Developer Space Colony Studios and publisher Astrolabe Games have today launched Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog on Nintendo Switch, offering players a retro visual novel inspired by titles from the PC-9800.

Boasting gorgeous anime visuals, a well-designed cast of characters, and over 300,000 words of text, you'll find yourself in a gripping space adventure full of mystery and branching story paths. If you're a fan of physical releases too, Astrolabe Games has you covered there, with a special Starship Edition containing a special slipcover and a concept art book available for purchase in Europe.

YouTube VideoWatch on YouTube

Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube840k

This is the debut title from Space Colony Studios, but the Welsh team has aspirations to make Stories from Sol an anthology consisting of multiple releases. We're keen to see how this one resonates with players, and what plans the studio has for the foreseeable future. Our friends over at Time Extension have reviewed the game, saying that it "plays as good as it looks".

For now, let's take a look at the official description:

War is over. War is just beginning.

Planetary Calendar 214. Four years have passed since the end of the Solar War. Our protagonist, scarred from the loss of their crewmates in the war, is re-assigned to the Jovian patrol ship Gun-Dog as it’s dispatched with orders to investigate mysterious signals coming from the edge of Jovian Space.

Unknown to the Gun-Dog’s crew, a new danger looms deep in the ocean of stars, threatening not just the Gun-Dog but all her crew.

Take on the role of the Gun-Dog's security officer as you attempt to save the ship from an unknown assailant whilst navigating the paranoia, conspiracies and vendettas that break out amongst the crew. As camaraderie falls apart can you overcome the challenges that await?

Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog is available now via the Switch eShop for £17.09 / $19.99. The physical edition is available through multiple retailers.

What are your thoughts on this one? Will you be giving it a go? Let us know your thoughts with a comment down below.