REVIEW: ‘Children of the Sun’ Makes You Feel Like A Badass (PC)

Occasionally, a game comes along that makes you feel awesome. The mechanics, vibe, art style, and gameplay all fit together perfectly, making the game not just a joy to play but also scratching a specific part of your brain. Superhot made you feel incredible taking down enemies. Rollerdrome had you skating your way through levels while blasting through enemies. The gameplay hook of Neon White was so finely tuned and featured some of the best platforming-level designs in recent memory. Children of the Sun, coming from René Rother and published by Devolver Digital, fits neatly into this already stacked category. The tactical puzzle shooter features some of the most rewarding gameplay I’ve experienced recently and just makes you feel like a badass.

Children of the Sun has a light but interesting narrative hook permeating each level. You play as The Girl, on a mission of revenge to take out the cult that betrayed your family. You hunt for The Leader, wading through a sea of bodies to get to and take him out. Some levels will start with a cutscene filled with incredibly stylized stills, showing more of the history between The Girl, The Cult, and The Leader. It isn’t in your face but works, and by the end, I was determined to help The Girl complete her mission.

Each level starts simply enough, with you loading into what will inevitably be a bloodbath of an arena. The location diversity is fantastic. Several levels are set in a forest, but each feels so distinct from the one before that I barely noticed. One may be a cut of road, broken down cars, or fires lighting the enemies as they walk. Another may be a campground, followed by a huge overpass, adding a ton of verticality to the encounter.

As you start the mission, you must pick the best spot to take your initial shot. The Girl can run left and right on the outskirts of the arena. Some let you make an entire circle around the arena, and others will limit your field of view. The first step is to find as many enemies as possible, marking them so you can keep track of where they are. Then, once you’ve mapped out the lay of the land, you take your shot. You have one bullet to take everyone out; this is where the hook digs deep.

Killing the first enemy is great, but you must ensure you have sightlines for the next. The bullet hangs in midair, letting you redirect it to the next unsuspecting cult member. Children of the Sun starts simply enough: use one bullet as it ricochets between enemies to take them all out without hitting anything else. There are environmental pieces you can use to your advantage when planning: birds flying above, gas canisters, and gas tanks in cars. The game pushes you to make use of the entire landscape to succeed.

Soon enough, new elements are added. Curving the bullets makes you reconsider angles, counting on the curve to help you reach otherwise inaccessible targets. Enemies will start to highlight weak points. Hit enough of those, and you’ll be able to redirect the bullet midair, which becomes necessary when Psychic Cultists have giant glowing orbs of protection. Armored enemies will need a longer shot, manually pushing the bullet to ridiculous speeds to shred through their protection. The enemy variety isn’t massive, but Children of the Sun uses interesting positioning and environmental layout to make you think through each encounter.

The level design is incredibly put together. Each arena has enough littered around to make you concentrate on a clean line of fire. The bullet bending helps you navigate spaces creatively, dodging and ducking through cars and around pillars. Some enemies will be in huts, others in towers, while a select few will be whipping around the level in cars. Closely grouped enemies will start to react to their friends, getting their heads blown open as they try to run off. The plan you set at the beginning of each level is important, but reacting to the level is even more so.

Each level has you trying to rack up the highest score possible with an online leaderboard on display. Points are calculated using a few metrics, including time in level, body parts shot, and distance. Finding the best route through each encounter is challenging and a ton of fun. There are secret challenges, with only a hint on the level selection screen to help guide the way. I wish each level had a harder difficulty that would remix the enemy types or locations to use the spaces more.

The art style, graphics, and music all fit the game perfectly. The forests are covered in darkness, fires, and brightly displayed targets lighting the way. Levels bend around the bullet as it accelerates, and colors warp into acid-tinged displays. It feels dour and grungy, fitting the revenge tale of Children of the Sun as vivid and uncomfortable animated cutscenes play out. The music is oppressive and heavy and complements each level perfectly.

Performance-wise, Children of the Sun ran with absolutely no issues on both my computer and Steam Deck. I played the majority of the game on Deck and had a fantastic time with it. The levels make it incredibly easy to pick up and put down when needed. It ran at a stable 60fps, and I experienced no technical issues whatsoever.

Children of the Sun is one of my favorite games this year. It makes you feel like a badass as you guide the bullet as it soars through each level. Figuring out a route to help you progress is so satisfying while diving back in for the optimal route/highest score is challenging and rewarding.

Children of the Sun is available on April 9th on Steam and verified on Steam Deck.

A code was provided for review by the publisher