In this post I will be looking at the media that I looked at when I was figuring out the Solarpunk genre, and my game idea in general.
Silent Running (1972)
Silent Running was suggested to me as a film to look into by one of my teachers and from the outset it seemed promising. Although I feel like Silent Running is rather flawed as a Solarpunk film, I feel that it still has some good ideas contained within, I like the core environmental themes of the film as well as the Dome and the 3 robots in the film. The methods of the protagonist are rather iffy; he argues and then murders his 3 crewmates, and the film also has some American Airlines branding which doesn’t sit well with the anti-capitalist theming of Solarpunk but overall, still an interesting film for the topic.
Nausicaä of the valley of the wind
Nausicää and the valley of the wind is also an interesting film for the purposes of discussing Solarpunk. This film has a great deal of Solarpunk-esque influence. As Milne, M. (2025) explains, “The film has clear solarpunk themes. It’s exploration of environmental issues allows for hope and solutions that aren’t just going back to an older way of life. It also fits the solarpunk style by contrasting high-tech devices with natural landscapes and picturesque, medieval inspired villages.”
Assassins Creed 2 Town Upgrades
You may wonder what this game is on this list. Assassin’s Creed 2 is not a Solarpunk game by any means but it does has a mechanic in the game that is worth talking about. Later on in the game the player has their own city with mechants that can sell you stuff. However, the player can “renovate” the city, or upgrade it to reduce purchacing costs in the city. This was suggested by someone on Discord as a way to put in community aspects for my game, without necessarily adding on mechanics which may increase the complexity of the project. It is a direct inspiration for the Library where the player can perform research to get new Towers, or to reduce costs for existing ones.
References
Milne, M. (2025) Studio Ghibli and solarpunk, Studio Ghibli and Solarpunk – by Mia Milne. Available at: https://solarthoughts.substack.com/p/studio-ghibli-and-solarpunk (Accessed: 12 January 2026).