Children of the Sun Review (PC)

The cultists have been getting smart. They once stood out in the open and in groups, almost begging someone to end their chain-smoking misery. Now they tend to gather only indoors, with sentries on the perimeter, and they no longer have as many cars parked in convenient spots. It’s getting harder to fire just one bullet and take down eight or nine of them, even when that shot is powered by telekinesis.

It now takes time simply to spot all the cultists, despite their shiny nature. Sometimes I have to fire a shot that I know will not reach its target to use as a way to scout a building or test whether I can bend around a certain space. I feel bad doing this because the entire ethos of the game is to fire one bullet and clear an area. But it is important to do whatever it takes to cull this cult.

After a half dozen failed attempts, The Girl knows where all her enemies are, and I have a clear idea of the order in which they need to expire. I line up the shot to take out the first two without changing trajectory when execute a nearby dude who’s trying to run. I then shift the bullet’s path a little to get the guy walking up the stairs. From there it’s just a few meters and three quick direction changes to fully clear the level.

Children of the Sun is developed by René Rother and published by Devolver Digital. I played on the PC, the only platform on which it is offered, using Steam. The game combines third and first-person shooter elements with slow motion and puzzles.

+4more

Our hero is known only as The Girl, the victim of a cult and hellbent on revenge. She has barely escaped from the clutches of their leader and now starts killing off his henchmen one by one, aiming to get to the top as quickly as possible. The story is dark and there’s a lot of violence featured in the cutscenes and the cinematic mission setups.

The game’s universe is defined by a combination of trauma and psychedelics. Our heroine is worthy of sympathy but she’s far from innocent. She has telekinetic powers and only uses them for violence. It’s impressive how much the developer can communicate during the short interludes. But players can also easily skip all the narrative elements and still be immersed in this blood-soaked, over-the-top, and largely repulsive universe.

Children of the Sun might be slightly derivative in terms of story, but it has an impressive yet simple core mechanic. Players have to fire just one bullet from a sniper rifle and then telekinetically guide it around an area, killing all targets. Eliminate everyone and it's off to the next level. Otherwise, evaluate the situation again and try a new approach.

The Girl wields a sniper rifle and isn’t willing to physically get close to her targets. She is more than willing to stalk the perimeter of a level, spotting her targets and thinking about the best way to get a bullet to their heads. But she will not close the distance and even on the edge her freedom of movement is often limited.

Arguably, the scope is her most important tool. Sure, it spots targets and allows her to mark them. But she will also use to it spot smaller details in a scene, which become more important as levels grow complex and cult members try to find ways to protect themselves from her fury. Once gamers have a plan to hit all enemies, it is time to actually fire the bullet.

Play Video

Children of the Sun might seem like a shooter but it’s mostly a puzzle game with slow motion. Planning who and when to hit is crucial. When the bullet reaches its target, players get to choose their next target. Pretty quickly, it becomes possible to slow time down during its flight to look around and re-direct it. The Girl reveals a few extra tricks as she stacks more cultist bodies.

Levels increase in complexity and enemies improve their defenses. Some wear armor but bullets can gain speed to punch through. Others stay in space designed to deter snipers and players have to find solutions. High-level targets seem to also have caught wind of The Girl’s special abilities.

It’s a pleasure to discover the specific challenges of each level, gradually discovering where each enemy is and testing out ways to get to them all, preferably as quickly and efficiently as possible (the game tracks everything for a global leaderboard).

Failing repeatedly can lead to frustration. I don’t love the limits sometimes placed on movement. Children of the Sun is at its best when it gives players a complex level, a carefully crafted set of characters, and offers players the freedom to stalk around the full perimeter with, maybe, a few birds loitering around. The process of identifying targets, coming up with a plan, and then executing it is both meditative and violent.

Children of the Sun’s presentation perfectly matches its world and mechanics. The targets' bodies shine bright yellow while the spurts of blood are a deep and eerie shade of red. There’s a low fidelity quality to the graphics that, when combined with the carefully chosen colors, creates spaces that seem plucked out of weird dreams or drug trips.

The minimalist interface makes it easier for gamers to enjoy the spectacle and I particularly love the end of a level line that shows how the bullet wove its way from target to target. There’s no voice acting because there’s no dialogue. The soundtrack is dark, augmented by the bass The Girl generates as she stalks her target.

+4more

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion