Platinum Games has announced that the official release date of its top-down shooter Sol Cresta will fall on December 9, 2021. It also revealed the Sol Cresta Dramatic DLC, which will include additional voices and scenarios. The game will be download-only and cost ¥3,980 (about $36). [Thanks, Famitsu!]
The release date was announced towards the end of a Bitsummit 2021 panel, featuring Platinum Games founder Hideki Kamiya. As the name suggests, Sol Cresta‘s Dramatic Mode will include fully voiced playable scenarios with characters and a storyline. The game will also have an Easy and Very Easy difficulty setting, so longtime fans and newcomers can enjoy it.
Furthermore, Kamiya mentioned that the idea for a Cresta sequel was not something that came from Hamster Corporation, the owners of the Cresta series IP. Rather, Kamiya and Platinum Games producer Atsushi Inaba had discussed the idea of a possible Cresta sequel back in 2018. After developing a concept for the game, the team presented it to Hamster Corporation CEO Satoshi Hamada. Kamiya also recalls that he was “incredibly nervous” leading up to the presentation.
I already had a personal relationship with Hamster Corporation’s CEO, Hamada-san. However, up until that point there was no buisness, and I had only come to Hamster Corporation as a fan … This time it was going to be about buisness, and I was incredibly nervous. Especially considering we had used the Cresta name without approval, I was afraid that I would be asked ‘what I was doing’ and damage my relationship with Hamada-san.
Sol Cresta would later appear as an April Fools announcement in 2020 before Platinum Games confirmed the game’s official development a year later. Platinum Games also released gameplay details that focus on the upcoming title’s Yamato formation mechanics.
Sol Cresta will launch for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam on December 9, 2021. It will only be available via download and cost ¥3,980 (about $36).
