Review | Children of The Sun 'One Bullet, One Goal' (PC)

Step into the gritty world of Children of The Sun, where cult takedowns are served with a side of telekinetic flair and a single bullet.

Developed by René Rother and backed by the renegades at Devolver Digital, this 3D tactical puzzle shooter is more than just a game — it’s a mission.

With an art style that’s as frantic as the action, sound design that’ll send shivers down your spine, and a puzzle concept so fresh it’ll make your brain do cartwheels, Children of The Sun is aiming straight for cult status.

So grab your psychic powers and get ready to blow minds… Literally.

A Quest For Revenge

Children of the Sun has players take control of the ‘The Girl’, a woman on a quest to take down the evil cult that destroyed her life. She has one goal and one goal only: find and takedown “The Leader”.

That’s essentially it. It’s not much, but I’ll take it.

Rapid and disordered static images flash on the screen to narrate the story when launching into some levels. However, the transitions occur so swiftly that it becomes challenging to keep up.

When each of these rapid sequences plays out, they reveal more of the puzzle.

While the presentation is striking, this way of storytelling unfortunately leaves you with more questions than answers. The rapid nature means the story gets muddy if you miss one small detail it leads to confusion.

As you navigate through the pulse-pounding action of Children of The Sun, you’ll encounter some downtime levels featuring The Girl engaging in various activities, from hunting to rifle maintenance.

But amidst the adrenaline rush, these moments can leave you scratching your head, asking, “Why am I doing this?”

While they offer a break from the chaos, they often contribute to the story’s confusion, leaving you pondering their purpose.

One level, in particular, feels like a shock tactic without substance, leaving you wondering if it was merely thrown in for a cheap thrill.

Putting all of that aside, let’s be honest – the story isn’t what we are here for…

Take Aim, Don’t Miss — Gameplay

In Children of the Sun, simplicity meets strategy as gameplay unfolds with just one hand on your mouse. While the mechanics may seem straightforward, the real challenge lies in unraveling intricate puzzles, keeping you hooked for hours on end. With no preset difficulty modes, every level is a fresh test of your tactical prowess.

Each level starts by whipping across the environment, allowing you to scout out your surroundings and best plan your attack. After scouting, you mark your targets, traps, fuel tanks and birds with the middle mouse button.

Upon striking a target, The Girl uses her telekinetic abilities to ‘re-aim’ the bullet, allowing you to find and select your next victim. Hitting a trap or a bird also grants you the ability to ‘re-aim’.

There’s no room for missed shots or second chances. To conquer each level, you must take down every enemy with just a single, well-placed bullet. One shot, one opportunity — fail, and you’ll find yourself back at square one.

At the outset, it feels like a breeze, but as you journey deeper, the challenges ramp up. With each level, the layouts become more intricate, and enemies appear in less predictable spots, forcing you to strategise every shot in advance. Just when you think you’ve got the hang of it, adversaries start donning shields and armor, throwing another layer of complexity into the mix.

Luckily, The Girl gains access to a wider variety of abilities to deal with the cultists’ attempts at increasing their survivability. She can learn to adjust the flight of fired bullets slightly, speed up bullets to penetrate armour and even re-aim bullets entirely, without hitting a target.

Aiming for the top

*Yep, that’s my name at the top! (Quest Daily)*

At the end of each level, a score breakdown is shown, highlighting your placement on global leaderboards. This fuels one’s competitive side and gets you hooked on trying to perfect each level to the number one spot.

You increase your score by focusing on distance, speed, traps and the like. For instance, detonating a car’s fuel tank to take out multiple targets nets you a nice bonus.

Following each level you are also treated to a replay of your bullets path, the imagery presented as if it were a star constellation.

It gave me a sense that there’s a higher power at play, one a cult may worship perhaps…?

Children of the Sun introduces challenges in certain levels, indicated by a cryptic sentence at the beginning. For instance, “The Virus is in their Heads” hints at the challenge’s objective.

While some challenges are straightforward, others demand trial and error. More challenges per level or post-game unlocks would enhance the experience, as solving them provides the most enjoyment.

However, in the game’s current state, there is no way to keep track of which challenges you have completed and which you still need to solve.

This leaves you to rely on your memory, with mine often failing me.

Mind Bending Audio and Visuals

The game employs a dark, gritty visual style that fits well with its gameplay. Its simplistic visuals contribute to an eerie atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience.

Set in a backwater town, each stage has you circling run-down buildings, train yards and farms as you slowly approach the cult stronghold. The world is awash with a dull colour palette; only dim street lamps, fires and moonlight guide you.

Bright yellow cultists with eerie glowing eyes provide a striking contrast against the dreary backgrounds, making your targets unmistakable. Additionally, psychedelic rainbows signal certain ability triggers, ensuring important gameplay elements aren’t lost amidst the dark atmosphere.

There is no dialogue present within Children of the Sun, cutscenes are accompanied by screeching music only. Leaning into the frantic, chaotic style of the game.

Levels themselves treat you to a lone eerie soundscape as you plan. The thrumming of bass plays as you move around the level. The aforementioned screeching music pierces your ears for every fired shot and ‘re-aim’, striking targets the only way to silence it.

This use of sound won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but it helps to build on the game’s dark atmosphere.

Is There Enough Here To Satisfy?

While Children of the Sun offers a fresh take on the puzzle genre, is there enough here to keep players engaged long term? Not quite.

It’s certainly an enjoyable title but it lacks depth.

While the gameplay is fun, there’s a need for more challenging puzzles and features. Once levels are completed, only high scores offer replay value.

Wanting more is an obvious sign that the developer is on to something, so I truly hope to see more Children of the Sun in the future!

The full game will set you back $21.95 AUD. Luckily you can try before you buy, with a demo available now. Children of the Sun is out on Steam on the 10th of April 2024.

Quest Daily Scores Children of The Sun:

7.5/10

A review copy of Children of the Sun was supplied to Quest Daily for the purpose of this review.