Children of the Sun Review: Psycho Trip with a Puzzle Kick

In Children of the Sun, we are faced with a problem: a handful of enemies stand between us and completing the mission. We have to get rid of them with the help of a sniper rifle. But our weapon only has one bullet. Fortunately, we can reposition it after a hit and send it on its way into other enemies. We took a closer look at the unusual genre mix of third-person shooter and puzzle game from Germany in the Children of the Sun review.

Children of the Sun at a glance

Children of the Sun Review: Revenge is best served bloody

Children of the Sun is the epitome of an indie game. The game combines unusual, even unique, gameplay with a striking graphic style, a restrained but atmospheric soundtrack and some fresh ideas.

A game that you would probably never see from a major development studio. A game that was cobbled together by a single developer from Berlin.

Accordingly, you naturally have to accept a few compromises here and there. There is no story apart from the premise “your family was killed by crazy cultists, you seek revenge and kill everything until you get your hands on the cult leader”.

You won’t find a really detailed or large world here either. Rather, it is this special gameplay idea that distinguishes Children of the Sun and makes it unique.

One shot, one chance

The idea behind Children of the Sun is as simple as it is ingenious. Lots of enemies, but only one bullet to take them out. How do you solve this dilemma? Creatively, of course.

Conveniently, as soon as the ball has hit a target, time freezes, allowing us to realign the trajectory and catapult the blue bean to its next destination. At the beginning of the 5-10 hour game, this is still quite simple, as there are only a few enemies and a few obstacles awaiting us. However, the difficulty level of the sniper puzzle quickly increases considerably:

Enemies with shields or adversaries entrenched in houses, and on several floors at that, are added to the mix. Or even moving obstacles that have to be taken into account in the trajectory. The title tells us how many targets we have to take out in one of the short levels by means of an overlay at the top right of the screen. However, there is no other help available. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Children of the Sun relies heavily on trial and error and in some levels we need several attempts before we master the mission. However, there is never any real frustration. Precisely because the tasks are pleasantly short and because there are often several possible solutions.

You can’t see me, I can’t see you

Each level in Children of the Sun begins with us having to locate and mark our opponents. We cannot move freely. Instead, the nameless protagonist moves in a circle around her target area.

We can number enemies at the touch of a button to determine whether we have really found all eight of the required victims. But this is not the only reason why movement is important at the beginning. We also have to find the ideal position for the first shot and then load the other shots in sequence.

Planning is therefore crucial, because if our bullet misses its target or lands in Wallachia, we have “fucked up” – as the game kindly calls our failure – and we have to start all over again. It’s just as well that our markers are retained with every attempt.

Although the enemies are highlighted in bright yellow, the developer has hidden some of the clone males (yes, they really do all look the same) so well that you can’t even see them from the starting position.

This is where further abilities come into play, which we acquire as we progress. For example, we can briefly steer the ball ourselves when time slows down or, by hitting weak points, we can completely redirect the trajectory in a different direction.

In some situations, Children of the Sun makes our gray cells glow and we need five or six attempts before we master a mission. But for a while, this motivates us immensely.

However, the title lacks a bit of variety in the long run, so that the gameplay loop, which is essentially always the same, runs out of steam towards the end. Even the mini-games for cleaning the rifle don’t help much.

High score hunt with one hand

Despite the manageable playing time, Children of the Sun offers a decent replay value. Because in classic arcade style, we collect points in every mission, which go towards our high score.

If they hit the head or moving targets, bonus points are awarded. The same applies if we take out several enemies in quick succession and thus increase our score multiplier.

Each level also offers special challenges, such as shooting at the gas tank of a car or including a passing duck. If we complete these challenges, the requirements of which are also not mentioned at any point, we get a lot of extra points. And if we then climb from 2,500th place in the world rankings into the top 100, this is incredibly motivating.

Anyone expecting complex controls with all these options has reason to be pleased. Because Children of the Sun plays excellently and even comfortably with just one hand using the mouse and keyboard. However, the gamepad controls of the PC-exclusive title are also perfectly implemented and easy to use. One button for zooming or slowing down time, one for highlighting and one for firing. That’s all you need.

Children of the Sun test: Technology meets style

This unique gameplay construct is accompanied by a stylish low-poly graphic style that looks like a psychedelic trip with its bright colors. In a positive sense, mind you.

Of course, you shouldn’t expect a graphics festival here, that should be clear. But the look is absolutely coherent and is skillfully staged with dark horror elements. A touch of Hotline Miami meets Suda-51.

In particular, the chic lighting moods of the individual levels and surreal elements such as flying cars or houses will stay in your head even after you have finished the game. The dense atmosphere is also supported by the harmonious soundtrack.

From the infrequent music effects that go right through your bones to the few, but powerful effects, Children of the Sun is an absolute delight. It creates a feeling of discomfort that hardly any other game can match.

Hard to describe and not comparable to horror games. But it is unique. And exciting. However, this ensures that you can only play for a certain amount of time before taking a break to catch your breath.

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Children of the Sun review: Conclusion

With Children of the Sun, Solo developers have created a unique indie game that combines two genres in a special way, which – as we know – have harmonized well since Portal and Portal 2. Albeit in a completely different way here.

Thanks to the short and varied levels, the title always manages to keep the fun high and the game introduces new game mechanics just when it threatens to get a little boring.

In the end, however, Children of the Sun runs out of steam a little, but the length of 5-10 hours is absolutely pleasant, so there are no real lengths. The various challenges and solutions ensure that we are always behind the rifle scope. Be it to crack the high score or simply to immerse ourselves in this special atmosphere.