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A deeply disturbing connect the dots Sniper game | Review - Children of the Sun Demo
597 View2024-02-04
✨Overview
Children of the Sun is an upcoming tactical puzzle-shooter video game developed by René Rother and published by Devolver Digital. There is no release date yet announced but a DEMO is available on the Steam platform, offering players a glimpse into a dark and intense narrative with a simple Sniper-based puzzle gameplay.
⭐️Demo Score: 8/10
Children of the Sun is an upcoming tactical puzzle-shooter video game developed by René Rother and published by Devolver Digital. There is no release date yet announced but a DEMO is available on the Steam platform, offering players a glimpse into a dark and intense narrative with a simple Sniper-based puzzle gameplay.
⭐️Demo Score: 8/10
📖Story and Premise
The narrative centers around a character known only as "THE GIRL," seeking revenge against the malevolent cult responsible for ruining her life. The story unfolds without any dialogue, relying on cutscenes and graphic illustrations to convey the dark truths about the mysterious order and the atrocities committed in the name of their enigmatic leader, "THE LEADER." The disturbing themes of death, suicide, murder, and cult activities set a grim tone, creating an unsettling atmosphere that adds depth to the revenge-driven plot.
🎨Visuals and Art
The visuals is just as disturbingly presented as its premise, there is an intentional choice of a low-fi style for graphics adds a gritty and raw quality to the visuals, amplifying the unsettling themes embedded in the game's narrative. The minimalistic approach to character design and environmental details, coupled with the low-fi filter, contributes to a stark and haunting aesthetic.
The game also embraces a soundtrack that is deliberately disturbing as well, with heavy use of low-pitched bass and screeching elements that results in an unsettling auditory experience. This deliberate stylistic choice both in audio and visual, enhances the impact of the disturbing themes, immersing players in a world that is as visually unsettling as it is narratively intense.
🎮Gameplay
The demo introduces players to the tactical third-person puzzle-shooter gameplay, where they must first assess the location for enemies, and fire their one and only bullet. Players will now then assume control of a single bullet, navigating it through increasingly complex and challenging levels.
When it hits an enemy or a point of interest, you can “re-fire” the bullet again from that position to another enemy or point of interest. It’s basically a game like connect the dots, but you are connecting assassinations together. If you fail to kill all targets in one swift combo, the level fails. If you complete the mission, you are scored based on various criteria's such as speed, body parts hit, and distance.
The narrative centers around a character known only as "THE GIRL," seeking revenge against the malevolent cult responsible for ruining her life. The story unfolds without any dialogue, relying on cutscenes and graphic illustrations to convey the dark truths about the mysterious order and the atrocities committed in the name of their enigmatic leader, "THE LEADER." The disturbing themes of death, suicide, murder, and cult activities set a grim tone, creating an unsettling atmosphere that adds depth to the revenge-driven plot.
🎨Visuals and Art
The visuals is just as disturbingly presented as its premise, there is an intentional choice of a low-fi style for graphics adds a gritty and raw quality to the visuals, amplifying the unsettling themes embedded in the game's narrative. The minimalistic approach to character design and environmental details, coupled with the low-fi filter, contributes to a stark and haunting aesthetic.
The game also embraces a soundtrack that is deliberately disturbing as well, with heavy use of low-pitched bass and screeching elements that results in an unsettling auditory experience. This deliberate stylistic choice both in audio and visual, enhances the impact of the disturbing themes, immersing players in a world that is as visually unsettling as it is narratively intense.
🎮Gameplay
The demo introduces players to the tactical third-person puzzle-shooter gameplay, where they must first assess the location for enemies, and fire their one and only bullet. Players will now then assume control of a single bullet, navigating it through increasingly complex and challenging levels.
When it hits an enemy or a point of interest, you can “re-fire” the bullet again from that position to another enemy or point of interest. It’s basically a game like connect the dots, but you are connecting assassinations together. If you fail to kill all targets in one swift combo, the level fails. If you complete the mission, you are scored based on various criteria's such as speed, body parts hit, and distance.
Enemies who see others getting killed will react and sometimes flee, making them harder to hit, so there is a little bit of stealth elements in it. There is an additional “re-fire” ability while the bullet is mid-air, that requires hitting weak-points of enemies to fully activate.
The mechanics of how you control and see the bullet are executed in the first person, as you're experiencing what the bullet sees. However, the game switches to a third-person view of the bullet when you're not controlling it. If you've ever played the Max Payne 1 and 2 games and used a sniper, that's essentially how it is presented. The later Assassin’s Creed games also featured a skill where you can 'steer' the trajectory of the arrows you fire, and that's essentially how the controls work mechanically.
🌍Levels
The demo includes seven levels that showcase the lethal replayability of Children of the Sun that will last around 30 minutes to complete. Multiple solutions for each level encourage creativity and experimentation, rewarding players for accuracy and efficiency. The limited resource of having just one bullet per level intensifies the challenge, making every shot count. The design of the levels reflects a careful balance between tactical sniping, puzzle-solving, and light stealth, offering a varied and engaging experience that keeps players on their toes.
Some enemies will be deliberately far from each other, separated by an obstacle, are moving around the map in a vehicle, etc. requiring players to think strategically and plan their shots meticulously. The demo provides a taste of the intricate level design that promises a satisfying blend of action and strategy in the full game.
📊Technical Performance
I didn’t have any issues with the demo and I was able to play with a smooth and responsive experience. The game's low-fi graphics and minimalist style contribute to a consistent and stable frame rate. The game supports both mouse and controller, although using the mouse is noticeably easier because you can aim faster and more accurately will can result in higher scores. The game is completely playable with just a mouse and requires no keyboard input.
⚖️Conclusion
Children of the Sun strength lies not in complex gameplay mechanics but in its ability to create a puzzling tactical challenge within a seemingly straightforward framework, as Children of the Sun, at least the demo for now, manages to deliver a satisfying puzzle-solving experience within its simplicity. However, its intensely disturbing themes, both in terms of narrative and presentation, are definitely not for everyone. Players should first consider their comfort level with such content before embarking on this dark journey.
The mechanics of how you control and see the bullet are executed in the first person, as you're experiencing what the bullet sees. However, the game switches to a third-person view of the bullet when you're not controlling it. If you've ever played the Max Payne 1 and 2 games and used a sniper, that's essentially how it is presented. The later Assassin’s Creed games also featured a skill where you can 'steer' the trajectory of the arrows you fire, and that's essentially how the controls work mechanically.
🌍Levels
The demo includes seven levels that showcase the lethal replayability of Children of the Sun that will last around 30 minutes to complete. Multiple solutions for each level encourage creativity and experimentation, rewarding players for accuracy and efficiency. The limited resource of having just one bullet per level intensifies the challenge, making every shot count. The design of the levels reflects a careful balance between tactical sniping, puzzle-solving, and light stealth, offering a varied and engaging experience that keeps players on their toes.
Some enemies will be deliberately far from each other, separated by an obstacle, are moving around the map in a vehicle, etc. requiring players to think strategically and plan their shots meticulously. The demo provides a taste of the intricate level design that promises a satisfying blend of action and strategy in the full game.
📊Technical Performance
I didn’t have any issues with the demo and I was able to play with a smooth and responsive experience. The game's low-fi graphics and minimalist style contribute to a consistent and stable frame rate. The game supports both mouse and controller, although using the mouse is noticeably easier because you can aim faster and more accurately will can result in higher scores. The game is completely playable with just a mouse and requires no keyboard input.
⚖️Conclusion
Children of the Sun strength lies not in complex gameplay mechanics but in its ability to create a puzzling tactical challenge within a seemingly straightforward framework, as Children of the Sun, at least the demo for now, manages to deliver a satisfying puzzle-solving experience within its simplicity. However, its intensely disturbing themes, both in terms of narrative and presentation, are definitely not for everyone. Players should first consider their comfort level with such content before embarking on this dark journey.
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SHOULD I PLAY CHILDREN OF THE SUN?
Check this out if you enjoyed the hidden genius of hyper-violent indie games like Superhot or Hotline Miami. Children of the Sun looks like a lo-fi, pulp sendup of the Sniper Elite series, but it’s really more of a puzzle game about creating the perfect trajectory for a single demonically possessed rifle bullet. As a masked young woman, your job is to scout each location from the perimeter, line up the perfect shot, and fire—and then, as your bullet strikes your victim, redirect the bullet to continue its path into the next creepy cultist. You get one shot per map to clear out all the cultists, so you need to use every advantage available to pull it off.
Ian Boudreau3K2024-02-06
Assume control of a single bullet and assassinate | Gameplay - Children of the Sun Demo
The Children of the Sun demo introduces players to the tactical third-person puzzle-shooter gameplay, where they must first asset the location for enemies, and fire their one and only bullet. Players will now then assume control of a single bullet, navigating it through increasingly complex and challenging levels.
When it hits an enemy or a point of interest, you can “re-fire” the bullet again from that position to another enemy or point of interest. It’s basically a game like connect the dots, but you are connecting assassinations together. If you fail to kill all targets in one swift combo, the level fails.
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Background Story:
As a player, you step into the shoes of an enigmatic assassin driven by undisclosed motives. Your journey unfolds within the 'Assembly,' a criminal organization that demands sacrifices.
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