Crying Suns

75%
Game Brain Score Based on 3,526 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Crying Suns Game Cover
As a tactical rogue-lite, Crying Suns feels kind of unique. It has some things in common with FTL, but really it’s very much its own beast.
Starting at $23.45Buy now
Get on Steam Get on Play Store

Crying Suns is a tactical rogue-lite game where you lead a space fleet in the aftermath of a intergalactic war. The "Last Orders" update, available on May 17, 2023, adds two new character factions, Prag Mah and Phalanx, each with their own playstyle, officers, items, events, and more. This update is free for existing and new players, enhancing the game's rich storyline and strategic combat experience.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Windows
  • Android
  • Mobile Platform
  • Tablet
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

75%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,526 reviews
story1,357 positive mentions
grinding68 negative mentions
  • Engaging and imaginative storyline with strong sci-fi influences, reminiscent of Dune and Foundation.
  • Beautiful pixel art and atmospheric soundtrack that enhance the overall experience.
  • Tactical combat system that allows for strategic decision-making and varied playstyles.
  • Repetitive random events and encounters that diminish replayability after the first playthrough.
  • Combat can feel simplistic and lacks depth compared to other tactical games, leading to predictable strategies.
  • The game resets progress after each chapter, which can be frustrating and detracts from character and ship development.
  • story3,158 mentions

    The story of "Crying Suns" is a central aspect that has garnered mixed reviews from players. Many appreciate its depth and engaging narrative, often drawing comparisons to classic sci-fi works like "Dune" and "Foundation," highlighting its intricate world-building and character development. However, some players criticize the story for becoming repetitive and predictable, particularly in later chapters, which can detract from the overall experience. While the game excels in storytelling and atmosphere, it may lack the replayability found in other roguelikes, as the narrative-driven approach often leads to a more linear experience.

    • “If you want a good story, this is a fucking perfect game.”
    • “The story is actually very good, with some excellent writing.”
    • “Crying suns is a solid story-driven take on the sci-fi strategy roguelite, with great atmosphere, an interesting story, and cerebral tactical combat.”
    • “So... it's actually the fucking worst story I've ever played and legitimately infuriated me.”
    • “6.5/10: good gameplay, horrible story ending ruins the whole thing.”
    • “The main flaw of the game though is that it is 'story-driven' and the story is both very boring and constantly cropping up.”
  • gameplay1,299 mentions

    The gameplay of "Crying Suns" is often compared to "FTL," featuring a similar roguelike structure with a focus on tactical squadron-based combat and resource management. While many players appreciate the engaging story and beautiful visuals, the gameplay is frequently criticized for becoming repetitive and lacking depth, with some mechanics feeling shallow or unbalanced. Overall, it offers a mix of enjoyable elements but may not satisfy those seeking a more intricate or challenging gameplay experience.

    • “The pixel art is absolutely gorgeous, the gameplay is simple to learn but has some fun depth to play around with, and the central narrative is engaging and well-maintained throughout the game.”
    • “The gameplay is unique, a tricky real-time strategy puzzle that feels easy, up until it forces you to adapt.”
    • “Great gameplay loop with a great sci-fi mystery story.”
    • “It's not a terrible game and was obviously made with a lot of love, but the gameplay loop becomes very tedious and repetitive, and the game is very easy, so much so that you don't really get challenged even on hard.”
    • “I guess, yeah, it's just the extremely tedious and boring gameplay loop where the only difficulty comes from the end stage bosses, yet you need to go through all the planets before them looking for a random item to complete your build with no idea whether you are going to find it.”
    • “The gameplay is solid, but repetitive and at times frustrating.”
  • graphics660 mentions

    The graphics of "Crying Suns" have received widespread acclaim for their unique pixel art style, which combines retro aesthetics with modern design elements, creating a visually stunning experience. Players appreciate the immersive atmosphere, smooth animations, and dynamic lighting effects that enhance the game's dark sci-fi narrative. Overall, the visuals are described as gorgeous and engaging, effectively complementing the compelling story and gameplay mechanics.

