Children Of The Sun is a highly stylised puzzle shooter that takes the bullet time moments from Sniper Elite and develops the idea into a full game. Most levels consist of scouting the location and marking enemies before executing a Wanted style bullet bending blood bath.
The story is one of revenge that sees the protagonist taking her anger out on a cult that left her family in ruin and death. Children Of The Sun presents its story via brief comic style cutscenes providing short insights into the history of the main character and their relationship to the cult. Most levels are separate from the story and just see you taking down stronger and stronger outpost as you get ever closer to the cult leader. Occasionally however there will be a level that directly progress the story but these are few and far between and only near the end of the game.
Gameplay wise Children Of The Sun strives to take a small idea and stretches it as far as creatively possible. This leads to some fun and unique concepts that don't overstay their welcome. With the core mechanic being bullet time this idea develops and introduces bullet redirection, slow-mo and high caliber speed to tackle a variety of different enemy types and scenarios. Latter gameplay becomes more of a puzzle game as you try to solve who to kill first and who to keep alive for a latter redirection. I did find this to become quite tedious in particularly the last 2 levels as I got relative stuck for extended periods of time due to either poor puzzle execution or long distance aim (I was playing on my Steam Deck and may have had better luck with a mouse).
One of the biggest drawbacks I found was the mini games that were randomly thrown in. These were not good and felt really out of place. Thankfully there wasn't many and only 1 was particularly difficult, but I feel it would have been a better experience with the removed completely.
The mood and atmosphere for Children Of The Sun is great and can be particularly satisfying at times. However there doesn't seem to be much keeping me engaged. You can battle other players for a high score but apart from that Children Of The Sun feels very one and done.
The story is one of revenge that sees the protagonist taking her anger out on a cult that left her family in ruin and death. Children Of The Sun presents its story via brief comic style cutscenes providing short insights into the history of the main character and their relationship to the cult. Most levels are separate from the story and just see you taking down stronger and stronger outpost as you get ever closer to the cult leader. Occasionally however there will be a level that directly progress the story but these are few and far between and only near the end of the game.
Gameplay wise Children Of The Sun strives to take a small idea and stretches it as far as creatively possible. This leads to some fun and unique concepts that don't overstay their welcome. With the core mechanic being bullet time this idea develops and introduces bullet redirection, slow-mo and high caliber speed to tackle a variety of different enemy types and scenarios. Latter gameplay becomes more of a puzzle game as you try to solve who to kill first and who to keep alive for a latter redirection. I did find this to become quite tedious in particularly the last 2 levels as I got relative stuck for extended periods of time due to either poor puzzle execution or long distance aim (I was playing on my Steam Deck and may have had better luck with a mouse).
One of the biggest drawbacks I found was the mini games that were randomly thrown in. These were not good and felt really out of place. Thankfully there wasn't many and only 1 was particularly difficult, but I feel it would have been a better experience with the removed completely.
The mood and atmosphere for Children Of The Sun is great and can be particularly satisfying at times. However there doesn't seem to be much keeping me engaged. You can battle other players for a high score but apart from that Children Of The Sun feels very one and done.
Probably the first game in a while that's made me regret not doing scores for games on this website; Children of the Sun is as unwieldy and aggravatingly trial and error as it is aesthetically captivating and mechanically cathartic. I've seen others besmirch it as a poor puzzle game or shitty action game individually -- perhaps it's within that straddling of genre conventions that it never quite finds its way -- yet it's difficult to recall any other game I've played recently that's so confident in its fusion of puzzle-solving and reflexive execution. And while the latter is what ultimately allows Children of the Sun to carve out impactful moments in the player's mind, it's also its most egregious pain point (followed by the semi-optional "strategy phase" whose varying (in)elegance will inevitably filter a lot of players).
