The Sun Will Rise

About

The Sun Will Rise is a single player role playing game. It was developed by The Sun Will Rise Team and was released on October 3, 2016. It received neutral reviews from players.

The Sun Will Rise is a completely free Final Fantasy-style game about depression. Made by an international development team of gamers and mental health professionals, it is designed above all else to be a rewarding playing experience with a positive message behind it.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

55%

Audience ScoreBased on 56 reviews

story9 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game features decent artwork and character design, with some players appreciating the visuals and music.
Some players found the story to be meaningful and relatable, particularly in its exploration of depression and mental health themes.
The game is free to play, making it accessible for those interested in indie RPG experiences.

The gameplay is criticized for being repetitive and tedious, with many battles feeling unfair and lacking depth.
The story and mechanics are seen as poorly executed, with some players feeling that the game fails to effectively address its themes of depression.
Many reviews mention technical issues, such as bugs, lack of full HD support, and poor design choices that detract from the overall experience.

story
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
60%
10%
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it drab and poorly constructed, feeling that the developers prioritized messaging over quality storytelling. Conversely, others praised its depth and emotional resonance, particularly appreciating its rich symbolism and connection to personal experiences, despite noting that the gameplay can detract from the narrative experience. Overall, while the story has compelling elements, its execution and integration with gameplay have left many players feeling frustrated.
- “I did a let's play of this game last year and I was enormously impressed with the storyline.”
- “As someone who has lived in the darkness of depression, every part of the storyline really connected with me.”
- “The story is fast-paced and compelling.”
- “The story is very drab, the graphics are okay, the gameplay lacks fun, the interaction between the player and game is nonexistent, and it is very hard to get into the game at all.”
- “It feels like this game's story was thrown together, with the developers favoring the message at the expense of the quality of the storytelling.”
- “Moving on to gameplay, the starting plot develops way too quickly, and you barely get to grasp who your character is and what kind of person they are before you get tossed three more characters your way, leaving you with no clue who they are or what their significance is.”
gameplay
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
62%
23%
The gameplay of the game is criticized for its simplistic mechanics and low-quality design, with many reviewers noting that it feels like a rushed RPG Maker project. Players can expect a very short experience, around three hours, with basic controls that fail to support more complex combat strategies. Additionally, the rapid plot development leaves players struggling to connect with characters, further detracting from the overall experience.
- “The sun will rise is extremely short, with about 3 hours of gameplay, maybe more if you're new to RPG mechanics.”
- “The game mechanics and controls are pretty standard and work well.”
- “Like most RPG Maker shovelware and asset flips, the game features extremely low quality copy-pasted 2D retro pixel art, looks awful, and has even worse gameplay.”
- “Not only is the design basic, but the gameplay is way too simplified.”
- “As far as gameplay, the first part of the game is nearly prohibitively difficult to survive.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The graphics in the game are generally considered standard for RPG Maker titles, with some decent artwork and well-designed characters, but they suffer from inconsistency and a lack of originality due to the heavy reliance on base assets. While some battle graphics are noted as acceptable, the overall visual experience is hindered by poor fullscreen support and a lack of customization options, making it less appealing for modern gamers.
- “The music is good, the visuals are standard for an RPG Maker game but they look nice and the characters are well designed.”
- “Decent artwork, nothing unique but still nice.”
- “Decent graphics in certain aspects.”
- “As with all RPG Maker games, the poor quality engine displays badly in fullscreen and doesn't have full HD support or any graphics tweaking options, making this unacceptable for any dedicated modern PC gamer.”
- “The graphics, while decent in some areas, are inconsistent.”
- “Expanding on the graphics, there's a lot of assets used from the base RPG Maker assets, and I can't differentiate what might have been made by the developer(s) and what was free to use assets they borrowed. Consistency in graphics would improve this.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
83%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some appreciate its integration with the story, many describe it as tedious and repetitive, leading to frustration. The grinding tasks, particularly the "cape fights," can detract from the overall enjoyment and may discourage players from completing the game. Overall, the grinding is seen as a necessary but often unenjoyable element that impacts the pacing and engagement.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “But right now, the game part of the game just becomes too stale and tedious for the story to be worth it as it is.”
- “Although I understand that it's a crucial part of the story and symbolism, the 'cape fights' can be pretty annoying and tedious for many players and may repel them from finishing the game.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The music in the game is generally well-received, described as enjoyable and not annoying, complementing the visuals and character design effectively. Players appreciate the soundtrack's quality, which enhances the overall experience, despite some wishing for more opportunities to level grind.
- “The music is good, the visuals are standard for an RPG Maker game but they look nice and the characters are well designed.”
- “Still love the music and the art (especially the character art!!), and the story is really, really fantastic.”
- “That being said, the art is really pretty and the music is pretty cool too!”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game is described as very touching and meaningful, with users highly recommending it for its emotional impact.
- “Very touching and meaningful game... I definitely recommend it.”
- “The emotional depth of the characters left a lasting impact on me.”
- “I was moved to tears by the storyline and the way it portrayed human relationships.”