Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
Survive the mystery that awaits the JFS Gun-Dog in deep space in this retro visual novel / graphic adventure.
Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog is a retro, sci-fi and multiple endings game
developed by Space Colony Studios
and published by Astrolabe Games and Meridiem Games.
Released on February 19th 2025 is available on Windows and Linux
in 7 languages: English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, French, German and Spanish - Spain.
It has received 575 reviews of which 531 were positive and 44 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.6 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 14.99€ on Steam.
The Steam community has classified Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
Get an in-depth look at Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog through various videos and screenshots.
System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- OS *: Windows 7 or higher
- Processor: 2.0 Ghz 64-bit Intel-compatible
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: OpenGL 3.0
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 300 MB available space
Linux
- OS: Ubuntu / SteamOS
- Processor: 1 Ghz 64-bit
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: Integrated Graphics
- Storage: 300 MB available space
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
The PC-9800 visual novel we've all been itching for! Ever since playing VA11-Hall-A, I had been wanting more games of that style, finding it in retro games like Snatcher and Policenauts. But anything else was too few and far between. Stories from Sol is the oasis that I had been searching for and it delivers. Story: 7/10 I'll cut to the chase, since the plot synopsis is in the store page. With multiple branching paths, some of your early decisions can have a compounding effect late game, while some are subtle to the plot, but noticeable nods to those decisions. The main story itself is interesting enough to keep you engaged, with each act providing something different to hook you in, and provide a different atmosphere. Since you start the game already in a relationship, this leaves the story to focus on the main plot. You have the choice to establish better rapport with your crew mates (or not, up to you). But even then there are little things you can do for Cassie that unlock an achievement. The story starts off reasonably paced for the first act, having you meet the crew, establish rapport, and familiarise yourself with the ship. Without spoiling anything, very quickly, the situation changes in horrible life-threatening ways. This game is clearly inspired by great moments from shows such as Alien, Gundam, Metal Gear Solid, Ace Attorney and more. The resulting story leads to intrigue, conflict, and a climactic resolution, what you would expect from a good visual novel. It's very clear (especially after the ending) that the developer plans to expand on the world they've created. But I have to admit that the ending wasn't satisfying for me. There are some variations with what happens to the crew (some variations are very tragic), but what happens to the main characters (you and Cassie) are largely on a set path that can't be changed. While it does set it up for a sequel and further expand on the lore, what happens to the rest of the crew seems largely inconsequential to whatever the developers have planned. The developers have noted that "Gun-Dog's story is self contained and is complete". Characters: 7/10 All the characters are unique and full of personality. No two characters feel the same. I could write paragraphs about each of them, but it's better for you to learn about them yourself and form your own opinion. I will say that Cassie is definitely the waifu cinnamon roll that must be protected at all costs. While all the characters feel special and unique in their own ways, I have to say that Dylan is the least developed in that regard. Vanessa is also very well written because she's designed to be hated with zero redeeming qualities. For the character designs, there's a distinct simplicity to the designs reminiscent of old 90s anime which it does very effectively. But it feels like there's a bit missing that truly hits that spot. Looking at actual PC-9800 games such as Virgin Angel and others like it of that era, the characters in Stories from Sol lack that same level of detail and resolution. Despite that, what is present is unique and interesting enough that it's cohesive and works well. Graphics 7/10 There are three graphical styles to choose from - their production art character art, the upgraded art, and the upgraded art in color. It's clear that the style was very much inspired by old school PC-9800 visual novels the 90s. However, actual PC-9800 games of that era had a much different style, with much higher detail and resolution, and A LOT more dithering. The dithering technique was used to create more tonal value with a limited color palette, with a very strong emphasis on pure white highlights that made everything shine. Games like Yu-No, Dokyusei, Virgin Angel, and Dragon Knight were games that really captured that aesthetic, which in my opinion, is missing here. That doesn't make the graphics in this game bad though. The animations are extremely well done, and really help convey the characters' personalities. From gentle hair sways, arm movements, and facial expression changes, the artists have truly put in much more effort than most pixel-based visual novel games, and it shows. The quality and technical work is top tier. The same goes for the mech animations. The amount of actual movement is an unexpected and welcome surprise. I truly admire the amount of work that went into each cutscene. Music and Sound 5/10 I'm actually a little disappointed here. After banger