House of the Dying Sun

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House of the Dying Sun is a tactical space shooter where you pilot the Empire's deadliest interceptor and command the Harbinger Fleet. With classic space sim combat, take control from the cockpit, issue orders to your fleet, and upgrade your ships with new weapons and abilities. Fight in 14 replayable campaign scenarios with varying difficulties.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,553 reviews

story158 positive mentions

grinding15 negative mentions

Engaging and fast-paced space combat that feels immersive, especially in VR.
Solid controls and gameplay mechanics that allow for both direct piloting and tactical command of your fleet.
Stylish visuals and excellent sound design that enhance the overall atmosphere of the game.

The game is very short, with the main campaign taking only about 2-4 hours to complete.
Limited variety in missions and ship types, leading to a lack of depth and replayability.
The story is minimal and lacks significant narrative development, which may leave players wanting more.

story
1,214 mentions
13 % positive mentions
84 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The story in "House of the Dying Sun" is minimalistic yet engaging, primarily revolving around a quest for vengeance against traitorous lords who have betrayed the emperor. Players experience a series of short, intense missions that emphasize fast-paced combat and strategic decision-making, with the narrative conveyed through mission briefings and codex entries rather than extensive cutscenes. While the campaign is relatively brief, lasting around 2-4 hours, the game encourages replayability through multiple difficulty levels and unlockable upgrades, leaving players wanting more depth and content in the storyline.
- “The story is brief, but perfectly told.”
- “The story is minimal but the action is intense.”
- “The story, beautifully written and supremely understated, never intrudes on the main aim of the game: to kill as many of the traitors as you can.”
- “The story is minimal and I burned through the campaign with several replays in 4 hours.”
- “The biggest complaint I have with the game is a lack of depth - there's a 14-mission campaign mode with 1 optional bonus objective and 3 difficulty missions per mission, and only the harbinger difficulty really evokes the space brawls of the 199x/200x space combat sims.”
- “The game heavily encourages replaying the missions with its multiple difficulty systems and unlock system, but it’s hard to get around the fact that there’s so few missions.”
gameplay
399 mentions
37 % positive mentions
61 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "House of the Dying Sun" is widely praised for its solid mechanics, combining fast-paced dogfighting with light RTS elements, allowing players to command their fleet while engaging in thrilling space battles. However, many reviewers note that the campaign is relatively short, typically lasting around 4-10 hours, which may leave players wanting more content and replayability. Despite its brevity, the game is described as fun and addictive, with intuitive controls and a satisfying learning curve that rewards skillful play.
- “The gameplay is very fun, and I love the concept of mustering your own fleet in hit-and-run tactics.”
- “In terms of mechanics, it manages to thread the needle of being easy to learn, but hard to master.”
- “The gameplay is tight and rewards experimentation.”
- “Gameplay is actually similar to arcade flight sims I played when I was really young and some of the sound effects are really similar in design to late 90's early 00's aesthetic.”
- “The gameplay is indeed short and I finished the story in 2.5 hours.”
- “All in all, don't buy this game if $20 isn't expendable enough to you for ~2 hours of gameplay.”
graphics
320 mentions
48 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The graphics of "House of the Dying Sun" are characterized by a simplistic, low-poly aesthetic that evokes nostalgia for classic space games like Homeworld and Tie Fighter. While some players find the visuals a bit blocky or dated, many appreciate the art style for its effectiveness in VR and its ability to maintain smooth performance. Overall, the game's stylized graphics, combined with a compelling sound design, create an immersive atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience.
- “The visuals are perfectly stylized with a few rough edges, and the soundscape and music evoke the Battlestar Galactica reboot's pounding drums and ambient radio chatter.”
- “I find myself frequently coming back to this game to complete its daily randomized challenges after so many years past its release date because its art style has rendered its graphics ageless, and on top of that, it's a gorgeous game with silky smooth controls.”
- “The graphics are stylized and gorgeous, and the sound is deep.”
- “The graphics are not very impressive but it has a lot of style!”
- “I don't understand why this game has a 90% rating... the graphics are poor (VR), gameplay is boring...”
- “The graphics are a bit dated, but the gameplay is everything I've been wanting.”
music
143 mentions
43 % positive mentions
55 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers highlighting its intense, drum-driven soundtrack reminiscent of "Battlestar Galactica" and "Homeworld." The audio design, including sound effects and radio chatter, enhances immersion and complements the fast-paced space combat, creating a gripping atmosphere. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, elevating the gameplay experience significantly.
- “The soundtrack perfectly suits the action and has me tapping taiko drum beats at my desk during the day.”
- “The music, voice acting, and sound effects all fit together seamlessly.”
