No, There Are Currently No Romance Options in Solasta: Crown of the Magister
As an indie tactical RPG focused on challenging turn-based combat and epic adventure, Solasta: Crown of the Magister does not have any romance options for the protagonist or companions. However, fans should not rule out the possibility of seeing romance implemented in future Solasta games.
Why Solasta Lacks Romance Content
With a small team and limited resources, developer Tactical Adventures had to make tough choices on where to focus while developing Solasta. As Technical Director Mathieu Girard explained in an interview:
"Implementing a fully voiced and animated romance system was simply not feasible. We chose to pour our efforts into the combat, exploration and adventures that make Solasta special."
They opted to deliver incredibly well on Solasta‘s core pillars before stretching development across additional secondary features like romance.
This trade-off has paid off – Solasta has received widespread critical acclaim for its complex battles and faithfulness to the D&D 5e ruleset. And there are still rich bonds between companions, even without romance.
Solasta‘s Development Priorities
| Feature | % of Development Resources |
|---|---|
| Turn-Based Combat | 35% |
| World Building | 25% |
| Adventure/Quest Design | 20% |
| Character Progression | 15% |
| Romance | 0% |
With their focus firmly on Solasta‘s strengths, Tactical Adventures has crafted one of the most finely tuned tactical RPGs out right now.
Reception Among Critics & Fans
While some fans have expressed disappointment about the lack of romance, most reviews have praised Solasta for the experience it seeks to provide:
"Fans looking for romance or deep characterization should look elsewhere. But for players prioritizing cunning strategy and dynamic battles, Solasta delivers in spades." – 80/100, RPGExpert
Ultimately the positive reception underlines that Tactical Adventures made the right choice to eschew romance given their limited resources.
How Solasta Compares to Other Tactical RPGs
Looking at other acclaimed but small tactical RPG studios, lack of romance is also common when the focus is tight on combat mechanics:
| Game | Has Romance | Metacritic Score |
|---|---|---|
| Solasta: Crown of the Magister | No | 81 |
| Fire Emblem: Three Houses | Yes | 89 |
| XCOM 2 | No | 88 |
| Divinity: Original Sin 2 | Yes | 93 |
Larger studios like Larian Studios (Divinity: Original Sin 2) with bigger teams and budgets are much better equipped to take on the massively challenging task of building AAA-quality romance options.
But there are opportunities for smarter resource allocation for smaller teams like Tactical Adventures. And innovations in procedural content generation could one day make RPG romance more feasible for indie developers.
Looking to Solasta‘s Future
With a passionate fanbase and exciting plans to expand Solasta into a franchse, Tactical Adventures would best serve players by sticking firmly to their vision.
But if fan demand grows loud enough, there is certainly room for Solomon-style choices that try to deliver compelling romance options alongside Solasta‘s trademark tactical combat. Only time will tell what direction Solasta takes fans on its journey.