It becomes especially damning during the game's later stages where it's possible for the player to have figured out a few viable solutions, but executing the longer sequences of kills can be absolutely excruciating when failure is as easy as a simple misclick -- or your perfect solution gets fucked over by unreliable RNG (?) cycles, among other fiddly (to say the least) annoyances. I imagine this is going to vary wildly from person to person as well; some levels I completed in a single try while others took me upwards of two hours (not including the breaks I'd sometimes have to take). It's a shame when the player's momentary satisfaction is upended by the realization that the next level is the same thing but even more overwhelming intricate. That'll probably satisfy the people who really fuck with Children's unique gameplay toolkit and jazz-like structure, but for others it's going to make playing the game a draining experience, which maybe isn't what you want in a game that doesn't have a whole lot of content in the first place (or maybe that's its saving grace, I don't know! I'll let the gamer reading this decide). The last level was particularly harrowing as unraveling its solution required executing individual pieces of the what is the longest kill sequence in the game ad nauseam, and with its length was probably every single issue I've talked about so far along with it.
This is where I'd love to tell that this is all worth it somehow, that Children of the Sun's ludonarrative adds up to anything, and I... I don't think it does? The striking aesthetic and the revenge porn premise certainly elevate the experience, but the narrative itself feels exceedingly played out. Maybe this will do more for somebody who has had real life experience with cults, or maybe it's just that its story is portrayed through slideshows that are largely disconnected from the gameplay that, despite having pretty great art, don't really impart much upon the player outside of "this cult did bad things, the player character wants to do bad things back to the cult". Which like, understandable, good for her! But it just didn't do a whole lot for me personally. I want to say the ending is maybe saying something? I dunno man, I think I've played too many irreverent and/or Dark Souls-influenced indie titles that I'm just so desensitized to endings like this. Maybe I'm just a heartless bitch tho.
Children of the Sun has its moments though, like, there's a pretty fun quote towards the beginning of the game that I'm expecting fans of the game to repeat an annoying amount. I looooove the main character's design and the cover art itself (honestly it's why I ended up playing it in the first place lol). The whole game has this vibe to it that for some reason dug up forgotten memories of games like Project Rub/Feel the Magic: XY/XX; honestly it'd kinda fuck as a DS game now that I think about it (Killer7 DS real???). Not sure if I'd recommend Children of the Sun to everybody, but if it catches your interest in any way, I'd say it wouldn't hurt to give it a try once it's on sale for sub-$10 or so.
It becomes especially damning during the game's later stages where it's possible for the player to have figured out a few viable solutions, but executing the longer sequences of kills can be absolutely excruciating when failure is as easy as a simple misclick -- or your perfect solution gets fucked over by unreliable RNG (?) cycles, among other fiddly (to say the least) annoyances. I imagine this is going to vary wildly from person to person as well; some levels I completed in a single try while others took me upwards of two hours (not including the breaks I'd sometimes have to take). It's a shame when the player's momentary satisfaction is upended by the realization that the next level is the same thing but even more overwhelming intricate. That'll probably satisfy the people who really fuck with Children's unique gameplay toolkit and jazz-like structure, but for others it's going to make playing the game a draining experience, which maybe isn't what you want in a game that doesn't have a whole lot of content in the first place (or maybe that's its saving grace, I don't know! I'll let the gamer reading this decide). The last level was particularly harrowing as unraveling its solution required executing individual pieces of the what is the longest kill sequence in the game ad nauseam, and with its length was probably every single issue I've talked about so far along with it.
This is where I'd love to tell that this is all worth it somehow, that Children of the Sun's ludonarrative adds up to anything, and I... I don't think it does? The striking aesthetic and the revenge porn premise certainly elevate the experience, but the narrative itself feels exceedingly played out. Maybe this will do more for somebody who has had real life experience with cults, or maybe it's just that its story is portrayed through slideshows that are largely disconnected from the gameplay that, despite having pretty great art, don't really impart much upon the player outside of "this cult did bad things, the player character wants to do bad things back to the cult". Which like, understandable, good for her! But it just didn't do a whole lot for me personally. I want to say the ending is maybe saying something? I dunno man, I think I've played too many irreverent and/or Dark Souls-influenced indie titles that I'm just so desensitized to endings like this. Maybe I'm just a heartless bitch tho.
Children of the Sun has its moments though, like, there's a pretty fun quote towards the beginning of the game that I'm expecting fans of the game to repeat an annoying amount. I looooove the main character's design and the cover art itself (honestly it's why I ended up playing it in the first place lol). The whole game has this vibe to it that for some reason dug up forgotten memories of games like Project Rub/Feel the Magic: XY/XX; honestly it'd kinda fuck as a DS game now that I think about it (Killer7 DS real???). Not sure if I'd recommend Children of the Sun to everybody, but if it catches your interest in any way, I'd say it wouldn't hurt to give it a try once it's on sale for sub-$10 or so.