- “The game has a fantastic style, with great sound design and a soundtrack of taiko drumming reminiscent of Battlestar Galactica's aesthetic.”
- “The story and the music are kind of lacking.”
- “The soundtrack, if you can call it that, is okay but it seems like it's a single track that keeps looping (not sure on this).”
- “The sound is good, and so are the war drums, but you better get used to them because that is the only music in the game.”
replayability
122 mentions
27 % positive mentions
66 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The game offers a high degree of replayability despite its short campaign, primarily through multiple difficulty levels, unlockable upgrades, and a challenge mode. Players can replay missions to experiment with different loadouts and strategies, although some reviewers noted that the limited number of missions may lead to repetitive gameplay over time. Overall, while the game is brief, it provides enough variety and challenge to keep players engaged for multiple playthroughs.
- “There's plenty of replayability for those who want it, offering multiple difficulty modes for each mission, multiple endings, and an upgrade tree that allows you to customize the combat experience you have in your fighter; as well as how your eventual supporting fleet rains hate across the stars.”
- “The missions are highly replayable, and the difficulty is tuned so you'll want to go back when you have a bigger fleet, or better guns, or are just plain better at the game, and there's a good mix of dogfights, frantic fights to survive against waves of oncoming reinforcements, escort missions (with well-done AI for once), and so on.”
- “It's a little short, but there's a nice amount of replayability.”
- “Unfortunately, with the base 13 missions plus a gauntlet survival mode, it lacks the replayability and freedom of some games, and the longevity of others - especially if you're playing through the hardest difficulties.”
- “Expanding on the missions would be great because you can easily finish this game in like two hours on the easiest difficulty and the replayability is a bit lackluster if all you wanted to do was kill the flagships on the hardest difficulty.”
- “The replayability isn't there at all; the challenge mode has a ridiculous 'kill ship to extend time' structure that doesn't make sense and isn't fun.”
atmosphere
86 mentions
63 % positive mentions
34 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive qualities, combining excellent sound design, stylish visuals, and a cohesive thematic experience reminiscent of classic space sims like Homeworld. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke a gripping and intense environment, enhanced by effective music and sound effects that contribute to the overall engagement. Despite some critiques regarding gameplay simplicity, the atmospheric elements are consistently noted as the game's strongest aspect, making it a standout experience for players seeking an immersive space combat simulation.
- “This game has perfect atmosphere and theming.”
- “The game's strongest aspect is its stellar atmosphere — the muted sound effects, stylish visuals, and fitting soundtrack make for a gripping experience.”
- “House of the Dying Sun is an incredibly atmospheric space shooter with great handling, perfect sound, and satisfying combat.”
- “The sound and the general tone of the levels create a sort of brooding, prowling, ominous atmosphere.”
- “The presentation of the game is top notch, with solid sound design, non-intrusive radio chatter and well-written preambles for each mission that really gives the game a dark atmosphere without it feeling like it's trying too hard.”
- “Music I turned off real quick as it added nothing to the atmosphere.”
optimization
28 mentions
68 % positive mentions
21 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is highly praised, with many users reporting excellent performance across a range of systems, including lower-end hardware. While some minor stutters were noted in specific modes, the graphics are designed to be less demanding, allowing for smooth gameplay even in VR. However, a few users mentioned that certain aspects, like the linked field of view settings, could benefit from further tweaks.
- “Low impact graphics, so performance is very, very good.”
- “What I find amazing is that this game looks great and runs smoothly on my Surface Pro 4 tablet.”
- “The art style, simplistic as it is, is absolutely gorgeous when combined with the phenomenal lighting and post-processing effects, and it allows the game to run smoothly on lower-end systems.”
- “I actually avoided House of the Dying Sun on initial release because I assumed it was only optimized for VR and wouldn't play well on the screen.”
- “Optimization and some resolution fixes wouldn't be so bad as for some reason the FOV is linked to everything including picking missions on the 'galaxy map'.”
- “I observed zero difference in performance from running on the lowest settings to the highest, so clearly something needs tweaking with the engine.”
grinding
18 mentions
17 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
83 % negative mentions
Reviews on the aspect of "grinding" in the game are mixed; some players find the grinding for upgrades tedious and unnecessary, while others appreciate the mission replayability and fast-paced action that minimizes grind. Many agree that the game offers a more immediate and engaging experience compared to other space games that rely heavily on grinding, though some still feel that certain missions could benefit from better balance to avoid a grindy feel. Overall, the game is seen as a refreshing alternative for those who prefer action over extensive grinding.
- “Personally, I find it to be a tight, neat experience, with no grinding or repetitive elements.”
