Line writer stated that, with its impressive visuals and attractive sit-down arcade machine, Solvalou could fit well in line with Namco's other 3D arcade releases. S.E.A., a writer for Micromanía, considered the graphics to be the game's high point. Multiple critics believed Solvalou was an improvement over Namco's other 3D arcade releases, such as Starblade. Critics felt that Solvalous gameplay was challenging but fun. A GameFan commentator said the game was so great that it was almost worth traveling to Japan to play it. GamePro writer "Hack'n Slash" described it as being "breathtaking" and "pulse-pounding shoot-em-up" that cleverly blended together the basic concepts in Xevious with the action of 3D arcade games. Slash particularly liked the gameplay for remaining faithful to the original. S.E.A. agreed, and enjoyed Solvalou for its simplicity, but was critical of the difficulty, and noted that the player could easily become overwhelmed by the number of enemies and projectiles onscreen. Though they were satisfied with the game overall, Gamest writers felt it could have benefited from more content, and would only really please Xevious fans instead of the general public that Namco hoped it would bring. One felt the Xevious branding was unnecessary and would have been better as an original project. Critics generally believed the game was entertaining and was worth playing, with GameFan showing hope for it being released on the 3DO. Retrospective feedback has also been positive. Retro Gamers Stuart Campbell in 2006 believed Solvalou was a faithful update to Xevious, and his disappointment at the lack of re-releases and proper emulation for the game led him to label it as "one of the great "lost" coin-ops". In 2014, Carlo Savorelli of Hardcore Gaming 101 likened it to Konami's Solar Assault (1996), a similar 3D spin-off of Gradius. He was fond of its graphics for combining 3D flat-textured polygons with pre-rendered sprites. Game Watch writer Tetsuya Inamoto reviewed the Wii Virtual Console version in 2018 in light of the service's impending closure, noting that it was a surprise favorite for Wii owners. Though he was critical of its high difficulty, Inamoto claimed the 3D graphics and intuitive usage of the Wii Remote's pointer function made Solvalou a must-own on the platform. Notes References External links 1991 video games Arcade video games Cancelled 3DO Interactive Multiplayer games First-person shooters Namco arcade games Xevious Japan-exclusive video games Rail shooters Video game sequels Video games developed