Review: Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog Is a Succinct, Riveting Tale

I am always a sucker for a solid visual novel or adventure game, especially in the heavily underused sci-fi genre, which is why Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog stuck out to me. Its retro-inspired aesthetic is immediately gripping with its stunning visuals and I am happy to reveal that the actual writing, story, and characters mostly match that high quality.

In some ways, you could compare Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog to the indie darling Mouthwashing from 2024. Both deal with crews handling an intense situation aboard a spaceship while playing out as a mystery adventure/visual novel title with one-of-a-kind graphics. While the similarities mostly stop there, if you liked Mouthwashing, this is a must, as I actually enjoyed it more overall.

My appreciation of Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog starts with the eye-popping visuals. The developer Space Colony Studios touts its visuals as being inspired by PC-9800 titles, which it renders beautifully. For instance, you can opt for the classic green color palette for a nostalgic appearance or a more vibrant colorful aesthetic. I chose the latter for my adventure, which gave it a retro 1990s anime style that looks like how I remember older Gundam anime appearing (not how it actually is, sadly).

The intricate details all throughout the spaceship The Gun-Dog is incredible from the borders to the little minute items to, of course, the cast of characters. Each crew member aboard The Gun-Dog is drastically different from one another, each with their own memorable designs and rich expressions. This game has some of the most expressive characters I’ve ever seen in a visual novel-like game. They constantly shift from happy to angry to frustrated, each with subtle or explosive movements that add such a nice touch to the visuals.

Thankfully, the quality of Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog extends beyond the visuals. The gameplay is pretty basic, fortunately, and involves a couple of options like moving around, talking to characters, looking at objects, and using items. There is, fortunately, no pixel-hunting here. The game smartly highlights each object you can interact with. In addition, the smaller scale of the ship helps with objectives.

Rarely did I ever feel like I didn’t know what to do next. And even in the moments where I was a bit stuck, it didn’t take me but a moment or two to figure out what to do next. The exceptions to this were two instances of bugs I encountered where I had to reload a previous save due to what appeared to be pressing the skip dialogue too much and soft-locking my progress.

Outside of those rare instances, the difficulty is manageable. There are light puzzles like investigating for clues or unlocking a data pad. I never felt like they were too challenging or disruptive. This allows the gameplay to focus more on the actual story itself, which is great. The writing is pretty spectacular. This is a genuinely funny game with plenty of jokes throughout.

The crew is full of memorable characters. The engineering chief is a difficult bear with a heart of gold. Dalton is the cadet that works in the hangar and is as hilariously as skittish as a deer. Then there are the more rival characters that antagonize the protagonist. Of course, the standout for me is your protagonist’s girlfriend that steals every scene she’s in with her bubbly, unforgettable personality.

The story itself doesn’t go in too many wild directions, but it does just enough. There is a core mystery to the experience, which I won’t spoil here. It has enough twists and turns to keep the player on their feet. My favorite part about the story is the pacing. It never feels like the game wastes your time with unnecessary fetch quests. Even the major puzzles take a moment or two to complete.

It feels like Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog constantly has you on to the next story beat without needing a walkthrough every second. Better yet, it is a fairly short game at under 10 hours. It even goes beyond what I expected it to do. For instance, there is a climactic moment that feels like the end of the game. However, it goes beyond that with even more.

There is player choice, too, many times throughout the story. Do you pick a fight with the rival bullying you or ignore him and walk away? Characters react to these moments and they determine how later sequences go down. It does feel like many of the major story beats are set in stone to an extent. That said, the journey there can be vastly different depending on your choices. This encourages some replayability to see how certain chapters go down.

Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog is a surprise indie hit this year. If you like games like Mouthwashing that come out of nowhere, this is one to check out. The hook is the incredible graphics. It feels like what we remember a 1980s or 90s anime to look like. But it goes beyond that with minimally challenging gameplay, memorable characters, and witty writing. While I did run into some problematic bugs, I look forward to the next story in this sci-fi universe.

Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog releases for Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC on February 20, 2025.