Chlidren of the Sun is got me hooked from the demo alone, I instantly had to buy the full game once it was available. It's fairly short, but that also might just be because I enjoyed the gameplay so much, that it was hard to put-down. There's small bits of story, but the gameplay is the real focus, and it is extremely fun to learn to master. A friend and I played side by side, helping each other out with figuring out the puzzles, though I think I gave them an aneurysm with how bad I am at understanding their directions lol.
Short, fun puzzle game with gorgeous art. Don't go in expecting too much more. The amount you have to trust your gut when choosing your next move might not be for everybody, but I thought it worked perfectly and loved learning how the game expected you to "complete the job". The final level was a real test of all the knowledge you learn throughout, and had me feel extremely satisfied when excuted properly.
Check it out if you're interested, I got it for $10 during its release sale. Feels like a good price imo.
3.5/5
Short, fun puzzle game with gorgeous art. Don't go in expecting too much more. The amount you have to trust your gut when choosing your next move might not be for everybody, but I thought it worked perfectly and loved learning how the game expected you to "complete the job". The final level was a real test of all the knowledge you learn throughout, and had me feel extremely satisfied when excuted properly.
Check it out if you're interested, I got it for $10 during its release sale. Feels like a good price imo.
3.5/5
O melhor: A melhor combinação de Shooter, Puzzle e Slow Motion desde SUPERHOT
O pior: Alguns desafios extras são um tanto obtusos
Crossover que provavelmente não veremos: Esse jogo com Cult of the Lamb (2022), também publicado pela Devolver
Children of the Sun é um jogo de tiro e puzzle, sobre uma garota querendo vingança contra o líder de um culto. A primeira coisa que chama a atenção sobre o jogo é sua estética: os gráficos low-poly, as cores berrantes (que remetem a outros jogos publicados pela Devolver, como Hotline Miami), os sons distorcidos e muito sangue. Há algumas cutscenes feitas num estilo visual de HQ que dão mais contexto ao que está acontecendo, mesmo de modo geral a história sendo bem simples.
Mas o que ele tem de interessante mesmo é o seu gameplay: Munida de uma sniper com uma única bala, e um poder de telecinese, a Garota deve rodear o cenário de cada fase, marcando os inimigos visíveis, escolher o melhor ponto de início, e atirar. Se a bala acertar um alvo, a mesma pode ser guiada para um próximo. Se errar, é necessário reiniciar a fase. Então, o que pode parecer um Shooter em uma screenshot, na verdade se revela um jogo de puzzle tático, onde o objetivo é descobrir a maneira mais eficiente de guiar a bala pulando de inimigo para inimigo.
Progressivamente são adicionadas mais mecânicas que favorecem tanto o jogador (aumentar a potência do tiro, guiar a bala durante sua trajetória) quanto os inimigos (inimigos com armadura ou com escudos que desviam seu tiro), mas, com exceção talvez da última fase, ele nunca fica desnecessariamente complexo. Até porque é um jogo bem curto, então no momento em que parece que ele vai exigir demais, o jogo acaba. Infelizmente não há muito o que fazer após os créditos, a não ser tentar obter melhores pontuações em cada fase.
É um jogo com muito estilo, com uma mecânica bem interessante, e que pode ser finalizado em uma única sessão em meio a tantos jogos gigantescos. Talvez o preço atual não o favorece muito, pela duração do jogo, mas com um desconto ele é bem recomendável.
O pior: Alguns desafios extras são um tanto obtusos
Crossover que provavelmente não veremos: Esse jogo com Cult of the Lamb (2022), também publicado pela Devolver
Children of the Sun é um jogo de tiro e puzzle, sobre uma garota querendo vingança contra o líder de um culto. A primeira coisa que chama a atenção sobre o jogo é sua estética: os gráficos low-poly, as cores berrantes (que remetem a outros jogos publicados pela Devolver, como Hotline Miami), os sons distorcidos e muito sangue. Há algumas cutscenes feitas num estilo visual de HQ que dão mais contexto ao que está acontecendo, mesmo de modo geral a história sendo bem simples.