    • “Graphically the game is bloody gorgeous, the music is excellent, and the world-building and writing seems pretty solid and I'd have liked to have found out more about the setting.”
    • “The visuals are wonderfully expressive with the right amount of pixelated simplicity, the color palette is a foreboding futuristic neon, and the sound design is top notch.”
    • “The art style is a very well done rendition of pixel art, it’s also the only pixel art style game I’ve seen to use dynamic (or seemingly dynamic) reflections.”
    • “The graphic style is sort of pointless too.”
    • “Guys, please get back to your drawing boards and give us at least some cartoon-y graphics: in the current pixel soup, it is almost impossible to make out the eyes, hairdo, clothes, and even sometimes the gender of a character.”
    • “The graphics -- trusty 8-bit style sprites -- feel a bit dated, but otherwise the game is a good time waster.”
  • music367 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, effectively enhancing the overall experience with a dark and moody soundtrack that complements the visuals and narrative. While many players find the soundtrack to be stunning and evocative, some note that it can become repetitive over time due to a lack of variety. Overall, the combination of music and art style is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's unique atmosphere.

    • “The combination of deep lore, moody art style, and wonderful soundtrack just perfectly hit the spot.”
    • “The atmospheric music adds an incredible layer of depth, as well.”
    • “The music is excellent and sets the tone for each encounter, be it a story event, a mini boss, or a sector boss encounter.”
    • “The music does get a little repetitive, and none of it sticks out in the same memorable way as FTL's tunes, but it never becomes obnoxiously noticeable, so I have no complaints there.”
    • “The music is very atmospheric, but the lack of unique tracks has it getting a bit repetitive.”
    • “While I believe the music does well to blend in the different screens you will be mingling about, it does begin to grow ever so repetitive. This might be due to the nature of the game with you reaching the same screen types repeatedly on your quest, however I believe it also includes the similarity between some tracks.”
  • replayability306 mentions

    The replayability of "Crying Suns" is generally viewed as limited compared to similar games like "FTL," with many players noting that the story-driven nature and repetitive events diminish the incentive to replay. While there are various ships and unlocks that offer some replay value, the overall experience tends to feel repetitive after the initial playthrough, leading to mixed feelings about its long-term engagement. Players appreciate the narrative and gameplay mechanics, but many express disappointment in the lack of depth and variety that would enhance replayability.

    • “Loads of replay value, especially if you have a desire to get all the achievements.”
    • “The chance element makes for great replayability as every mission is different.”
    • “Replayability is built into this game with lots of unlocks, new officers, new ships, difficulty modes, and randomized events.”
    • “There is pretty much no replayability as the novelty of the writing wears off when you encounter previously encountered text.”
    • “The ending was thoroughly unsatisfying, also reinforcing to me that there is no replayability.”
    • “It falls short in terms of replayability (a big problem for a roguelike) but hits strong in terms of compelling storytelling, art style, and cleverly finding ways of making its focus on story not clashing with the die and try cycle, as usually happens when roguelikes have a storyline.”
  • atmosphere221 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its dark, moody, and immersive qualities, often compared to classic sci-fi works like "Dune" and "Hyperion." Players appreciate the combination of atmospheric music, stunning visuals, and rich storytelling that enhances the overall experience, although some note that repetitive gameplay mechanics can detract from the immersion. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered one of its strongest aspects, effectively drawing players into its compelling universe.

    • “A compelling story with a well-crafted atmosphere and very enjoyable core gameplay.”
    • “The best part of this game is the atmosphere it puts you into; the graphics are beautifully crafted and the simple gameplay design is casual yet deep and immersive.”
    • “Crying Suns is a solid story-driven take on the sci-fi strategy roguelite, with great atmosphere, an interesting story, and cerebral tactical combat.”
    • “The steam page has a line about 'a dark and disturbing atmosphere'; in reality, the game has these encounters with some extreme content that don't really leave you with anything to contemplate.”
    • “This makes immersion into the universe difficult and breaks the atmosphere.”
    • “Had this been fleshed out better, the game's atmosphere would have been better served.”
  • grinding72 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is frequently criticized for being tedious and repetitive, with many players noting that the gameplay loop lacks challenge and becomes monotonous over time. While some find enjoyment in the combat and story, the overall experience is marred by slow mechanics, unskippable cutscenes, and a lack of engaging random events, leading to a sense of existential ennui. Players recommend the game primarily for those who are okay with grinding and are willing to overlook its repetitive nature.

