Sunrider: Liberation Day

82%
Game Brain Score Based on 419 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Sunrider: Liberation Day Game Cover
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"Sunrider: Liberation Day - Captain's Edition" is a turn-based tactics game where you command the ship Sunrider and her mecha squadron in battles, while dealing with a spy within your crew. The game features improved gameplay and art from the previous installment, with full Japanese voice acting. It is recommended to play the free prequel, "Sunrider Mask of Arcadius," beforehand.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

82%
Audience ScoreBased on 419 reviews
story145 positive mentions
stability11 negative mentions
  • Engaging storyline with unexpected twists and turns that keep players invested.
  • Improved graphics and voice acting enhance the overall experience.
  • Challenging tactical combat that requires strategic planning and unit management.
  • Forced romance with a single character limits player choice and agency.
  • Game length feels short for the price, with some players finding it lacking in content.
  • Technical issues such as lag and crashes during battles detract from gameplay enjoyment.
  • story681 mentions

    The story of "Sunrider: Liberation Day" continues the narrative from its predecessor, "Mask of Arcadius," but has received mixed reviews regarding its execution. While some players appreciate the engaging plot twists and character development, many criticize the linearity and lack of meaningful choices, feeling that the story is often forced and lacks the depth of earlier entries. The addition of the [re]turn DLC has been noted as a significant improvement, offering more branching paths and character interactions, but overall, the game is seen as a step back in storytelling compared to its predecessors.

    • “The story is simply amazing once again, keeping the pace of the first game and more.”
    • “An interesting cosmic setting together with a wide variety of strongly developed characters allows for a wonderful storyline full of all kinds of twists.”
    • “The story while it still shows the great grasp of gray-on-gray morality of a three-power war, the twists being great and a surprisingly good take on the angst that rivals some AAA studios.”
    • “You have options at the beginning of the game to select how your previous game went down if you didn't complete the game, but without backstory or context it will make no sense.”
    • “The main story is horrible.”
    • “Let’s get the elephant out of the room, liberation day contains an extremely linear storyline, there is a forced romance that feels extremely rushed and there are not choices at all, even the illusion of choice is lacking.”
  • gameplay124 mentions

    The gameplay in this entry of the Sunrider series has received mixed reviews, with many praising its strategic depth and improvements over previous titles, particularly in terms of mechanics and customization options. However, players have noted issues such as linearity, technical problems like lag and bugs, and a lack of significant new content, leading to a somewhat repetitive experience. Overall, while the gameplay is solid and enjoyable for fans of the genre, it may not fully satisfy those seeking innovation or a more expansive experience.

    • “The gameplay, like the art, has received a much-needed upgrade that avoids the redundancy some upgrades had and deepens the builds you can make with the use of dedicated skills and upgrades to let you customize your units to a surprising depth.”
    • “The strategy-based gameplay from 'Mask of Arcadius' is back, and better in every way.”
    • “The combat is functional and tight, the mechanics are easy to learn but can be difficult to master, presenting the player with a challenge at the medium difficulty levels and there has been significant rebalancing since the last full release game.”
    • “Gameplay is as broken as ever, where the 'recommended difficulty' is essentially impossible.”
    • “The gameplay is literally the exact same as in the first game with a couple extra abilities and support units granted through the story.”
    • “Gameplay hasn't changed, but the system itself has so much lag, fps drops, and bugs that it almost adds a new gameplay mechanic itself.”
  • music63 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its quality, fitting themes, and memorable tracks, particularly during key moments like the final battle. The soundtrack is often described as fantastic, with catchy theme songs and a strong emotional impact that enhances the overall experience. While some users noted minor issues with audio optimization during gameplay, the overwhelming sentiment is that the music is a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.

    • “The music absolutely slaps.”
    • “The theme song is epic, befitting the game.”
    • “The music, however, is fantastic, as I've come to expect from the series.”
    • “The combat screen is horribly unoptimized, with unit selection painfully laggy, voice lines and sound effects causing the music to stutter.”
    • “This title has some poor quality songs and sound effects.”
    • “Sadly after completing it the devs decided they were bored of space opera and decided to make an idol singing game called Shining Song Starnova, which as you can imagine didn't go too well with the community now being abandoned on a rather depressing cliff-hanger.”
  • graphics59 mentions

    The graphics in the game have received notable improvements, with a more refined anime art style and enhanced visuals that elevate the overall experience. However, some players feel that the combat graphics are underwhelming and lack animation, which detracts from the gameplay. While the artwork and character designs have been praised, there are mixed opinions on the consistency and quality of the visuals throughout the game.

    • “The graphics have improved significantly compared to the previous game, enhancing the overall experience.”
    • “The new artwork increased my enjoyment of the game while adding interesting visual plot cues.”
    • “About the visuals, there are stunning space views and pleasant scenery all over.”
    • “The graphics are decent, but the combat is slightly graphically underwhelming.”
    • “Graphics reworked... and does not look better.”
    • “The reliance on the Ren'Py engine is clearly showing and the unoptimized engine is really hurting and limiting what the TBS portion of the game could have been, leading to several gameplay-related bugs and severely limited graphics fidelity.”
  • emotional14 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its heartfelt characters and a strong, albeit incomplete, narrative that leaves players yearning for more. While the story delivers impactful moments and a colorful presentation, some reviewers noted that the pacing and unresolved plotlines can create an emotional void. Overall, the game evokes a range of feelings, from determination to heartbreak, enhanced by improved voice acting and subtle writing.