Mas o que ele tem de interessante mesmo é o seu gameplay: Munida de uma sniper com uma única bala, e um poder de telecinese, a Garota deve rodear o cenário de cada fase, marcando os inimigos visíveis, escolher o melhor ponto de início, e atirar. Se a bala acertar um alvo, a mesma pode ser guiada para um próximo. Se errar, é necessário reiniciar a fase. Então, o que pode parecer um Shooter em uma screenshot, na verdade se revela um jogo de puzzle tático, onde o objetivo é descobrir a maneira mais eficiente de guiar a bala pulando de inimigo para inimigo.
Progressivamente são adicionadas mais mecânicas que favorecem tanto o jogador (aumentar a potência do tiro, guiar a bala durante sua trajetória) quanto os inimigos (inimigos com armadura ou com escudos que desviam seu tiro), mas, com exceção talvez da última fase, ele nunca fica desnecessariamente complexo. Até porque é um jogo bem curto, então no momento em que parece que ele vai exigir demais, o jogo acaba. Infelizmente não há muito o que fazer após os créditos, a não ser tentar obter melhores pontuações em cada fase.
É um jogo com muito estilo, com uma mecânica bem interessante, e que pode ser finalizado em uma única sessão em meio a tantos jogos gigantescos. Talvez o preço atual não o favorece muito, pela duração do jogo, mas com um desconto ele é bem recomendável.
What made me really excited for this game (besides the dope ass visual style), was this awesome trailer with the song Holly by Sleigh Bells. Bro this trailer made me so hype. But... in the game there isn't really any music at all :(
It just kinda has a lot of ambient loud noise which can get a bit annoying. This game would be so cool paired with a killer soundtrack and it makes me sad that there isn't one. Because the style is there already, Children of the Sun's art is super enrapturing.
And then in terms of gameplay, it's solid. The levels amps up in difficulty and scale throughout the game and by the end, the puzzle of killing everyone in the level is super fun. The last like five or so levels were great and I would've liked it if the game had some more like that. Children of the Sun doesn't overstay its welcome, clocking in at just over three hours. But I would've liked a bit more.
Definitely worth checking out.
It just kinda has a lot of ambient loud noise which can get a bit annoying. This game would be so cool paired with a killer soundtrack and it makes me sad that there isn't one. Because the style is there already, Children of the Sun's art is super enrapturing.
And then in terms of gameplay, it's solid. The levels amps up in difficulty and scale throughout the game and by the end, the puzzle of killing everyone in the level is super fun. The last like five or so levels were great and I would've liked it if the game had some more like that. Children of the Sun doesn't overstay its welcome, clocking in at just over three hours. But I would've liked a bit more.
Definitely worth checking out.
Just found out how Lee Harvey Oswald did it
Em vídeo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl7BzEGmL5o
Você foi criada por um Culto de fanáticos que te usou durante anos por conta de seus poderes sinistros de telecinése. Agora, livre das amarras da fé, começa sua jornada de vingança caçando um a um até encaixar uma bala na testa do líder. Só que nesse jogo, você é a bala.
"Children of the Sun" é descrito como um jogo tático de quebra-cabeça com tiro em terceira pessoa e eu nunca eu vi nada igual.
Dirigido Por René Rother que já fazia jogos bem estranhamente belos e gratuitos no itch.io, estreia seu primeiro jogo publicado pela Devolver Digital.
Uma aventura curta, como de costume do autor, mas que vai te fazer pensar em estratégias para derrotar múltiplos inimigos em cada fase com apenas 1 bala. Tendo o poder de controlar a direção da bala em cada acerto, nos vemos forçados a um planejamento estratégico bem semelhante a puzzles de ação como os de Superhot. Porém, por sermos sniper, ainda precisamos de habilidade para acertar cada vez mais em menos tempo e rankear bem no leaderboard global.
Ser a bala nesse jogo é cruel, acompanhar o momento em que sanguináriamente acertamos inimigos assusatados em seus pontos fracos aproximam o interlocutor da pscopatia da personagem principal.
