Children of the Sun Critic Reviews

Children of the Sun is everything I love in a game: Fun mechanics, creative direction, and a fantastic sense of style proudly displayed in the game’s art and story. Fans of gritty storytelling, telekinetic sniper challenges, and just killing cultists will love this pulpy murder puzzle game.

It is a genuine pleasure from start to finish, as dark and uncomfortable as it may be. But for every moment that might make you grimace, there is satisfaction to be found in seeking THE GIRL’s revenge, and destroying THE CULT is definitely a damned good way to spend 5-6 hours of your time.

Children of the Sun is fantastic. Not only does it encourage replays to climb up the leaderboards, but it is exactly what I want to see from Devolver Digital with its vibe and awesome gameplay. I hope it does well while also coming to consoles in the future. Right now, it is a perfect fit for Steam Deck and shines on the OLED screen. Don’t skip this one.

If a dark revenge fantasy tale of destroying an evil cult sounds like your kind of thing, then Children of the Sun is everything you could want.

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.

Children of the Sun is a standout puzzle shooter that successfully blends a dark, revenge-driven narrative with unique gameplay mechanics. Its approach to storytelling, through minimalistic but impactful vignettes, and the challenging puzzle aspects of its shooter gameplay make it a memorable experience. However, its dark themes and potential for uncomfortable moments mean it's not a game for everyone.

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 Sun is a blistering but brilliant take on shooting as a puzzle to be solved.

Children of the Sun is a great video game, designed for players who want a hyper-violent revenge story that remixes puzzle and slow-motion mechanics in a unique way. The narrative is familiar but gripping, delivered in small chunks and with a distinctive style. The entire presentation communicates dread and determination. The Girl’s ability to fire just one bullet and then control it to kill multiple targets is unique. It allows the developer to create impressive puzzles while also giving gamers freedom to explore and craft plans. Children of the Sun is immersive, dark, accessible, challenging, and fun.

Children of the Sun is a prime example of an experience born from a straightforward premise and then iterated for the right amount of time before it loses its charm. On occasion, the central mechanic can't keep up with itself – I missed more than a few finicky shots that should have landed, forcing a retry. But once you successfully execute a strategy and finish a level, the satisfaction is unmatched. You then seek to replicate the feeling during subsequent hunts, completely alienated from the messiness of your actions as you chase a higher score.

Children of the Sun is a thrilling puzzle game that does a great job of keeping you engaged, and when you're on a roll it's hard to put down.

Children of the Sun is an incredibly vivid and creative puzzler-shooter. It is thoroughly engaging to find the perfect thread of headshots to line up, poking holes in a setpiece cultist encampment, linking each bloody kill to the next with both finesse and inventive solutions. It is quite simply the best sniping game I’ve ever played and, better yet, it has a story, vibes and atmosphere you just want to bathe in, much like the blood of your enemies. In the plethora of ‘cool’ video games to have graced our screens over the years, Children of the Sun is near the tippy top.

As macabre as it is, Children of the Sun’s addictive leaderboard chase is sure to rekindle the competitive spirit in those who find themselves lapping up this world's darkness after having ventured heavenward in Neon White.

Children of the Sun is no rough diamond. Maybe a harsh diamond. Actually, it's not even a diamond. It's a lump of coal that no one wants, but some people fall in love with. Somehow, the vengeful journey of the young girl who has lost everything because of broken promises, in its darkness, in its boundless cruelty, manages to capture you. This trajectory of death makes one feel like the conductor of a macabre ballad. A small work not for everyone, but worth trying.

Children of the Sun is a game that's probably going to appeal to a different general audience than its visuals may imply, but whether the grungy, ultra-violent visuals seem tempting or it's the unique puzzle mechanics, there's a lot to love. However, it's worth noting that what a player wants out of the game will affect the dollar value of the package. It's possible to plow through the whole thing in a long afternoon, and it's the pursuit of better scores and a higher ranking on each level's leaderboard that adds true longevity.

I enjoyed the game’s atmosphere, visuals, and distinctive gameplay style. I do think that the game would have been a bit better if it didn’t try to introduce new, more complex bullet controls in the later levels – I would have enjoyed making my way through the game with just the fundamentals. There would have been more an emphasis on planning and a little less on tricky controller combos. I don’t want this to discourage you from giving the game a try, though. It is a rather unique experience, and even if the later levels prove a bit of a trial, replaying many of the game’s levels in an attempt to find the perfect plan that will push you higher in the leaderboards is in and of itself quite enjoyable.

Children of the Sun is an insanely addictive puzzle game cleverly pretending to be a shooter. It’s an excellent title for those who prefer solving problems over spectacular action. The developer knew exactly how to build tension by gradually unlocking new mechanics that increase the difficulty, and as a result this indie gem is more fun than many AAA products.

More puzzle than shooter, Children of the Sun is the violent demonstration that good ideas and talent are a winning combination.

Children of the Sun definitely hits the target.

Children of the Sun is a puzzle game disguised as a first person shooter, in which it seems that the protagonist is The Girl when in fact it is The Bullet. The difficulty of the levels increases gently, without placing insurmountable barriers on the players, but it is unfair not to have a complete overview of the situation from the beginning, which usually happens in this genre of games. Exploding the heads of enemies in super slow motion guarantees double satisfaction, first of all because a kill is always a kill, secondly because it is proof that our strategy works. The pulp atmosphere and the tragic story greatly increase the charm of the game.

An innovative take on the sniping genre that never fails to offer up a unique challenge and engages throughout.