    • “This space opera is very colorful, the story, the big reveal, all of the action—it was fun and very emotional.”
    • “An extremely well-written game with a very strong and heartbreaking story.”
    • “Return made me feel things I didn't know I could feel.”
  • humor12 mentions

    The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating its self-awareness and appropriate placement within the narrative, particularly in the DLC. While some felt that the humor was less prominent compared to previous installments, it still effectively blends with the drama and tactical elements of the story. Overall, the game is recognized for its witty moments and engaging character interactions, though some players wished for a stronger comedic presence throughout.

    • “I recommend it as a funny parody mix of strategy, waifu, and mecha and would gladly play a sequel, provided it has Japanese voice acting.”
    • “Drama, intense combat action, love, loss, and humor are blended together well in this visual novel meets tactical combat game, the third in the Sunrider series by the Love in Space crew.”
    • “Moa and Academy was witty, using the situations and characters to their full extent in terms of humorous situations, easing into and flowing well with drama.”
  • stability12 mentions

    The game's stability has been widely criticized, with users reporting frequent bugs, crashes, and input lag that disrupt gameplay. While some improvements have been noted in the user interface, many players still experience significant issues that detract from the overall experience, leading to frustration during both combat and strategic elements. Overall, the game's stability issues are a major concern, overshadowing its narrative strengths.

    • “The game is old, buggy, with bad animations.”
    • “Combat seemed just as buggy as the previous game; I had a lot of trouble with input lag and the occasional crash.”
    • “Kinda buggy and crashes sometimes, so save often.”
  • optimization10 mentions

    The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting sluggish performance, low frame rates, and script errors during battles. Despite some improvements in visuals and combat animations, the overall optimization appears to be worse than its predecessor, leading to a frustrating experience for users. Many reviewers suggest that a new engine is necessary for future installments to address these persistent issues.

    • “Nice improvement; the combat animation was something that many wanted back. However, considering the increased number of units on the field and some users experiencing performance issues with the combat animations, I believe that was a good choice.”
    • “The game suffers from similar optimization issues as the previous installment, which can detract from the overall experience.”
    • “While both are a welcome addition to the title, they do not alleviate the performance issues and have been produced to a low standard.”
    • “The biggest game-breaking problem for me was the optimization, which seems worse than the first game despite the 'updated' captain edition.”
    • “I personally absolutely love turn-based strategy games and this one is no different, except with the horrendous optimization.”
    • “The only major gripe I had with this game is performance (which can be smoothed out with tweaks) but if there is another installment, a new engine should be used.”
  • character development8 mentions

    Character development in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the depth added to relationships among the main cast, others find it lacking, particularly criticizing the main character's growth and the overall impact on the story. Despite some positive notes on character design and the integration of development into the plot, many feel that it does not meet expectations. Overall, the consensus suggests that while there are moments of character development, it remains inconsistent and underwhelming for some players.

    • “It's quite suspenseful, and the character development is quite interesting indeed.”
    • “The main cast all received varying levels of character development, fleshing out their relationships in small ways that make the sunrider feel more like a large house than a battlecruiser/carrier.”
    • “The company behind this game really knows how to cater to the various templates of moe character design while still maintaining a fairly well-developed plot and interconnected story.”
    • “I found character development lacking...especially the main character's development is terrible, and it feels more like you are a puppet than having any significant impact on the story. After playing through the game, I really can't see any way I could be more specific without spoilers.”
    • “The main cast all received varying levels of character development, fleshing out their relationships in small ways that make the Sunrider feel more like a large house than a battlecruiser/carrier.”
    • “Character development is still lacking.”
  • replayability8 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the engaging second portion and additional modes that enhance replay value, others criticize its relatively short length and limited replay options beyond difficulty grinding. The developers' responsiveness to fan feedback is noted positively, but concerns about the game's overall replayability persist.

    • “I'm actually very glad I could contribute to supporting this game; I will continue to enjoy the highly replayable second portion of it!”
    • “The game is a great continuation of the first, and the return story is incredibly fun and has a lot of replay value!”
    • “Great replay value, good writing, and most importantly, the developers listen to their fans!”
    • “The only real negative point I can think of is its relatively low replayability, although I did start it again immediately on a higher difficulty.”
    • “- no replayability.”
    • “The game is way too short for the price tag, since there's no replayability except for grinding difficulty achievements.”
  • grinding4 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, with battles becoming repetitive and the writing lacking depth, which detracts from the overall experience. Achieving full completion requires extensive grinding through multiple choices, and many feel the game is too short for its price, offering little replayability beyond difficulty achievements.

    • “In all seriousness, the free expansion is pretty much worth half the price of this game on its own. If you want to achieve full completion, you have to roll through almost every possible choice to complete this expansion 100%, which is pretty grindy.”
    • “The game is way too short for the price tag, since there's no replayability except for grinding difficulty achievements.”
    • “Battle is pretty hard even at casual; the mechanics are certainly better than the original Sunrider, but sometimes the battles just get a bit tedious, which is what made it hard for me.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players feeling it leans towards a cash grab, particularly due to a lackluster ending that undermines meaningful player choices. However, others appreciate the developers' responsiveness to feedback and suggest trying the game for free before purchasing, recommending waiting for sales if the price feels too high.

    • “The game's ending was little more than a deus ex machina scenario as a way for the writers to avoid having to ever allow you to change the story in any meaningful way; it's lazy, shoddy, and reeks of a cash grab on behalf of a company that sought to profit off a market that isn't well established in many western countries.”
    • “It feels like many recent games, such as Destiny, Call of Duty, and Evolve, are half-baked and like cash grabs. Those developers treat their huge player bases poorly.”
    • “If you're interested but the price is too high, throw it on your wishlist and wait for a Steam sale.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

8hMedian play time
13hAverage play time
8-24hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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