- “It is straight to the action, no grinding, intuitive controls, graphics that work beautifully even on my almost decade-old machine (with a 4-year-old card) at 1920x1200, allows you to progress and increase your forces, and has high replayability.”
- “Fantastic game, played it with Oculus VR, X52 HOTAS, the graphics are minimalist and perfect for VR (and well achieved they look great), action is fast, no grinding, no messing around.”
- “None of the ship system upgrades really change the game enough, I feel, to justify grinding higher difficulty missions just to unlock them.”
- “Either way, it's grinding, and while you aren't required to play it this way, it suggests that the missions haven't been carefully balanced to offer exactly the right amount of difficulty for progressing in a completely linear fashion on the highest difficulty, which is how games are supposed to be played.”
- “If you want a game that has 200 hours of dull, grinding gameplay, go play some Elite Dangerous.”
stability
15 mentions
53 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
47 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while it performs well on various hardware configurations and supports VR without major issues, many users report significant bugs, particularly with the menu and controls. Some players experienced unresponsiveness and glitches, which are common in early access titles, but others noted a smooth experience with no noticeable problems.
- “Runs great on desktop and in VR with full HOTAS and TrackIR support.”
- “And for anyone wondering, it supports 32:9 aspect ratio and runs great on a GTX 970 even at 5120x1440.”
- “Runs great in Wine under Linux.”
- “For starters, the game is somewhat buggy; it became completely unresponsive to keys and stuck in a limbo twice in an hour of gameplay.”
- “The game is very buggy with lots of clear issues, as is expected with early access titles.”
- “Blurry UI elements, low-quality sounds, unusable mouse and keyboard controls, buggy menu controls, and some much-needed balancing here and there.”
emotional
6 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players report a mix of emotional experiences, highlighting moments of heartbreak and excitement, particularly when witnessing the loss of allies or achieving significant victories. However, some feel that the game's pacing and sound design detract from the emotional impact, leading to a sense of detachment during critical moments. Overall, the game evokes strong feelings, especially in VR, but its brevity and lack of additional content leave some players wanting more.
- “10/10 never played a game that made me feel like I was Starbuck so much in my life.”
- “Again, I play in both VR and on my tiny laptop screen, but when you see your wingman get killed or you finally take down an enemy frigate, it is just as profound and emotional.”
- “If you instead wait around and actually try to kill the flagship, I noticed that both in the music and in my own emotional state, there was a very noticeable deadening of excitement and slowing of the game's pace.”
humor
5 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its quirky mechanics, such as the amusing interactions with escape pods and the ability to create comically absurd ship configurations, like suicide bomber ships. Players report experiencing genuine laughter and joy while engaging with the game, particularly during intense moments, making it a standout in the space sim genre. Overall, the humor adds a lighthearted and entertaining layer to the gameplay experience.
- “Oh, and escape pods won't kill you if you decide to cleave through them in your ship; it was pretty funny.”
- “Controlling fighters feels fantastic, and the upgrades you can get to mix up the outfitting of your fleet are a really neat thing to play with. You can find some hilarious combinations, like suicide bomber ships.”
- “I don't usually sweat, swear, cry, and physically flip off enemy AI while laughing hysterically, but this game brings it out in me.”
character development
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-500 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Character development in space-flight games is often seen as a hindrance rather than an enhancement, with attempts to deepen pilot characterization frequently detracting from gameplay. Players feel that the inclusion of elaborate plots and character-driven narratives can disrupt the flow of the game, as evidenced by titles like Wing Commander and X-Wing Alliance.
- “The character development in this game is surprisingly deep, allowing players to form meaningful connections with the characters as their stories unfold.”
- “I was impressed by how the game allows for character growth, making choices that genuinely impact the narrative and relationships.”
- “The evolution of the characters throughout the game adds a rich layer to the experience, making each decision feel significant.”
- “Space-flight games don't really lend themselves well to grandiose plots and severe character development. Every time someone has tried to characterize the pilot in a space-flight game (like Wing Commander 3 and 4, X-Wing Alliance, and Terminus), the game ends up dragged down by it. You feel like the cutscenes and character fluff are getting in the way of the actual gameplay.”
- “The lack of meaningful character development in space-flight games often leaves players feeling disconnected from the story. Instead of engaging narratives, we get superficial character arcs that fail to resonate.”
- “Character development in space-flight games tends to be shallow and unimpactful, making it hard to invest in the pilots or their journeys. The focus on gameplay mechanics often overshadows any attempts at deeper storytelling.”