, held in August 2011.
308:artificial intelligence
206:and on 19 June 2011 on
1235:Open-world video games
700:"Review: Solar 2 (PC)"
530:video game journalists
392:. According to Watts,
299:
243:video game journalists
1085:"Solar 2 iPad Review"
895:Microsoft Corporation
890:Xbox Live Marketplace
564:2001: A Space Odyssey
414:Xbox Live Indie Games
297:
208:Xbox Live Indie Games
716:on 29 November 2011.
556:Alan Parsons Project
277:astronomical objects
224:astronomical objects
1230:Microsoft XNA games
834:on 29 November 2018
464:
439:
1260:Video game sequels
767:PJ (1 June 2011).
590:acknowledged that
437:
300:
273:sandbox video game
196:sandbox video game
171:sandbox video game
1027:. Android Central
546:Penny Arcade Expo
532:upon release. At
522:
521:
460:
459:
304:planetary systems
255:Penny Arcade Expo
204:Microsoft Windows
186:
185:
121:Microsoft Windows
1267:
1200:2011 video games
1185:
1184:
1182:
1180:
1171:. Archived from
1160:
1154:
1153:
1151:
1149:
1134:
1128:
1127:
1125:
1123:
1106:
1100:
1099:
1097:
1095:
1080:
1071:
1070:
1068:
1066:
1046:
1037:
1036:
1034:
1032:
1020:
1011:
1010:
1008:
1006:
986:
980:
979:
977:
975:
963:
957:
956:
954:
952:
940:
934:
933:
931:
929:
917:
911:
910:
908:
906:
901:on 13 April 2014
897:. Archived from
881:
875:
874:
872:
870:
850:
844:
843:
841:
839:
823:
814:
813:
811:
809:
798:
785:
784:
782:
780:
764:
751:
750:
748:
746:
734:"Solar 2 review"
729:
718:
717:
712:. Archived from
695:
682:
675:
656:
655:
653:
651:
644:Ziff Davis Media
634:"Solar 2 Review"
630:
581:
465:
440:
352:
251:Dream Build Play
38:
26:
1275:
1274:
1270:
1269:
1268:
1266:
1265:
1264:
1190:
1189:
1188:
1178:
1176:
1162:
1161:
1157:
1147:
1145:
1136:
1135:
1131:
1121:
1119:
1108:
1107:
1103:
1093:
1091:
1082:
1081:
1074:
1064:
1062:
1060:CBS Interactive
1048:
1047:
1040:
1030:
1028:
1022:
1021:
1014:
1004:
1002:
988:
987:
983:
973:
971:
965:
964:
960:
950:
948:
942:
941:
937:
927:
925:
919:
918:
914:
904:
902:
883:
882:
878:
868:
866:
852:
851:
847:
837:
835:
825:
824:
817:
807:
805:
800:
799:
788:
778:
776:
775:on 15 June 2013
766:
765:
754:
744:
742:
731:
730:
721:
697:
696:
685:
676:
659:
649:
647:
632:
631:
604:
600:
579:
523:
438:Aggregate score
435:
431:
403:
380:Development of
367:Thatgamecompany
350:
340:
263:
156:
24:
23:2011 video game
19:
12:
11:
5:
1273:
1271:
1263:
1262:
1257:
1252:
1247:
1242:
1237:
1232:
1227:
1222:
1217:
1212:
1207:
1202:
1192:
1191:
1187:
1186:
1175:on 9 July 2011
1169:IndieGames.com
1155:
1129:
1101:
1072:
1038:
1012:
981:
958:
935:
912:
876:
845:
815:
786:
752:
719:
683:
657:
646:. 14 July 2011
601:
599:
596:
520:
519:
516:
510:
509:
506:
497:
496:
493:
485:
484:
481:
473:
472:
469:
458:
457:
454:
448:
447:
444:
433:
430:
427:
402:
399:
369:'s indie game
339:
336:
262:
259:
184:
183:
178:
174:
173:
164:
158:
157:
155:
154:
151:
142:
139:
134:
131:
126:
123:
117:
115:
111:
110:
89:
83:
82:
77:
71:
70:
64:
60:
59:
56:
50:
49:
46:
40:
39:
31:
30:
22:
17:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1272:
1261:
1258:
1256:
1253:
1251:
1250:Windows games
1248:
1246:
1243:
1241:
1238:
1236:
1233:
1231:
1228:
1226:
1223:
1221:
1218:
1216:
1213:
1211:
1208:
1206:
1203:
1201:
1198:
1197:
1195:
1174:
1170:
1166:
1159:
1156:
1144:
1140:
1133:
1130:
1118:
1117:
1112:
1105:
1102:
1090:
1086:
1079:
1077:
1073:
1061:
1057:
1056:
1051:
1045:
1043:
1039:
1026:
1019:
1017:
1013:
1001:
997:
996:
991:
985:
982:
969:
962:
959:
946:
939:
936:
923:
916:
913:
900:
896:
892:
891:
886:
880:
877:
865:
861:
860:
855:
849:
846:
833:
829:
822:
820:
816:
803:
797:
795:
793:
791:
787:
774:
770:
763:
761:
759:
757:
753:
741:
740:
735:
728:
726:
724:
720:
715:
711:
707:
706:
701:
694:
692:
690:
688:
684:
680:
674:
672:
670:
668:
666:
664:
662:
658:
645:
641:
640:
635:
629:
627:
625:
623:
621:
619:
617:
615:
613:
611:
609:
