Skip to main content

The Sun at Night

The Sun at Night is the weirdest bit of alt history I've ever played
The Sun at Night Game Cover
46%Game Brain Score
story
gameplay, graphics
47% User Score Based on 36 reviews
Critic Score 63%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
Buy Nowfrom $3.38
Buy NowGet on Steam Buy NowGet on itch.io Store $4.99
The Sun at Night Game Cover

About

The Sun at Night is a single player arcade platformer game with fantasy, historical and science fiction themes. It was developed by MinicoreStudios and was released on August 1, 2014. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and neutral reviews from players.

Explore, blast, and shield your way through massive branching levels as Laika the space dog. This 2D adventure features customized gameplay and an incredibly deep narrative.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
The Sun at Night screenshot
The Sun at Night screenshot
The Sun at Night screenshot
The Sun at Night screenshot
The Sun at Night screenshot
The Sun at Night screenshot
The Sun at Night screenshot
The Sun at Night screenshot
The Sun at Night screenshot
The Sun at Night screenshot
The Sun at Night screenshot
Skip User Reviews

47%
Audience ScoreBased on 36 reviews
story5 positive mentions
gameplay4 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique and intriguing story set in an alternate history with a lovable main character, Laika, the cybernetic dog.
  • The upgrade system allows for character customization and progression, enhancing the gameplay experience.
  • The pixel art and overall presentation are charming, contributing to an engaging atmosphere.
  • The map system is overly complicated and difficult to navigate, leading to confusion and frustration during exploration.
  • Gameplay suffers from repetitive mechanics and a lack of variety in quests, often feeling like busy work.
  • The game is plagued by unpolished mechanics, including floaty controls and inconsistent enemy design, detracting from the overall experience.
  • story
    43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is described as engaging yet convoluted, with major plot elements often conveyed through brief chat windows and a plethora of minor quests that can feel tedious. While the narrative has intriguing aspects and a rich world, players frequently find themselves lost in the overwhelming amount of text and side quests, leading to a sense of confusion and repetitiveness. Overall, the story has potential but is hampered by its execution and the gameplay experience, leaving some players wanting more clarity and direction.

    • “The plot unfolds across a wealth of sprawling, open levels comprised of dozens if not hundreds of interconnected halls and rooms each.”
    • “Many of your interactions and discoveries will give you quests that are tracked on your map and advance the branches of the story, unlock new abilities, or provide other bonuses worth chasing.”
    • “There are many small notes scattered around the levels for you to find and read if you want; these help fill out the story and build up the world narrative, making it feel more alive.”
    • “Major plot elements are told in tiny two-line chat windows and interspersed with a large number of minor quests that feel like busy work.”
    • “While the story is okay, the slog to get through it simply isn't worth the time.”
    • “There are just way too many concepts and plot threads flying around, and the longer the game goes on, the more confusing it gets.”
  • gameplay
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the core mechanics and sense of progression, while others criticize the rough implementation, complicated navigation, and repetitive elements. Many find the controls easy to use, but the overall experience is marred by poor design choices, lack of variety, and unpolished mechanics, leading to a gameplay experience that feels lacking and unengaging.

    • “I found the gameplay and controls easy and had no fault with it.”
    • “It gave me a good sense of progression, and significantly altered some of the gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay itself is great.”
    • “The setting and core gameplay choices are sound, but the implementation is rough at all corners.”
    • “The map system is incredibly complicated to navigate, many design choices are inconsistent (everything in-game is cartoon-like, but the map is 3D and the upgrade system is future-tech?), and the gameplay just isn't interesting enough to draw the player in.”
    • “Needlessly complicated, nigh-incomprehensible maps and menu interfaces, many poor design decisions causing various problems with the control system, boring, excessively large maps, through which you are expected to backtrack and slog through several times, simplistic, unpolished gameplay mechanics, lack of variety in enemies and combat...”
  • graphics
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in the game are generally described as simple and inconsistent, with some users noting that while they serve their purpose, they lack remarkable aesthetics. There are mixed opinions on the quality of sprite animations, with some characters looking dated, while others appreciate the unique art style. Overall, the visuals do not stand out significantly but are not considered game-breaking.

    • “The graphics are great looking and the concept is good.”
    • “Has a unique graphic style I have not seen before.”
    • “The graphics are simple but get the job done, and I literally can't remember anything about the sound design even though I just played it an hour ago, so don't expect anything remarkable from the aesthetics, either.”
    • “Inconsistent graphic choices, but nothing game-breaking.”
    • “The sprite animations on every character that isn't Laika are terrible and would be dated for a game released 20 years ago (think less pixelated Ultima graphics).”
  • music
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it monotonous and reminiscent of stock effects, while others appreciate its nostalgic, modernized chiptune style. A few reviewers highlight the fantastic sound design and the emotional impact of the soundtrack, suggesting it enhances the overall experience. Additionally, the option to purchase the soundtrack has been noted as a positive feature.

    • “The music was pretty good, though!”
    • “Music and sound are just fantastic and really hit home.”
    • “The sound isn't much better, with stock effects for most sounds, and boring chiptune-esque music on constant loop in an area.”
    • “Mediocre soundtrack, which I hate.”
    • “It was very game-y, like taking old Mega Man style music and giving it a slightly more modern sound.”
Skip Critic Reviews

63%Critics’ scoreBased on 2 critic reviews
Skip Game Offers

Buy The Sun at Night

Skip Videos

Videos

Skip Games Like The Sun at Night

Games Like The Sun at Night

Ghost 1.0 Image
84%882reviews

Ghost 1.0

2016Arcade Action Adventure
Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPC+6
Xeodrifter Image
74%898reviews

Xeodrifter

2014Arcade Platformer
Nintendo SwitchPCWii U+7
Headlander Image
90%802reviews

Headlander

2016Platformer
Xbox Series X|SPCPlaystation 5+7
Labyronia RPG Image
75%683reviews

Labyronia RPG

2015Role Playing
PCWindows
Souldiers Image
74%1.4kreviews

Souldiers

2022Role Playing
Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPC+7
More games like The Sun at Night
Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

The Sun at Night is a arcade platformer game with fantasy, historical and science fiction themes.

The Sun at Night is available on PC and Windows.

The Sun at Night was released on August 1, 2014.

The Sun at Night was developed by MinicoreStudios.

The Sun at Night has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

The Sun at Night is a single player game.

Similar games include Ghost 1.0, Xeodrifter, Headlander, Labyronia RPG, Souldiers and others.