Em meio a isso, o jogo demonstra um domínio de seu loop principal, com inimigos cada vez mais fortes, mas com novas habilidades surgindo na medida que avançamos, o jogo faz o feijão com arroz de um bom design. Ou talvez a melhor analogia seja de um hambúrguer rearranjado em um prato, afinal, apesar de sua estética ser brilhantemente caótica e disruptiva, seu gosto ainda é de um jogo bem nos conformes dos padrões de design do grande mercado. Isso não é ruim, mas devo admitir que senti uma pessoalidade maior em Donata, Rotting Crescendo e I am the Sun do mesmo autor. Este último por sinal, que possui leves referências em Children of the Sun.
Apesar do polimento não característico do autor, ainda temos sua assinatura, com uma trama super obtusa e indireta, mas que contextualiza bem sua gameplay e nos dá um motivo para caçar a vingança da personagem principal me garantiu algumas horas de diversão e uma vontade para descobrir mais artes do René.
E eu te convido a fazer o mesmo
Texto completo:
https://www.gamedesignhub.com.br/post/children-of-the-sun-critica-analise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl7BzEGmL5o
Você foi criada por um Culto de fanáticos que te usou durante anos por conta de seus poderes sinistros de telecinése. Agora, livre das amarras da fé, começa sua jornada de vingança caçando um a um até encaixar uma bala na testa do líder. Só que nesse jogo, você é a bala.
"Children of the Sun" é descrito como um jogo tático de quebra-cabeça com tiro em terceira pessoa e eu nunca eu vi nada igual.
Dirigido Por René Rother que já fazia jogos bem estranhamente belos e gratuitos no itch.io, estreia seu primeiro jogo publicado pela Devolver Digital.
Uma aventura curta, como de costume do autor, mas que vai te fazer pensar em estratégias para derrotar múltiplos inimigos em cada fase com apenas 1 bala. Tendo o poder de controlar a direção da bala em cada acerto, nos vemos forçados a um planejamento estratégico bem semelhante a puzzles de ação como os de Superhot. Porém, por sermos sniper, ainda precisamos de habilidade para acertar cada vez mais em menos tempo e rankear bem no leaderboard global.
Ser a bala nesse jogo é cruel, acompanhar o momento em que sanguináriamente acertamos inimigos assusatados em seus pontos fracos aproximam o interlocutor da pscopatia da personagem principal.
Em meio a isso, o jogo demonstra um domínio de seu loop principal, com inimigos cada vez mais fortes, mas com novas habilidades surgindo na medida que avançamos, o jogo faz o feijão com arroz de um bom design. Ou talvez a melhor analogia seja de um hambúrguer rearranjado em um prato, afinal, apesar de sua estética ser brilhantemente caótica e disruptiva, seu gosto ainda é de um jogo bem nos conformes dos padrões de design do grande mercado. Isso não é ruim, mas devo admitir que senti uma pessoalidade maior em Donata, Rotting Crescendo e I am the Sun do mesmo autor. Este último por sinal, que possui leves referências em Children of the Sun.
Apesar do polimento não característico do autor, ainda temos sua assinatura, com uma trama super obtusa e indireta, mas que contextualiza bem sua gameplay e nos dá um motivo para caçar a vingança da personagem principal me garantiu algumas horas de diversão e uma vontade para descobrir mais artes do René.
E eu te convido a fazer o mesmo
Texto completo:
https://www.gamedesignhub.com.br/post/children-of-the-sun-critica-analise
Fantastic game! Full review is over on Geek to Geek Media
From 2014-2022 Rick Remender released "Deadly Class." It was a graphic novel series that spanned 56 issues abouts youths whose lives were molded and twisted through the horrors committed by the adults around them. Setting them off on a path of self-destruction and violence.
Anyone familiar with that work will feel a sort of connective tissue with Children of the Sun's presentation. If not for the supernatural element it would be easy to mistake it as apart of that world. Color choices, cutscene framing and of course sound design feel very raw. The act of setting up your shot, pulling the trigger and making contact with a target all have a massive impact. The bullet piercing through the air has this drone noise that overpowers the action. I found myself holding my breath at times, only realizing it when a level was finished at that triumpant exhale.
The story is simple but incredibly effective. Your motive is clear from the start. You are a woman on a mission that can only be accomplished by leaving a trail of bodies in your path. I found myself pulled along for ride not wanting to put the game down.
The main idea of bouncing your bullet between targets adds an addictive arcade feel. On the fly decision making tests your metal with great level design and an effective/straight forward mouse only control scheme.
