Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 81 | 93 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 97 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 93% | 87 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 68 | 15 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 96% | 91 | 9 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 26 reviews sampled · 19 total reviews in window · weighted 9.8 up / 0.4 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (83)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 80
“Children of the Sun is a great title to play during a weekend evening and at the same time a creative puzzle game that combines familiar concepts in its own style and does it particularly well. If you're looking for something fast with good gameplay and a game that's very easy to max out then you've come to the right place and should definitely take it for a spin.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“This game isn’t just fun to play, it is engaging. It is addicting. I've been struggling a bit with how I feel about Balatro, because that game is massively addicting but without a driving “reason to play” that makes me feel good about the time I spend with it. Children of the Sun is nearly as addictive but is designed in a way where I always feel like I’m walking away from a session with new stories. Sometimes that’s the actual plot progression, but just as often it is my own story of figuring out how to solve a level in the most efficient way possible.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“It is possible that Children of the Sun is only the beginning of the outstanding developer's journey. It remains to follow the trajectory of his shot.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Children of the Sun has style for sure, but at its core, it is a pretty uninspired puzzle.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Children of the Sun is a captivating videogame that with a mixture of somewhat disparate genres manages to make its way into the independent scene with a fresh and very original proposal. Devolver Digital once again proves that its aim is excessively remarkable to come up with titles that give a lot to talk about. Puzzles and shooting couldn't be better combined.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Beyond its prolonged final third and iffy difficulty scaling, Children of the Sun isn’t done any favors by its dialogue, which is too gauche (“I just killed a man, now I’m horny”) or too sappy (“Soon the sun will start shining through a bullet-shaped hole in your head”) by half. But it soars whenever you’re planning an action that’s brought explosively to fruition, and luckily that’s the order of the day here. And as you marvel at this self-assuredly suave bullet-play, it’s easy to imagine Suda Gôichi out there taking notes on what Rother has accomplished.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Accompanied by a dark atmosphere with an industrial soundtrack, Children of the Sun is an excellent indie title that doesn’t pull its punches.”
read full review ↗ - 77
“Children of the Sun is a fun sniper shooting puzzler that offers very engaging gameplay, but just as it uses its mechanics to its fullest potential, it ends before you even realize it. It is very light on its story but flourishes with such a great dark atmosphere and flavour that it makes you wish it explored its world more and offered additional levels or alternate game modes.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“As a whole, Children of the Sun’s explosions of violence pull us into The Girl’s quest for revenge, combining dome-blasting fun with action-puzzles that invite creativity. Equally important, the game’s aesthetic rips, its offputting art style, color choices, and unsavory elements, like the bliss The Girl takes from drilling holes in cultist skulls, driving home all the visceral details. While I wish this attention-grabbing EP had a few more tracks, what’s here lands with the impact of a hollow-point round.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“If you’re fan of snappy, unique puzzle gameplay and short time commitments, Children of the Sun is going to absolutely be your jam. By consistently introducing new gameplay twists and building on its complexity, it creates an addictive gameplay loop where each stage asks the player to do a new kind of problem-solving and utilize the tools they’ve unlocked in a different way. Your mileage may vary depending on how much you enjoy trial and error, and the game could certainly have kept the ball rolling for longer than it does, but Children of the Sun remains a highly unique experience that’s well worth your time.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“The art style is seemingly minimalistic but that's what makes it shine. Even the music really sets the mood for your assassination. I'm honestly impressed that all this was done by a solo developer. [...] Unlike a shot in the dark, Children of the Sun is a banging good time that stimulates your puzzle senses while delivering its premise with precision.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Children of the Sun is an inventive puzzle shooter that knows how to constantly reinvent its core mechanic, while not stretching its idea too thin. It has the odd rough edge, but it's easily one of Devolver Digital's better experiences.”
read full review ↗
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Patch history
No patch announcements found on Steam yet.