Sol Cresta joins February’s stacked schedule of releases

Good luck to the lil’ guy

Following on from numerous development and announcement delays, PlatinumGames has finally revealed a release date for its April Fools’ Day joke turned Real Deal, Sol Cresta — The retro-inspired space shmup will launch on PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch February 22, priced at $39.99.

The long-awaited date was revealed during a lengthy two-hour live stream “forum,” which saw various PlatinumGames team members showcase the sequel in all of its bullet blazing glory. Sol Cresta, the follow-up to classic ’80s releases Moon Cresta and Terra Cresta, will retain the typical vertical shmup gameplay and docking mechanics of those titles, spruced up with dazzling new visuals and features.

Sol Cresta‘s chosen arrival time of mid-February is certainly a brave move, given that month’s already stacked release schedule. The coming weeks will see the arrival of Sifu, The King of Fighters XV, Horizon Forbidden West, Elden Ring, Shadow Warrior 3, Dying Light 2, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, and many other highly anticipated releases. Fortunately for PlatinumGames, Sol Cresta is already something of a niche title, and those dedicated to the shmup genre will be seeking it out anyway.

From recent trailers — as well as the above preview — Sol Cresta looks a lot of fun. It’s always neat to see franchises from the formative years of gaming make their grand return to the big stage. Here’s hoping that it will scratch that trigger-pumping itch when it arrives on PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC (via Steam) come February.