I highly recommend this one. It's short but it takes its simple concepts and ideas and just runs with it. It's a wild, violent and strategic time.
Anyone familiar with that work will feel a sort of connective tissue with Children of the Sun's presentation. If not for the supernatural element it would be easy to mistake it as apart of that world. Color choices, cutscene framing and of course sound design feel very raw. The act of setting up your shot, pulling the trigger and making contact with a target all have a massive impact. The bullet piercing through the air has this drone noise that overpowers the action. I found myself holding my breath at times, only realizing it when a level was finished at that triumpant exhale.
The story is simple but incredibly effective. Your motive is clear from the start. You are a woman on a mission that can only be accomplished by leaving a trail of bodies in your path. I found myself pulled along for ride not wanting to put the game down.
The main idea of bouncing your bullet between targets adds an addictive arcade feel. On the fly decision making tests your metal with great level design and an effective/straight forward mouse only control scheme.
I highly recommend this one. It's short but it takes its simple concepts and ideas and just runs with it. It's a wild, violent and strategic time.
Um jogo simples de fases que tem uma gameplay repetitiva, que difere apenas nas estratégias para passar. A arte é bonita e é divertidinho (jogado gradualmente). Poderia ser mais curto, btw. Se rushar, o jogo pode ser bem chato.
Their heads just did that.
Heavily stylized puzzle game where you're a teenager (maybe young woman?) coming back to kill the cult that stole your youth. You have telekinetic powers and play each level by firing a single bullet in closed Hitman-style environments and then plotting the path of the bullet in first-person from target to target. You also get more powers that grant more freedom over how you direct the bullet's path. Super clever, pretty fun. Can get a little trial and error-y at times but it's a kind of trial and error that feels pretty good. Not super long, probably 4-6 hours depending on how good at it you are.
Just a really nice (if grim) little game published by Devolver.
Just a really nice (if grim) little game published by Devolver.
pretty fun and short game took me one sit to finish, i usally dont play music while playing games but for the lack of soundtracks in this game i had fun listening ro music while playing
The sniper puzzle gameplay in this game is truly amazing and inventive, think sniper elite but turned puzzle game. You explore to small maps marking enemies and then have to figure out the best way to take them out all in one shot: after you hit a target you relaunch for it to go to the next and the next in a chain. As the game goes on it adds a few new mechanics, just as fine aiming the bullet mid shot and enemies with armor that require being shot from a longer distance. The add these at a good pace so it stays interesting and keeps you thinking. I had no issue with the length of the game, honestly what brings the score down for me is the game’s presentation I just find it super ugly and pretty jarring from an art style angle. Some may find it appealing but the cutscenes and look of the game did not do it for me at all.
Despite the difficulty spikes in some specific missions (and breaking the freaking head rest on my chair), I had a lot of fun here. The aesthetics, visual and sound wise, are probably not for everyone though, but if you like puzzles and weirdly colorful high contrast speaker blasting bullet bending, go for it.
I liked the demo enough during Next Fest but unfortunately Children of the Sun proved to be entirely style over substance. What starts off as a neat little sniper puzzler with a Killer 7-esque aesthetic devolves into trial and error, tedium, and wonky hitboxes. In some levels you aren't even able to see every enemy initially so you straight up gotta trial and error it. The later mechanics the games adds feel more like annoying gimmicks and the last level is just an absolute slog and I just gave up because I couldn't find the last damn enemy in all the visual noise and didn't feel like repeating all that shit over and over again just to find them. Easy skip and I regret I'm probably past the refund window.
Look im done with reviewing on this website so treat this as a warning this is the probably the worst designed puzzle game i've ever played.
wow what a fun game w a pretty unique aesthetic,, i hope there's not a game breaking bug that makes it impossible to progress after a third of the way in ^__^
Children of the Sun's hyper-stylized visuals and visceral soundscape serve as a great juxtaposition to the surprisingly methodical puzzle-solving; the likes of which do a decent job of encouraging creativity and improvisation from the player. While a couple of the more challenging levels occasionally felt a bit frustrating due to the amount of trial and error they required, they were well worth persevering through as the satisfaction of finally discovering that perfect route was always fulfilling.
