.png)
Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog Review
- Taylor Rioux
- Jul 13
- 6 min read
This is no Juno, boy! No Juno!
My first impressions of Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog were almost entirely predicated on the visuals. The gorgeous pixel art and anime-inspired aesthetic are captivating, awakening a sense of nostalgia for many of the great mecha series of the past. But The Gun-Dog goes beyond a simple nostalgia trip, forging its own path and telling a story worth exploring. Much like the stories it draws inspiration from, this title never shies away mature themes or heavier subject matter, such as PTSD.
Invisible and insidious, PTSD lingers within the minds and hearts of many military veterans. The shadows cast by the pain of days gone by scrape and bite, gnawing away at the afflicted’s very being until they become thin in spirit. Some who are unable to find reprieve instead find an escape, preferring an end to their life over the continued suffering they would have to endure. Thankfully, the protagonist in Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog is not one such person. The security officer (whom you name) instead suffers from flashbacks and anxiety, opting to avoid recollection or reminders of the events that take place within the opening scene.
PTSD is a hard thing to get right in a game. Presenting it in a way that both communicates the gravity of the subject matter while maintaining playability to the game must be a difficult task. Whether or not Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog handles that delicate balance in the optimal way is hard to say as my understanding of PTSD is all second-hand, but it is clear that there is care put into its portrayal here. Frequent small reminders or nods in dialogue, flashbacks, and even animations pop up throughout the game’s run, allowing you to feel the weight of the opening incidents on your character without ever becoming overbearing or the focal point of the entire game. While the PTSD is not front-and-center of all dialogues or actions you take, there is just a tickle in the back of your mind — a gentle guiding hand that informs the player character's mentality.
In many ways, I find that lighter touch is to the game’s benefit. As a visual novel, much of the appeal is in roleplay opportunities and how you as an individual navigate any specific encounter or scene. A more heavy-handed approach may have taken some of that away from the player. Instead, the flashbacks or reminders come either as a consequence of your choices and the routes that they lead you to, or as part of otherwise unavoidable scenes. How much you let PTSD guide your actions is in many ways left to the player. I was pleasantly surprised by the branching dialogue in Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog, and the way those choices lead to entirely different character interactions or outcomes down the line. This is not uncommon in visual novels, of course, but the mix of immediate reactive differences and long-term effects was nice to see, making each of my choices feel like meaningful moments rather than just buttons to press to move on to the next scene.
Stories from Sol: The Gun Dog has such an incredible visual flair.
Of course, like most games in the genre, the gameplay itself is exceedingly simple and straightforward. There are no complicated button combinations to mess with, difficult puzzles to solve, or intricate mechanics to navigate. Instead, the gameplay entirely revolves around a few simple menu items which you can use to interact with a given scene. It lies firmly within that middle ground between old 80s and 90s graphic adventure games and modern visual novels in that regard. Not quite enough interactivity to call itself a point-and-click adventure, but with enough elements to keep you engaged throughout.
Those gameplay elements are not the only thing reminiscent of the titles of yesteryear. Every element from the art style to the music conjures memories of a time long past. There’s an obvious love for mecha anime and manga baked into this thing, with the ships, uniforms, spacesuits, and mobile suits bearing heavy resemblance to something you may see in something like Gundam. The beauty of the pixel art here cannot be overstated, either. Captivating scenery and character portraits litter the game, and you can get a clear sense of a character just by looking at their artwork; different poses, body language, outfits, and expressions effectively communicating what each person is about. While the scenery and style might evoke memories of anime titles such as Getter Robo or Armored Trooper Votoms, I actually see the DNA of Capcom titles like Mega Man and Cyberbots. And that’s just in “Vivid” mode. Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog actually has 3 distinct art styles to choose from: Doujin, Studio, and Vivid.
The audio also features chiptunes that wouldn’t feel out of place on an MS-DOS title or other era appropriate games, either. There’s nothing particularly complex about the music here — simple tunes that run on a short loop — but each track fits exceptionally well in the scenes they are used in, helping to set the mood for any given moment. I am fond of many of the songs, but I think some of the more repeated tracks began to wear on me as they saw continued use.
The audio and art carry much of the load in terms of eliciting nostalgia or recollection of its inspirations, but I also feel similarities between the more thematic elements, as well. As I wrote this review, I began to watch Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (inspired in no small part by Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog), and the themes of horrors of war come through in many forms in each title. Reluctant participants, PTSD, and loss are all touched upon in The Gun Dog. It would feel a bit reductive to simply say that the game is just like one title or another, as I feel Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog does a great job of carving out its own identity, but it also feels so reverential to those inspirations that I think it would be a mistake not to mention it. Someone without knowledge of those older anime, manga, and video games could certainly still play this game and get a lot out of it, but knowledge of the classics enhanced my appreciation for what the game was doing and the ways in which it deviates from many norms.
Captivating scenery and character portraits litter the game, and you can get a clear sense of a character just by looking at their artwork; different poses, body language, outfits, and expressions effectively communicating what each person is about.
The ways in which Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog handles its story beats and moment-to-moment dialogue is impressive, and the writing as a whole is a strong point for the title. The Gun-Dog relies on language to describe each scene beautifully and efficiently without bogging the player down with jargon or technical terminology, barring a few exceptions. For example, in one case, the Chief was explaining how the engines worked and she went into some detail about how the engine uses Higgs boson particles to shift space in a field around the ship; the reaction and over-explanation is used for comedic effect, but you get a real sense of how passionate the Chief is about these systems, and how knowledgeable she is.
It’s this character writing, in combination with the excellent art and other elements, that really elevate Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog into a special place. The characters and story are archetypal on their face, but dig a little deeper and the game might just surprise you. The Gun-Dog’s ability to tell earnest and heartfelt stories while managing to tackle difficult subjects keep this from ever feeling like a derivative work, placing the title squarely in homage territory. Put it all together with branching storylines and player choice, and you have a recipe for an excellent adventure.
Verdict Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog is a brilliant and engaging visual novel with clear inspiration taken from mecha anime, manga, and video games from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Despite the almost overwhelming nostalgia the visuals and music may invoke, the title manages to stay fresh and exciting all the way through. Utilizing the visual novel format to wow the player with its stunning art and clever writing, The Gun-Dog never shies away from its mature subject matter — tackling themes of PTSD, love, and loss — and is all the better for it.  |
Image Credits: Taylor Rioux and Space Colony Studios
Comments