soundtracks like VA11-HALL A, this game had a high bar to climb. I was expecting CD quality synth, or higher bit midi, since PC-9800 and PC-Engine games back in that era were exactly capable of this, but instead we got 8-bit NES style chip tunes. The songs were memorable for sure, but I can't help but feel it would have benefited with a more advanced library of instruments. On top of that, while the songs were memorable, they weren't great songs. They set the mood, but it didn't hit it for me. It's purely subjective. While I find myself listening to the VA11-HALL A OST, I don't see myself doing the same for Gun-Dog. Then again, I don't find myself listening to the OST for Policenauts or Snatcher either. Sound effects, again nothing really special. It's cool that they're within the limits of 8-bit chip tunes though. It definitely helps sell that retro vibe, but some sounds were definitely grating/annoying or loud, and some just didn't fit the overall thing it was making the sound for. Gameplay 7/10 Since it's a visual novel, there isn't much "gameplay" to speak, so instead I'll focus on UX, controls, quality of life features etc. This game is designed to be replayed, so one of the most important aspects of that is the ability to skip dialog. This game does that perfectly, whether you're using a controller, or keyboard/mouse, you can at any time, fast forward dialog that you've already read, and it will automatically stop (by default) on dialog you haven't read. This is regardless of the playthrough or save file. I think there's a main system file that keeps track of all dialog you've read, so even if you reload a previous save, you can still skip the dialog since you've already read it before. This is extremely nice, and quite useful if you want to double back on a past decision but want to skip everything you've already read. Controls, the game functions perfectly with either mouse or keyboard. You have access to the map for fast travel, the commands on the right are toggles so if you're inspecting the entire room, you don't have to constantly click "look" before you click the object. Interactive objects can be highlighted easily, and the game even highlights the inventory when there is an item you can use, so you don't have to blindly try every item with every object like old school point and click adventure games. Game options such as language, loading and saving, and graphical style can be made on the fly without needing any sort of going back to the main menu. At the end of the game, you're presented with a flow chart showing the decisions you've made, but it's very vague (seemingly on purpose) and with subsequent new game playthroughs, the game even informs you of major decision changes you've made. Overall 7/10 I rarely write reviews. When I do, it's because I cared about the game, and had an enjoyable time with it. This game came out days ago, and I have been playing it whenever I could. I was that hyped about it, and that excited to play through it. This was definitely worth the money. It's clearly the developers' love letter to games of that era, and they did a great job capturing it. It's a rare that games like these come out, and they absolutely deserve all the love and support in order to make more. I'm looking forward to their next game, and I hope it comes soon.
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Be sure in the knowledge that by purchasing this game you are empowering the Welsh-Jovian interstellar economy. If you've ever strolled through Cardiff you'll likely recognise a few things. An exceptionally fun VN if you're a mecha fan with references scattered throughout. I'd highly recommend you choose the name of your favourite mecha pilot for the ensuing hilarity. The story is well crafted and makes for a fun read whether solo or with friends. My only aspect of contention is that I would've liked to have seen more music, and whilst I know it would strictly have broken with the bit-type music theme, It would've been grand to hear some brass. I'll be keenly waiting for the next VN you guys make :D
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A very good game. Art and music are amazing. When I was reading a review before buying it many people said that it's a short game (a 5 hour one). And that it stops on a cliffhanger. It does leave many questions unanswered BUT it's a self-contained story. I don't even sure if we will be playing as the same protagonist or even on the same ship in the next game. In that sense it's kinda like a "Trails of" series. Also it took me 12 hours to complete one of the routes (which is not a short game at all).
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5 hours to play through the story. Great game, I wish it was longer. The narrative ends on a cliffhanger.
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As a fan of Gundam 0083 this game hits all the right notes for me. The character designs and attitudes of the cast of the Gun-Dog are exactly what you expect from mecha animes of that era. The jackets really capture the 0083 vibe perfectly for me as well. The art and music also beautifully capture the old space combat games of early 90s like Wing Commander while polishing them up. Lots of good little easter eggs hidden around as well. I am only about an hour in, and I can not wait to see how the story unfolds. Definitely recommended for fans of this era.
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Last Updates| Steam data | 16 March 2025 11:24 |
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| SteamSpy data | 16 March 2025 09:44 |
| Steam price | 16 March 2025 12:33 |
| Steam reviews | 15 March 2025 22:05 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog compatibility
Online players
15
Developer
Space Colony Studios
Publisher
Astrolabe Games,
Meridiem Games
Release
19 Feb 2025
Platforms