I find little more joy after a tough day than sitting down with an excellent shooter to unleash some stress. “Children of the Sun” by the super small dev team of René
Rother and publisher Devolver Digital provide the punchy joys of a shooter with a focus on a more fast-paced, methodical approach. I had the chance to give the preview a shot and let me tell you, it isn’t a mere gun-toting outing but an exercise in planning and precision.

Story-wise, there isn’t much to go on besides a few gritty graphic novelesque scenes of the Children of the Sun cult and their antics. The gist is our edgy, strange sniper is hunting said cult. Their motivations are shrouded in mystery, but attempting to piece together the why throughout my playtime was much more intriguing.

The goal, however, is pretty self-explanatory: kill everyone. Tactfully moving around the perimeter to get the best angle, my shooter was primed to line up a shot. In this case, the fate of the cultists lies in the power of a single heavy-duty bullet that can be bounced between targets.

Scoping out the cultist bases with an over-the-shoulder shot to determine the ideal approach and marking enemies is all part of the process. Thankfully, the Children of the Sun are fittingly glowing a lovely gold, which massively helps when lining up targets.

While you only get one shot per attempt, the bullet can be retargeted once it has hit a shootable person or object. The challenge is calculating the trajectory for a clear path to ensure bullet-jumping between cultists goes off without a hitch. Once you’ve established a clear shot, the real fun begins, manoeuvring in the bullet’s perspective between targets. Slow-mo bullet time gives a few extra moments to curve the trajectory slightly when adjustment is needed. You can also use birds and cars to bounce off in a bind.

Watching the enemies’ various limbs explode in slow motion is immensely satisfying. To wrap up a stage, the scoring card shows the bullet path, bonuses, time taken and ranking on the leaderboard. Stages are easily replayable purely because it’s so enjoyable finding the perfect approach and seeing how I scored against my personal best and against others.

The devs do a great job mixing map layouts and amplifying the difficulty of hitting targets with moving and immovable obstacles like buildings, cult camps, and some minigames. Maps are small with staticky, dark graphics. The intensity took some time to adjust to but added to the tone of the events. Coupled with a gritty ambience, sharp musical stingers, and a smattering of percussion, it’s hard not to feel like a certified sniper pro.

I found playing on mouse and keyboard the best way to line up shots. For those who prefer a supported Xbox controller, there are inputs for you. Children of the Sun will also be playable on Steam Deck. A warning for the light or noise-sensitive: some flashing and gritty visuals and occasional static sound effects can be intense.

Children of the Sun hits the spot with its more calculated approach to the shooter genre. I’m keen to hunt more cultists when Children of the Sun is let loose.

Written by: Yasmin Noble