The Catacombs of Solaris by Ian MacLarty is an exploration game that sends players through a maze of warping walls. There’s only one goal: find your favorite room in the labyrinth. It’s a trippy waltz through a technicolor wonderland. It’s this week’s Indie Pick.
Navigating through the catacombs seems like a straightforward process. The walls and floors are dotted with colored blocks and speckles, but they’re just simple corridors. The Catacombs of Solaris’ trick is to change the world once you’ve finally taken a moment to pause. But if you stand still while exploring the maze and then start moving again, the colors bleed together and the geometry twists and bends. It’s a bit like being caught inside of a kaleidoscope. The game doesn’t track or assign your favorite room; it just suggests you find a cool spot to hang out for a while.
The Catacombs of Solaris paradoxically captures the playfulness of a Hall of Mirrors and the austerity of a museum. The vaunted catacomb halls are a place of reflection, but they’re also a funworld playground of exciting colors and motion. It’s easy to get lost, but that’s part of the charm. The Catacombs of Solaris is about finding your own space and simply enjoying the beauty of it all.
You can play The Catacombs of Solaris on PC, Mac, and Linux.