Crying Suns
A tactical roguelike set in a fallen interstellar empire.
Crying Suns is a roguelike strategy game set in space, released in 2019. It was created by the Montpellier-based studio Alt Shift and published by Humble Bundle. Players take on the role of space admiral Ellys Idaho, who wakes up in a cloning facility long after the interstellar empire he served has fallen. He then travels the galaxy in a battleship, trying to uncover what happened. The game is divided into six chapters, each containing three sectors. Idaho and his crew move through these sectors and their star systems to reach the exits, all while staying ahead of a pursuing threat. During their journey, players engage in pausable real-time battles against other ships.
Development was funded through a Kickstarter campaign. Alt Shift aimed to create gameplay reminiscent of *FTL: Faster Than Light*, but on a larger scale. Instead of commanding a small vessel, the developers wanted the player to feel like Admiral Adama from *Battlestar Galactica*, overseeing a crew of several hundred. The game was released for Windows and macOS in September 2019, followed by iOS and Android in June 2020, and a Nintendo Switch port in May 2021. Critics praised the story, graphics, and tactical depth of the combat, though some noted that random events could become repetitive. Many reviewers compared it to *FTL: Faster Than Light*. As of February 2021, the game had generated over US$2 million in revenue.
In terms of gameplay, each chapter resets the player’s upgrade progress. Sectors and star systems are randomly generated, and each system may contain points of interest like anomalies or random encounters, such as pirates. These events can reward or remove scrap—the game’s currency—or damage the ship. Players can upgrade systems or buy items at outposts using scrap. They can also send commandos on planetary missions for scrap rewards. At the end of each sector, a boss must be defeated; beating the chapter’s final boss unlocks a new battleship. Combat focuses on destroying the enemy ship using fighter squadrons and ship-mounted weapons. Fighters move across a hexagonal grid between the two ships, following a rock-paper-scissors system where each type is strong against some but weak against others. The grid may include hazards like asteroid fields or turrets.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Crying Suns
- Developer
- Alt Shift
- Publisher
- Humble Bundle
- Producer
- Julien Cotret
- Designer
- Vincent Noël
- Artist
- Frédéric Lopez / Mathias Baglioni / Uriel "Fog Ryû" Lacroix / Louis-Julien "Skaz" Berthe
- Writer
- Julien Cotret / Ian Reiley
- Composer
- Aymeric Schwartz
- Engine
- Unity
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS / iOS, Android / Nintendo Switch
- Release
- Windows, macOS · 19 September 2019 · iOS, Android · 25 June 2020 · Nintendo Switch · 27 May 2021
- Genre
- Strategy, roguelike
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Crying Suns is set in outer space, where the protagonist, space admiral Ellys Idaho, awakes in a cloning facility decades after the interstellar empire he fought for has collapsed. He travels the empire's galaxy in a battleship in search of answers. The game is split into six chapters, with three sectors each; upgrade progress resets after each chapter. Idaho and his crew travel through each sector and its star systems to reach sector exits while staying ahead of a pursuing threat and managing the battleship's fuel. Sectors and star systems are randomly generated, and each star system may contain points of interest like anomalies or random events such as interactions with pirates. Players can upgrade ship systems or purchase items at outposts using scrap, and can undertake planetary missions using commandos. At the end of each sector, players fight a boss; beating the final boss of a chapter unlocks a new battleship.
Combat involves battling other battleships in pausable real-time, with the goal of destroying the opposing ship using fighter squadrons and ship-mounted weapons. Fighter squadrons traverse a hexagonal grid between the two ships, employing a rock-paper-scissors design. The grid may contain environmental hazards like asteroid fields or automated turrets. Weapons can target ships directly or the battlefield grid, and specific ship sub-systems can be targeted. Officers serve multiple functions: they offer alternative options during random encounters, help on planetary missions, and improve combat performance when assigned to a ship sub-system.
Reader's Guide
Crying Suns received 'generally favorable reviews' according to Metacritic, and OpenCritic assessed that it was recommended by 62% of critics. Reviewers compared the game to FTL: Faster Than Light, praising its story, graphics, and tactical complexity in combat, while some criticized the repetitiveness of random events. The game's pixel-art graphics style was praised for its use of 3D rendering techniques like dynamic lighting and atmospheric effects. Combat was described as tactically complex and offering multiple paths to victory, though some critics found it overly forgiving compared to other roguelikes. The event system received mixed reception: some praised the random encounters for developing the world and story, while others noted repetition of events. The game was noted for having a stronger narrative focus than FTL. A major content update named Advanced Tactics was released in June 2020 for Windows and macOS, and in October 2020 for iOS and Android. A final update named Last Orders, released in May 2023, added two new factions, new battlefield items, 30 events, and four new characters.
Did You Know?
- The game was funded through a 2018 Kickstarter campaign that raised over €72,000.
- The developers wanted the player to 'act like Admiral Adama in Battlestar Galactica', commanding several hundred crew members.
- The game's story was inspired by classic science fiction works, including Dune and Foundation.
- Crying Suns has made over US$2 million as of February 2021.
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