In a murky sea of cinematics, celebrity shoe-horning and trailers that are the absolute antithesis to the actual gameplay experience, theannouncement trailerfor a game likeChildren of the Sunthat dropped only a mere two months ago feels like a welcome breath of fresh air. An announcement in every literal sense of the word – something to proclaim and take note of. Brief, to the point and as it turns out, playing host to a striking twist to the shooter genre. A kind of Sniper Elite meets SUPERHOT meets action-oriented IP that has Suda51-inspired stylings written all over it. While you’re able to never denote non-gameplay trailers are those that end up with a net-negative response – rather, a sort of apathetic “so what?” shrug as to its existence – the kind of introduction developer Rene Rother’s debut has been graced with is one of the rare occasions where a game’s perception undoubtedly lands it in net positive territory.
Children of the Sunneeds no other introduction. It’s the type of game whose pitch, whether that’s visually through in-game footage or even just verbally by way of its very synopsis – “control the path of a single bullet” – you may immediately get on-board with. An excitement that is equaled only by the curious prospect at just how far (and how wild) a single rifle cartridge’s worth of violence can go. And to Rother’s credit,Children of the Sunis a fittingly two-pronged success in that regard. The kind of grinning, self-congratulatory satisfaction that a series like Sniper Elite continues to excel at with each passing entry, when everything goes according to plan. Yet with all the perfectly-timed twists, changes and shake-ups to the formula that have only aided in a game like SUPERHOT’s remaining as one of the genre’s most accomplished deviations from the norm.
Sonic Boom
Such is the way Rother is able to start things in so bold a fashion – to then grow further into crazier, more complex but crucially of all, consistently easy-to-work-out scenarios – the only real complaint you can truly muster in the long-run is that the game is ove just as it gives the impression it’s only starting to kick things into high gear. The fact thatChildren of the Sun– at around three hours to roll credits – seems to wrap it up and end just as it’s seemingly getting going, while not a detriment to the quality preceding, does leave something of a disappointment of what theoretically could’ve been thereafter. At the point where the game looks to be making its biggest leap forward in so far as how objectives are laid out – with all the complexity and strategy one must keep tabs on, accompanying – that’s it, you’re done.
But if you’re going to be burdened with any kind of criticism, the “best” kind will always be such: “the game ends.” That what gameplay and challengesChildren of the Sunoffers is something you so desperately wish there was more of feels just as much a compliment than it does a complaint. And while the narrative may feel inconsequential and a tad haphazardly thrown in to make its progression feel like more than just a strung-together series of arenas to shoot into and towards, there’s enough meat to the bone here. Even with its chosen method of rendering graphics, let alone an in-game style and aesthetic bound to polarize players between the two camps of either loving or outright loathing it. It’s thanks toChildren of the Sun’s strong showing in the gameplay department that more than cast aside its otherwise minor grievances.
Children of the Sun Delivers Unique Insanity, Pure Fun With a Single Bullet
Developer René Rother brings one of the year’s most unique games to the table, one filled with style and potential.
In fact, it’sChildren of the Sun’s simple set-up that makes the eventual trip thereafter one of immense satisfaction to conquer. The basic idea being that rather than firing your solitary rifle cartridge in a singular direction and leaving it at that, the game instead lets you control where your shot goes upon landing a hit on an intended target. Said targets primarily coming in the form of nameless, gold-glowing cultist figures, but which quickly expand to encompass weak points on vehicles and even wild animals like birds. While the objective remains the same throughout – take out the allotted number of cultists in one go – the trick is knowing which cultists to target and in what order. Making sure to perform quick reconnaissance of the area – tagging anything that can be struck at – before deducing how best to dart from point A to B.
Sniper A-Treat
Again, it sounds simple and while the core loop is satisfying in its own right,Children of the Sunadds to the formula at just the right pace to further hone not just one’s accuracy and precision with shots, but as it turns out, a player’s proficiency at strategically picking off the right targets at the right angle in the right order. Adding new abilities, such as being able to outright halt your rifle round midair and change direction should you have the accrued energy to do so – hitting specifically-glowing limbs twice in succession granting said ability – as well as increasing the speed with which your round flies through the air in order to take down armored foes. By the end of it, when the last target is down and the camera pulls back to offer a bird’s eye view, whereupon your total trajectory is drawn out, it brings with it a kind of cathartic relief. Relief that despite the hefty numbers, the obstructions and the seemingly impossible task put before you, you’ve made it look all so easy and all too professional a job. Something like Sniper Elite may have the indulgence factor via seeing enemy body parts blown to a pulp, butChildren of the Sunis close behind in much the same fashion.
Yet even if you’re not completely accurate or find the ideal path isn’t so clear to spot,Children of the Sunprovides enough leeway for those looking at things more resourcefully and open to the idea of taking a closer look at one’s surroundings. Admittedly, environmental foliage and effects like blood splatter and explosions upon successful hits can get in the way on more than one occasion. At worst, filling up a large portion of the screen that readjusting the trajectory towards the next target can take a touch longer than it needs to be. Even so, the puzzle-like web of sight-lines and the way each level feels like it’s on the brink of failure makes each set-up and scenario even more compelling to finally work out.
For The Senses
A notable highlight set during a highway chase, where you’re not so much taking out a scattering of cultists in a field, but a huddle of cult-driven vehicles all racing away from your position. An example of the brief acknowledging of when best to mix up the formula. Not all of the occasional breaks from the norm are met with the same reverence, though. A brief walking segment half-way through is little more than a weak excuse to try and pretend its narrative matters anyway – arguably the lowest point by a country mile. And while a brief bit of respite for your character to clean their rifle manifests in the form of a 2D mini-game that has you curving a bullet around right-angle corners, again it feels like change for change’s sake with none of the same wow factor. Its one-time presence only adds to its relatively dispensable place during the main progression.
All of which would likely not have as much the same impact and punch were it not for composer Aidan Baker’s utilization of sound, which might just go down as this game’s unsung hero in that it emboldens its aesthetic, enhancing it to another level on top. And for someone who can call to the likes ofBlanck Mass,Ben FrostandTim Heckeras present in one’s music library, Baker’s cacophony of arrhythmic melodies, ambient drone and general mixing of harsh electronics is more than an ideal fit for a game that very much relishes the unpleasant glaze of its own presentation. A presentation that will not be to everyone’s taste, but is effective nonetheless.
Closing Comments:
While many will feel it’s one or two chapters short of a truly fleshed-out and fully-realized vision,Children of the Sun’s short but lavish flair for the hyper-violent is one of both visual and audible delight throughout. With what might be one of the most interesting and quick-to-convince takes on shooter mechanics in many a year, developer Rene Rother’s knack for the look and feel of such an onslaught allows both art-style and gameplay alike to boldly glisten. As divisive the in-game graphics and general presentation might wind up being. But it’s in no small part thanks to composer Aidan Baker’s treatment of sound on top that only emboldens Rother’s vision more so as one of both depth and replayability. An easy-to-understand pitch that comes with just as easy a recommendation,Children of the Sunis a blistering but brilliant take on shooting as a puzzle to be solved.