607:
603:
597:
595:
593:
588:
583:
578:
577:
572:
571:
565:
561:
557:
553:
549:
547:
543:
539:
535:
531:
527:
517:
515:
512:
511:
507:
505:
503:
499:
498:
494:
492:
491:
487:
486:
482:
480:
479:
475:
474:
463:Review scores
455:
453:
450:
449:
428:
426:
424:
419:
415:
411:
407:
400:
398:
395:
391:
387:
386:Microsoft XNA
383:
378:
376:
372:
368:
364:
360:
356:
353:predecessor,
349:
344:
337:
335:
332:
327:
323:
321:
315:
311:
309:
305:
296:
292:
290:
286:
282:
278:
274:
271:
267:
260:
258:
256:
252:
248:
244:
240:
235:
233:
229:
225:
221:
217:
213:
209:
205:
201:
197:
194:
190:
182:
181:Single-player
179:
175:
172:
168:
165:
163:
159:
152:
150:
146:
143:
140:
138:
135:
132:
130:
127:
124:
122:
119:
118:
116:
112:
109:
105:
101:
97:
93:
90:
88:
84:
81:
80:Microsoft XNA
78:
76:
72:
68:
65:
61:
57:
55:
51:
47:
45:
41:
37:
32:
27:
21:
16:
1177:. Retrieved
1173:the original
1168:
1158:
1146:. Retrieved
1142:
1132:
1120:. Retrieved
1114:
1104:
1092:. Retrieved
1088:
1063:. Retrieved
1053:
1029:. Retrieved
1003:. Retrieved
993:
984:
972:. Retrieved
961:
949:. Retrieved
938:
926:. Retrieved
915:
903:. Retrieved
899:the original
888:
879:
867:. Retrieved
857:
848:
836:. Retrieved
832:the original
806:. Retrieved
777:. Retrieved
773:the original
743:. Retrieved
737:
714:the original
703:
678:
677:Watts, Jay.
648:. Retrieved
637:
591:
586:
584:
574:
568:
563:
550:
541:
525:
524:
513:
501:
488:
476:
405:
404:
393:
381:
379:
374:
358:
354:
347:
342:
341:
330:
325:
324:
316:
312:
301:
265:
264:
238:
236:
188:
187:
148:
144:
141:October 2012
136:
133:19 June 2011
128:
125:17 June 2011
120:
66:
54:Publisher(s)
44:Developer(s)
20:
15:
1225:MacOS games
1220:Linux games
1210:Indie games
468:Publication
338:Development
87:Platform(s)
1194:Categories
1055:Metacritic
598:References
560:Pink Floyd
534:Metacritic
452:Metacritic
443:Aggregator
363:Flash game
289:black hole
281:Big Crunch
270:open world
247:Metacritic
228:Big Crunch
193:open world
167:Open world
153:March 2013
1215:IOS games
1000:Apple Inc
995:App Store
990:"Solar 2"
970:. Murudai
947:. Murudai
924:. Murudai
885:"Solar 2"
854:"Solar 2"
434:Reception
429:Reception
390:Microsoft
320:respawned
48:Jay Watts
1005:10 April
905:10 April
869:10 April
739:PC Gamer
570:PC Gamer
502:PC Gamer
418:Mac OS X
285:Big Bang
261:Gameplay
232:Big Bang
212:Xbox 360
210:for the
162:Genre(s)
137:Mac OS X
129:Xbox 360
96:Mac OS X
1148:29 June
1122:29 June
1116:Joystiq
1089:App Spy
1065:29 June
974:9 April
951:9 April
928:9 April
838:29 June
808:9 April
779:9 April
745:29 June
705:GamePro
679:Solar 2
650:29 June
592:Solar 2
587:Solar 2
576:GamePro
562:-meets-
558:-meets-
542:Solar 2
526:Solar 2
478:GamePro
406:Solar 2
401:Release
394:Solar 2
382:Solar 2
348:Solar 2
343:Solar 2
331:Solar 2
326:Solar 2
266:Solar 2
189:Solar 2
177:Mode(s)
145:Android
114:Release
104:Android
92:Windows
58:Murudai
29:Solar 2
1179:2 July
1094:2 July
1031:1 July
580:'s
514:AppSpy
495:8.0/10
351:'s
268:is an
191:is an
75:Engine
69:series
63:Series
864:Valve
859:Steam
471:Score
446:Score
410:Steam
375:Solar
359:Solar
355:Solar
239:Solar
200:Steam
100:Linux
67:Solar
1181:2013
1150:2013
1143:Edge
1124:2013
1096:2013
1067:2013
1033:2013
1007:2014
976:2014
953:2014
930:2014
907:2014
871:2014
840:2013
810:2014
781:2014
747:2013
652:2013
538:US$
504:(UK)
423:iPad
371:flOw
220:flOw
202:for
710:IDG
639:IGN
552:IGN
518:4/5
508:82%
490:IGN
483:80%
456:72%
216:XNA
149:iOS
108:iOS
1196::
1167:.
1141:.
1113:.
1087:.
1075:^
1058:.
1052:.
1041:^
1015:^
998:.
992:.
893:.
887:.
862:.
856:.
818:^
789:^
755:^
736:.
722:^
708:.
702:.
686:^
660:^
642:.
636:.
605:^
291:.
257:.
234:.
169:,
147:,
106:,
102:,
98:,
94:,
1183:.
1152:.
1126:.
1098:.
1069:.
1035:.
1009:.
978:.
955:.
932:.
909:.
873:.
842:.
812:.
783:.
749:.
654:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
