The Solus Project

The Solus Project is a single-player exploration adventure with survival elements, set on the seemingly uninhabited alien planet Gliese-6143-C. Earth has been destroyed, and humanity survives aboard a small fleet of ships near Pluto. Sent to scout a planet as a possible colony site, you crash on arrival; your team is dead, your equipment is lost, and you are alone without a way to communicate or call for help. As you search for a way to phone home, you explore the planet and uncover its buried secrets while trying to survive its harsh climate.

Explore the planet

The game has a beginning and an end across 10 large, handcrafted levels: five islands and five large tombs and caves. The islands are separated by shallow seas and connected by cave systems, which you must cross to travel between them. You can explore huge caverns and megalithic tombs, solve environmental puzzles left by an alien civilization, and uncover more than 200 secrets. The world also contains hidden areas, keys and doors, and complex level layouts; some secret areas conceal further secrets.

Survive the climate

Gliese-6143-C is a barren planet covered by a vast ocean. Daytime temperatures exceed 45°C (113°F), while nights fall below -30°C. Its dynamic day-and-night cycle and weather system account for temperature, wind, humidity and cloud cover, and affect the climate. Ocean tides follow the moon; plants respond to the climate, grow and rot, and the world can experience storms and earthquakes.

You must contend with extreme weather and hazards, including tornadoes, storms, meteors and lightning, as well as the dangers hidden beneath the surface. Your body responds to conditions such as getting wet, lack of sleep, walking uphill and humidity. Hundreds of upgrades can be found, and wreckage from your crashed ship is scattered across the planet; locating debris sites can provide additional resources.

Uncover the past

Megalithic tombs across the islands suggest that other intelligent beings once visited the planet. As you investigate them, you can search for answers about who was there, where they went and what happened. The adventure combines exploration as a pioneer, archaeologist and astronaut with the effort to salvage useful items and rebuild a communication device to call home. Your death means the end of mankind, and a mistake can cost you your life.

Gameplay and VR

The game is designed for one player, with little guidance and no obvious enemies. You can adjust the experience from a demanding survival challenge to a more relaxed exploration, or use console-style cheats. It supports VR headsets as well as non-VR play; a headset is not required. In VR, you can explore the game’s world from beginning to end, with room-scale support for Vive and options for walking or teleporting, several turning styles, strafing and adjustable movement speed.