When I first started Children of the Sun, I was expecting it to fall into the category of many other games like it. Where it either tried to stretch one idea for way too long or didn't spend enough time exploring its many possibilities. Shockingly that isn't the case here, and it's all the better for it.
You'll probably have the game beat in about 3-4 hours, but that ironically feels like the perfect length. The dev clearly knew not to overextend their reach, getting a good bit of mileage out of the idea with a small handful of mechanics and new things to consider, but never tried to overuse that and pad itself out.
When it's at its best, using its mechanics to full effect, it's a tactician's dream as you mark all targets on the map and pick the best route without finding your bullet drilled in a random bit of metal or the side of a building. Thanks to some solid sound design to top it all off, it's quite satisfying.
Only problems I had relate to the story and one mechanic being a little finicky. The story isn't necessarily bad, but it's told while being so in love with its obscurity that it can be hard to follow at times. As for the mechanic, I'll try not to spoil it but it can be very finicky with what it defines as a killing shot (you'll know what I mean when you see it).
$20 is bordering a bit on what I'm willing to pay for a game of this length, but it's still one of the better Devolver Digital games. If you like puzzle games or the odd shooter, it's a pretty fun time.
You'll probably have the game beat in about 3-4 hours, but that ironically feels like the perfect length. The dev clearly knew not to overextend their reach, getting a good bit of mileage out of the idea with a small handful of mechanics and new things to consider, but never tried to overuse that and pad itself out.
When it's at its best, using its mechanics to full effect, it's a tactician's dream as you mark all targets on the map and pick the best route without finding your bullet drilled in a random bit of metal or the side of a building. Thanks to some solid sound design to top it all off, it's quite satisfying.
Only problems I had relate to the story and one mechanic being a little finicky. The story isn't necessarily bad, but it's told while being so in love with its obscurity that it can be hard to follow at times. As for the mechanic, I'll try not to spoil it but it can be very finicky with what it defines as a killing shot (you'll know what I mean when you see it).
$20 is bordering a bit on what I'm willing to pay for a game of this length, but it's still one of the better Devolver Digital games. If you like puzzle games or the odd shooter, it's a pretty fun time.
Very cool concept, good execution, the game only takes 1 go of your hard drive. The story is very gritty that's not my thing but it's cohesive.
It becomes quite hard after a while but still it's very fun and clever
It becomes quite hard after a while but still it's very fun and clever
Very cool concept of hitting someone with a bullet and then using that position to shoot your next target. Feels like Hotline Miami meets Superhot. Expands the idea pretty quickly and adds new stuff to keep it fresh. Worth a look!
Excluindo o bug na fase de perseguição que não me permitia avançar de fase e todos os leaderboards sendo apagados quando o jogo foi lançado, Children of the Sun é um puzzle extremamente inteligente, criativo e divertido. A sua curva de dificuldade é muito equilibrada, diferentes mecânicas vão sendo introduzidas progressivamente e o seu enredo é bem pesado, mas só serve como justificativa para suas atitudes. Além disso, a direção de arte é maravilhosa, tanto durante a gameplay quanto nas cutscenes. Grande jogo!
A game that I enjoyed but I wish had more meat to the bone. just when the levels are really starting to get more in depth and interesting, the game is over. I did like what I played, but with only 3 hours played to completion, I found it a bit too short. Still a good game, though
Extreme catharsis dripping in pure style.
I loved the grunge cell-shaded style and how satisfying missions were. I just wished there was more substance. Definitely should've had more variety and more mini games to break things up.
Children of the Sun is another in the “unorthodox puzzler” genre, but it’s probably the one with the coolest design and style. It reminds me a lot of Sayonara Wild Hearts in many ways, an incredibly fun and cool central mechanic that evolves in a decent way over 2-3 hours.
Flying the bullet with all its powers is as fun the first minute as it is the last, and the level design is good enough to keep you interested. That said, it’s a bit shorter than it maybe should have been and the story surrounding it is not as impactful, as it hasn’t been given room to breathe.
Flying the bullet with all its powers is as fun the first minute as it is the last, and the level design is good enough to keep you interested. That said, it’s a bit shorter than it maybe should have been and the story surrounding it is not as impactful, as it hasn’t been given room to breathe.
