CHILDREN OF THE SUN: Cultists Hate This One Weird Trick
Gameplay
At first glance, the gameplay appears to draw inspiration from the Sniper Elite series, something I don’t mind at all. Instead of simply copying the formula, however, Children of the Sun evolves it into something that feels uniquely its own by combining path planning with puzzle-solving. Every level challenges you to devise the perfect strategy, encouraging experimentation as you manipulate your bullet’s trajectory to clear the level. The core concept is strong and the gameplay stays fresh for a while, but the overall experience is simply too short. While new mechanics are introduced along the way to keep things interesting, the gameplay eventually starts to feel repetitive because the formula doesn’t evolve enough to maintain that initial sense of discovery.
Replayability comes in the form of leaderboards and an endless mode, but neither felt compelling enough to keep me coming back after finishing the campaign. I believe the game would have benefited from a community level editor. It feels like a missed opportunity, as community-made levels could have added countless hours of replayability.
📕 STORY
Even though the story isn’t the main focus of Children of the Sun, it feels like the game never fully capitalizes on its incredible visual presentation. The game’s striking art style immediately caught my attention and left me wanting to learn more about its world, characters, and events. I enjoyed the small story moments we did get, but they left me wishing the developers had taken the story a bit further. Adding more story between levels would have made completing each stage more rewarding while also helping the game’s short runtime. It feels like the foundation was already there. They just needed to build on it a little more.
🔈 Sound
To be honest, I didn’t pay much attention to the sound while I was playing. Maybe that’s a bad thing to admit as a reviewer, but I think it also says something about the game’s audio. It wasn’t bad enough to pull me out of the experience, but it also wasn’t memorable enough to leave a lasting impression.
Overall, the sound does exactly what it needs to do and supports the gameplay without getting in the way. It’s perfectly serviceable, but not something I’ll remember long after finishing the game.
Visuals
Children of the Sun has a really cool and unique art style. It reminded me of games like Mouthwashing and Mole, although it has a cleaner overall presentation. At times the visuals almost feel like an acid trip, but considering you’re playing as a sniper hunting down a cult, it never felt out of place. If anything, it helped give the game its own identity.
I also appreciated that the developers chose a stylized visual direction over chasing photorealism. It makes the game accessible to a much wider range of hardware, which feels like a breath of fresh air in a market where so many modern games struggle with optimization. Overall, I have no complaints about the visuals themselves. I just wish the developers had taken better advantage of this unique presentation from a storytelling perspective.
I had a good time with Children of the Sun. The game offers a unique experience that stays enjoyable for its 2–3 hour campaign without overstaying its welcome. The puzzles are satisfying to solve, and the distinctive art style helps make the experience feel memorable.
Unfortunately, it also feels like the game never quite reaches its full potential. The campaign is too short, the story is too shallow, and choosing not to include a community level editor feels like a real missed opportunity in my opinion. If the developers ever decide to make a sequel, I won’t hesitate to give it a try. At the same time, I’d expect them to build on these areas because the foundation they created here is stronger than the final experience suggests.
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