Games are released every day. Few manage to stand out. It is normal in such a saturated market, where word of mouth is especially important. Excluding AAA games, which have all the advertising in the world, it is difficult to keep up with most of what happens in the industry. Even with a small part of it.
Among those games that have gone somewhat unnoticed is Children of the Sun. A game that, despite being the latest from Devolver Digital, has not made as much noise as other games from the most famous independent distributors. Which is a shame. Because Children of the Sun is a sensational game that, in addition to being an absolute delight to play, is a marvel of artistic stylization.
The premise of Children of the Sun is very simple. As simple as sinister. We are The Girl, a disturbed shooter, who seeks to kill all members of a cult. Her motive is because her parents, members of the cult, are now dead because of it. And The Girl has decided that she will make her way to their leader. One bullet at a time. Many corpses for each bullet.
Mechanically, the game is simple. We can move left and right in a straight line, away from where the cult members are. We can aim, point at them, and position ourselves in an optimal place. Something we must do, because no matter how many enemies there are, we only have one chance. And only one bullet.
This is because every time our bullet hits an enemy or an obstacle, we can redirect it. That means we have to chain enemies with enemies, dodge obstacles, and try to take advantage of the few objects or creatures where we won’t lose the bullet. Like a bird, for example. Or the exploding fuel tank of a vehicle at the crime scene.
Children of the Sun is more of a puzzle game than a shooter. Since it is possible to slightly modify the direction of the bullet in the air, the game is about always trying to find the best angle. The best position. But also something that we don’t have to take into consideration in the same way in other games: how to chain all our enemies. We only have one bullet and we have to kill all our enemies. And the moment one dies, everyone around will be aware that there is a shooter nearby.
This means that there is a point of skill, one of strategy and another of tactics. We must plan well what we will do, but it is also important to improvise, because we do not know exactly what each of our enemies will do. Making there be multiple ways to solve each situation. Many of them unforeseen.
Part of its appeal also lies in the fact that we will earn more or less points depending on how we approach each situation. Hitting vital points grants more points, just like completing the phase as quickly as possible or using the fewest possible redirects. This makes it work not only as a puzzle, but even better as an arcade game. Competing with our scores, those of our friends or the online leaderboard adds an additional layer of depth to the game.
If we add to all that its excellent art direction and the outstanding soundtrack, it’s easy to understand why this game is destined to become a cult game. The kind of games that are talked about with equal parts respect and love.
Unfortunately, it’s also easy to see why it can go unnoticed. It’s a very unique game, unlike any other game out there, and although it’s very eye-catching, it’s not a sure bet. That’s why we can’t do anything but recommend that you take a look. Because if there’s one game so far this year that runs the risk of going unnoticed, but could be your new favorite game, that’s Children of the Sun.
