Sol Divide Longplay (Arcade) [QHD]

Game Info
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Developer: Psikyo
Publisher: Psikyo
Year of Release: 1997
Game Review & Impressions
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Released in an era where real-time 3D graphics were increasingly the norm, Sol Divide is mid-to-late 90s arcade shoot 'em up by Psikyo, tapping into the world of sword 'n sorcery, with plenty of dragons thrown in for good measure. The game makes extensive use of pre-rendered models in an effort to stay relevant and, wisually, it's not a bad game; the regular enemies lack detail due to their small size, but the various bosses and backgrounds still look suitable impressive.
The game features three different characters to choose from, each with varying levels of attack power, speed and general ability. What makes the game particularly interesting is the fact that the story and levels are different, depending on the character you select. Branching paths and replayability were nothing new to the arcades by this point, but I wonder if developers already intended to port the game to PlayStation and Sega Saturn, so the extra content was developed for that purpose.
Naturally, the core game loop involves blowing up a whole host of enemies, ranging from flying mages to wyrms with razor sharp talons. Although you can shoot projectiles at range, your most powerful attacks -- at least for the character I chose -- are close-range melee strikes. You need to get to grips with the combo system early on in order to chain quick strikes together, followed by a knockout blow to push the opponent back and stun them. Later on, you need to use the melee attacks to push enemies closer together and hit them as a group; keeping them stunned prevents them returning fire and chipping away at your health.
Bolstering your regular attacks are a series of magic spells. These are unlocked throughout the course of the game, each requiring varying amounts of magic power to execute. Some spells really aren't worth the effort, but others, such as freeze time, can be incredibly useful. Spells should really be used as a last resort for getting out of sticky situations, so players should conserve magic power wherever possible.
As a shooter, Sol Divide is very polished. The need to get in close and use melee strikes definitely mixes things up, and the magic spells add even greater variety. What I'm less a fan of, however, is the notoriously difficult second loop (AKA special round), which dispenses with a lot of standard enemy waves and focuses on the boss fights. It's not quite a boss rush mode, but it's definitely the emphasis, and reduced opportunities for power-ups means you need to spend your magic much more conservatively and choose the spells with the greatest benefit at the right time.
I guess Sol Divide is kind of symbolic of an era where arcade games, particularly those from Eastern developers, were becoming increasingly more difficult. This isn't DoDonPachi levels of bullet-hell, but it's pretty darn tough. If you don't mind a stiff challenge then Sol Divide is worth playing.
Information & Trivia
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Video Notes
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Related Longplays & Videos
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Chapters
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00:00 Attract mode
01:54 Loop 1: Neraphai
04:18 Loop 1: Mattium
05:53 Loop 1: Enhilt Nerva
07:38 Loop 1: Hell Island
13:50 Loop 1: Ending
14:10 Loop 2: Special Round
#soldivide
#retrogaming
#arcade

[@shingo693]

Oh!? I remember this game, took place on PS1. Stylish and unusual, with beautiful art design and music.

[@Ghoulies]

Definitely made with love and skill.
Very nice indeed.

[@rosema7909]

Your right captain obvious it was on ps1 , stylish and unusual

[@shingo693]

@@Ghoulies Of course, especially these three-dimensional sprites and semi-3D effects.

[@3xperiment8]

The Ps1 version has only the Loop of the Arcade (as in the end of this video). The stages without the story. It's fun nevertheless

[@persona83]

1997 what a beautiful year.

[@danborges8870]

Eu achava demais esse jogo. Uma pena que na época eu não tinha muita habilidade para jogá-lo, mesmo assim eu ficava encantado pelos gráficos e pela jogabilidade. Era muito massa.

[@TravisFebruary]

5:13 that is *FUCKED UP!!!!*

[@nvincenti]

? Never heard of this game before.. seems so good, so 90s.

[@magnusdiridian]

R type meets Actraiser

[@hashimotokobayashi2244]

Wow this looks good! 🤓 Didn't catch this one when it got out...thnx for letting me know

[@sapzap3030]

Alguns tempos atrás, eu tentei procurar este jogo pelo Google imagens, e eu não sabia o nome. Joguei no PS1 quando tinha 12 anos, hoje consegui rever. Agradeço.

[@davidwilkerson1032]

eu achei ele hoje kkkkk muito bom

[@Lostenoch]

Playing Vampire Survivors made me think of this game, had it on the ps1 been on my wish list a while now. Just as good as I remember

[@isekemu4969]

Amazing! 😮

[@lovepiece6485]

懐かしい(^^)　これはサイキョーの作品だったんですね　ATLASだと思っていました〜

[@Jac2Mac]

One weird thing about Sol Divide is that the arcade version actually got released in the US in an English version, even though many other shumps of this time were not so fortunate.

[@namelessjedi2242]

Makes me want to play it again.

[@gulyasdavid6170]

one Of the most fun game

[@DARIOFERNANDO]

Great !!!

[@AgentofLADON]

Saw the thumbnail and thought 'Is that one of the dinosaurs from Prehistoric Isle?' then when it breathed fire and shot energy blasts I was...still unsure if it was a Prehistoric Isle dinosaur.

[@parrishharris3008]

Prehistoric Isle 1 & 2 are great games with 2 being way better 👍.

[@parrishharris3008]

I love this video game i have this on my super console x Pro 👍✌.

[@houstonhelicoptertours1006]

Psikyo was experimenting with this one.. before promptly returning to more conventional shmups

[@Knuckelsix44]

Where exactly is the hit box on your character?

[@phlebiax5592]

How about some Java-games on mobile to do a longplay? Like for example Die Hard 4. Something different for a change!

[@LPetal86]

This looks familiar, but I don't think I ever played it. The title makes me wonder if it's related to _Sol-Feace_ in any way. It's always nice to see games that aren't afraid to try different themes in a genre.

[@AL82RetrogamingLongplays]

Sol Divide was ported to PlayStation and Sega Saturn, so it's possible you might have seen it covered in magazines or played the home ports at some point.

[@mayconbernardo4815]

Crea que Jesus morreu na cruz pelos nossos pecados e ressucitou para a nossa justificação.
Deus amou o mundo de tal maneira que deu seu filho unigenito para que todo aquele que nele crer não pereça más tenha a vida eterna

[@dennisneo1608]

Do we need fifteen minutes of game over screen? Just play

[@mayconbernardo4815]

Believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again for our justification. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.