I JUST KILLED A MAN
NOW I'M HORNY
NOW I'M HORNY
The story is delivered in visceral, hyperactive short cutscenes that stand in stark contrast to the game’s slower, methodical gameplay. It’s a great puzzle shooter with a lot of style and a heartbreaking narrative. A great short game with a lot of replay value!
Why she walk like Sly Cooper tho
Anyway, it's... pretty good! I was so instantly captivated by its moody atmosphere and strong sound design, it only took 20 minutes of playing for me to stop just to tell my friends that they should probably check this out. Part-time Hotline Miami in its surreal choice of colors, and part-time Killer7 in its viscerally gushing fountains of blood. The blend of sniper and puzzle genres is a very unique one, and the emphasis on taking out every enemy with nothing but a single ricocheting bullet leads to some very satisfying victories once you nail down the right order.
Puzzle games are not usually my strong suit, and I grow impatient with them far more easily than I should. Most of the time, my brain just ain't capable of thinking several steps ahead, I think in the moment instead. Despite this, I've found that Children of the Sun's difficulty is relatively lenient for the majority of the game's 3-4 hour duration, and allows for multiple solutions to one problem with a little bit of improvisation. At the same time, none of it felt mindless, and I still felt like I had to put in the effort to clear a good chunk of the stages. The balance was struck very well here to make dumbos like me feel a little more clever, while at the same time leaving the option for more skilled play depending on what you can come up with.
I feel like the only exception to this was the final level, which I think escalated the difficulty way too suddenly from the previous stages. We've gone from somewhat tricky but short-length stages, to a marathon that demanded twice the amount of steps than anything before. Losing here felt really draining, and having to think about replicating everything I just did was even moreso. I think this could've been in part fixed if the game remembered the position from where you fired at, so I wouldn't have to walk over there each time. Hiding a bunch of the mooks inside buildings was also a bit of a frustrating process that led to a bunch of time wasted just trying to scout them out across several failed attempts. I nearly gave up here, but eventually pushed on through and won. It's just a shame that for every single level I felt satisfied in, the finale was the only one where satisfaction was replaced with a feeling of relief instead.
Even so, it can't be ignored that for 95% of Children of the Sun's duration, I had a ton of fun. One subjectively frustrating level aside, this is still a raw as hell video game, and one that paints a very strong first impression for its developer. They're definitely on my radar now, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they'll create next.
Anyway, it's... pretty good! I was so instantly captivated by its moody atmosphere and strong sound design, it only took 20 minutes of playing for me to stop just to tell my friends that they should probably check this out. Part-time Hotline Miami in its surreal choice of colors, and part-time Killer7 in its viscerally gushing fountains of blood. The blend of sniper and puzzle genres is a very unique one, and the emphasis on taking out every enemy with nothing but a single ricocheting bullet leads to some very satisfying victories once you nail down the right order.
Puzzle games are not usually my strong suit, and I grow impatient with them far more easily than I should. Most of the time, my brain just ain't capable of thinking several steps ahead, I think in the moment instead. Despite this, I've found that Children of the Sun's difficulty is relatively lenient for the majority of the game's 3-4 hour duration, and allows for multiple solutions to one problem with a little bit of improvisation. At the same time, none of it felt mindless, and I still felt like I had to put in the effort to clear a good chunk of the stages. The balance was struck very well here to make dumbos like me feel a little more clever, while at the same time leaving the option for more skilled play depending on what you can come up with.
I feel like the only exception to this was the final level, which I think escalated the difficulty way too suddenly from the previous stages. We've gone from somewhat tricky but short-length stages, to a marathon that demanded twice the amount of steps than anything before. Losing here felt really draining, and having to think about replicating everything I just did was even moreso. I think this could've been in part fixed if the game remembered the position from where you fired at, so I wouldn't have to walk over there each time. Hiding a bunch of the mooks inside buildings was also a bit of a frustrating process that led to a bunch of time wasted just trying to scout them out across several failed attempts. I nearly gave up here, but eventually pushed on through and won. It's just a shame that for every single level I felt satisfied in, the finale was the only one where satisfaction was replaced with a feeling of relief instead.
Even so, it can't be ignored that for 95% of Children of the Sun's duration, I had a ton of fun. One subjectively frustrating level aside, this is still a raw as hell video game, and one that paints a very strong first impression for its developer. They're definitely on my radar now, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they'll create next.