Children of the Sun, developed by René Rother and published by Devolver Digital, takes players on a gripping road trip of revenge, marked by a unique blend of stylish combat, tactical sniping, and puzzle-solving. It’s an enjoyable yet repetitive title that continues to prove that Devolver Digital can’t publish a bad game.
The game unfolds in a world where an evil group, known quite literally as THE CULT, offers a utopian escape from the pressures of modern life. However, this turns out to be a lie that shatters the lives of those affected forever. You play as an individual affected by THE CULT, named THE GIRL, and embark on a relentless one-woman war to seek retribution for the ruin they brought on her life and defeat the primary target: THE LEADER.
The narrative is quite cryptic and is told through short segments you intermittently receive in between levels. You’re taken on a journey that explains the extreme tragedy of THE GIRL and her unusual powers. The storyline doesn’t touch on new grounds, but it provides an additional element and plot to power you on your revenge trip.
“The level individually in Children of the Sun creates everlasting replayability.”
Children of the Sun’s gameplay revolves around a simple yet fascinating mechanic: the ability to control a single sniper bullet and re-aim it on impact. The gameplay feels vaguely familiar to golf; if sniping humans in the head meant that you hit the ball onto the fairway and hitting the final one meant you sunk the ball. Nevertheless, you must guide one bullet around obstacles and take down THE CULT in a plethora of satisfying yet challenging ways.
The game is split into levels, introducing new mechanics into Children of the Sun with each successful victory. You will eventually gain unique abilities that advance the puzzles in the game, including changing the direction of bullets in midair and a devastating power shot that decimates even the toughest enemies. As you progress, you will also be introduced to different enemy types: Shield Cultists, Armored Cultists, and Psychic Cultists, who are obviously incredibly devoted and developed mind powers. There are even some levels where you must kill animals, as a girl’s got to eat, and some that require you to go to the toilet, which isn’t a surprising addition given the developer’s Instagram account.
The levels individually, coupled with a player’s creativity, create everlasting replayability and encourage players to experiment with all their resources. With multiple solutions to each level and a scoring system that blends varying factors, such as explosion kills and ‘Dick Shots’, for the highest score, you’re going to want to play again and again. Online leaderboards also compare your sniping skills with friends and global players. However, despite the thorough level design, the monotony slowly crept in the longer I played the game. With high repetition and a lack of significant deviating gameplay elements, Children of the Sun became slightly tedious, progressing from level to level.
“Extensive replayability makes Children of the Sun a good game.”
Children of the Sun draws inspiration from Hitman, giallo movies, and Killer7, and it feels as if you are playing a gritty, dark variation of Superhot. The visually engaging glitchy visuals immerse you in the world, with deep atmospheric ambient music playing heavily in the background. Ultimately, this combination of effects enhances the overall experience and sets the scene for the intense journey of revenge.
While it doesn’t offer any additional accessibility features for difficulty, Children of the Sun removes any hardship by allowing you to tackle every level multiple times if you miss your shots. If you kill a Cultist during an attempt but fail to complete the level, the game will mark that enemy’s location for you, so you won’t have to remember where they’re hiding. The uncapped framerate is also a welcome addition, and I had no issues playing the game on my 4070 GPU.
In terms of pricing, Children of the Sun is priced the same as the recently released Pepper Grinder at AU$21.95 / US$14.99 / £12.79 / €14.79. The combination of tactical sniping, puzzle-solving, unique abilities, and extensive replayability makes Children of the Sun a good game, but the price might be a little steep compared to other indie titles.
Disclosure: Game Crater was provided the game for this review.