Dark Old Sun

About

Dark Old Sun is a single player arcade shooter game. It was developed by SN!Somos Nerds and was released on March 7, 2018. It received positive reviews from players.

A shoot'em up, with focus on choice and progressiveness, so you can choose between a wide selection of weapons, and upgrade them becoming way more powerfull as you play.Big multi-phase bosses and a dramatic story.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 23 reviews

story5 positive mentions

atmosphere3 negative mentions

Atmospheric horror with a deep storyline that immerses players in a dark world.
Strong sound design with tense music and realistic audio that enhances the overall experience.
Offers a variety of gameplay modes and customization options, making it enjoyable for both novice and hardcore players.

Graphics can be stylish but are often blurry, detracting from the overall visual experience.
Gameplay can be clunky and unpolished, with some puzzles being overly complex and frustrating.
The storyline features predictable twists and an unsatisfying conclusion, leaving players with unanswered questions.

story
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
47%
20%
The game's story has been criticized for being clunky, clichéd, and lacking depth, with many reviewers finding it unengaging and poorly executed. While some elements of the narrative show potential, they are underutilized, leading to a perception that the storyline detracts from the overall experience. Players are often advised to skip the story mode in favor of the arcade mode, which offers a more enjoyable gameplay experience without the narrative interruptions.
- “The storyline tries to weave an interesting narrative, but it falls into some clichés, and the characters lack depth.”
- “Playing with some combinations of upgrades and weapons can make the game exponentially harder especially when playing on classic mode; the story has some interesting elements that sadly are barely used or explored enough in my opinion.”
- “Truly for all kinds of players, it has a lot of cool features like story mode, survival, and challenge mode.”
- “The story is very cringy and was one of the worst things I've witnessed in years.”
- “While the setting is somewhat interesting, there isn't much of a real narrative or storyline.”
- “The story and arcade modes are basically the same, with the small difference that you’ll be told a story (in writing) between stages.”
graphics
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
The graphics have received mixed reviews, with some players criticizing the outdated 2D retro assets that feel more suited for browser or mobile games, especially given the advancements in technology since the mid-1990s. While a few appreciate the nostalgic charm reminiscent of early 2000s games, others find the art style inconsistent and lacking depth. Overall, some users noted that the visuals, when combined with sound, contribute positively to the game's atmosphere, though the quality remains a point of contention.
- “The graphics have a certain retro charm, reminiscent of early 2000s games, which some players might appreciate for its nostalgic feel.”
- “An atmospheric shmup where the graphical style, audio cues, and BGM all work together to create an almost genteel shmup experience.”
- “Graphically, the game looks good and runs very well.”
- “On the topic of visuals, the weak-looking 2D retro assets seem like they'd be more at home in a browser game or a mobile app.”
- “There's no excuse for such poor 2D graphics in 2025, especially considering the advancements in 3D graphics accelerators since the mid-1990s.”
- “The artwork was everywhere and empty, which didn't help.”
gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The gameplay features a mix of solid mechanics and an engaging upgrade system, complemented by a sci-fi narrative and well-designed ship choices. While some players appreciate the surprises and challenge across different difficulty modes, others find the pacing slow and suggest that certain segments could be trimmed for a more dynamic experience. Overall, the gameplay is deemed good, particularly in story and arcade modes.
- “It has some little surprises gameplay-wise that keep the slower pacing of the game interesting enough before the bosses.”
- “The gameplay in the story and arcade mode is pretty good.”
- “Wrapped around that gameplay, however, is a sci-fi narrative with many ship choices that are well designed.”
- “Very slow gameplay where a lot of it could have just been cut to make it feel quicker.”
- “Somewhat what I call 'Engrish' translations, but solid gameplay and upgrade system.”
- “Has some solid mechanics and packs a strong punch with its 3 difficulty modes.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players find it minimal and lacking, others appreciate the soundtrack for enhancing the arcade feel. Overall, it is considered decent, with a few complaints about abrupt song resets during the intro.
- “The soundtrack is great too, which is always a plus!”
- “The music is amazing!”
- “They offered an adequate arcade feel to the game.”
- “The soundtrack is minimal, and some might find it lacking.”
- “They offered an adequate arcade feel to the game, but I could only complain about the songs resetting abruptly in the intro.”
- “Story is alright, music is uhh... mid; the rest of the game, however, is kind of baller for a free game.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a harmonious blend of graphical style, audio cues, and background music, creating a refined and immersive shmup experience that enhances the overall gameplay. The visuals primarily serve as a backdrop to establish this unique ambiance.
- “An atmospheric shmup where the graphical style, audio cues, and background music all work together to create an almost genteel shmup experience.”
- “It's mostly just backdrop to establish the proper atmosphere.”
- “It's mostly just a backdrop to establish the proper atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking any real depth.”
- “Despite the setting, the atmosphere fails to engage or immerse the player.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization is criticized for lacking depth, as the upgrade system fails to promote variety or challenging decisions. However, players appreciate the design of the levels, which adds some enjoyment despite the shortcomings in optimization.
- “While the plot is nothing special, the upgrade system doesn't do a good job of encouraging either variety or difficult optimization decisions.”