    • “If you enjoyed FTL's limited map decisions and roguelike qualities but wanted more story, if you enjoyed Orion Trail's away missions but not the tedious RNG, and if you don't mind the hex-based combat a la Civ games, you will enjoy this game.”
    • “The gameplay loop becomes very tedious and repetitive, and the game is very easy, so much so that you don't really get challenged even on hard.”
    • “It's just the extremely tedious and boring gameplay loop where the only difficulty comes from the end stage bosses, yet you need to go through all the planets before them looking for a random item to complete your build with no idea whether you are going to find it.”
    • “The gameplay, special encounters, and expeditions get tediously repetitive pretty quickly, and only the urge to find out how all of it would end drove me forward.”
  • humor56 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as a mix of dark and witty, with some players appreciating the occasional funny dialogue and amusing story events. While many found the humor to add value to the experience, opinions vary on its effectiveness, with some feeling it doesn't always land or fit the overall tone of the narrative. Overall, the humor is seen as a highlight for those who enjoy a blend of strategy, rogue-like elements, and engaging storytelling, though it may not resonate with everyone.

    • “The game is somewhat dark, yet has a sense of humor.”
    • “The dialogues are funny, the lore is very interesting though the ending is a bit of a headscratcher.”
    • “An evocative and darkly humored storyline, an intuitive hex-based RTS with a pause button, upgrades, perks, and equipment.”
  • emotional40 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is described as a mixed experience, with some players finding it to be a beautiful and aesthetic journey that evokes feelings of heartbreak and messiness. However, many critiques highlight a lack of depth in character development and choices, leading to a disappointing payoff by the end, which diminishes the overall emotional impact. While the game has moments that elicit genuine feelings, it struggles to maintain a consistent emotional connection throughout the narrative.

    • “It's an aesthetic and emotional feast, paced by a roguelite strategy.”
    • “I really enjoyed the pitch of being a clone, not being in touch with your emotional memories and the pursuit of a large goal.”
    • “After playing hundreds of games, I'm happy to discover another gem that made me feel something while playing it.”
  • stability14 mentions

    Overall, stability in the game is mixed; while some players report a smooth, bug-free experience with solid gameplay and good optimization, others encounter frustrating glitches that can impact gameplay, such as ship balance issues and visual inconsistencies. Despite these problems, many users appreciate the game's aesthetics and performance on various hardware.

    • “Solid gameplay, bug-free, love the aesthetics of pretty much everything.”
    • “Runs great, very optimized (running on a laptop with a GeForce MX150).”
    • “Sometimes it seems like glitches kill you.”
    • “Ship balance is awful and buggy.”
    • “Small glitches in many places, like appearing and disappearing upgrade bars, or showing wrong/outdated upgrade prices.”
  • optimization12 mentions

    The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it runs smoothly with no performance issues or bugs, players find limited opportunities for strategic optimization within the gameplay, especially during longer sessions. This lack of depth, combined with some questionable design choices, detracts from the overall experience and makes it less recommendable compared to similar titles like FTL.

    • “The file size was surprisingly small for those who care about hard drive space, and performance for me was a non-issue.”
    • “On the plus side, I encountered no bugs or performance issues.”
    • “Speaking of the management in the game: it runs smoothly.”
    • “You move forces across a hex grid with little chance at optimization with the rest of the ship's systems.”
    • “Upon longer playthroughs (aka the whole point of roguelikes), the seams show - obvious 'solves' for gameplay optimization, thin content, and some boneheaded design decisions make it feel hard to recommend in the same breath as games like FTL.”
    • “You move forces across a hex grid with little chance at optimization with the rest of the ship's systems.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development is highly praised for its depth and integration into the overarching grim narrative, enhancing the overall storytelling experience.

    • “The character development is well done and feeds into the ever grim story.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

78% average critic score

Buy Crying Suns

Play time

14hMedian play time
29hAverage play time
10-24hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 38 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games