Dark Sun

I could probably finish this game as I appreciate the charm it is going for. If it wasn't for the controls being a mess and a pain to deal with. That mixed with the fact some ceilings with spikes on the other side of them have no collision. The platforming bits were an okay idea but overall unfun execution. Menus, gameplay mechanics, and narrative felt janky.

"Dark Sun" is one of literally thousands of retro 2D platformers infesting Steam and lowering the average quality of all video games everywhere... and I'm not kidding. Searching for "platformers" on the Steam store page yields over 17,000 results! Is this one of the best of those? Absolutely not. This is not to be confused with Dark Sun (copyright, Wizards of the Coast), the very cool post apocalyptic fantasy Dungeons & Dragons setting... it seems the "artist" here just likes ripping off trademarks from other IP. This is trying very hard (and failing) to be an "art experience" rather than a genuine game... the graphics are awful, yes, but it's important to know the gameplay itself is even worse. You do some bland and banal surrealist platforming with a crap narrative goes on. It's all so tiresome. Platforming is an old, mostly dead genre, and this lacklustre experience, while it doesn't have an upfront cost, isn't saving the genre... it's no surprise this failed to capture any attention from gamers in the era of immersive 3D gaming. It's difficult to call this a game; it feels less like an entertainment product and more like a digital art exhibit trying to pass itself off…

A nice little rough around the edges gem that is certainly worth your time for charming music and some clever not too frustrating puzzles, doesn't overstay its welcome and has a nice melancholic story. I also really appreciated the music as well, and it's, uh, you know, free.

Unfortunately I'm not able to recommend this game, because the last part of it feels impossible to me to complete for. You will reach a part of the game, in which gravity swaps and you can walk around then up the ceiling and switching back to the floor for that as well. Spikes are going to make it harder for you, but with blue cubes which you can shoot around you are able to build a path. Well, that became really frustrating, sometimes my cat-hero even got stuck inside of that own cube I've created and after losing my patience completely with that troublesome path I gave up that game completely. Not even a playthrough or walkthrough video's available online, therefore I don't have any chance for seeing it's end. That's for sure a real pity, but I could at least recommend it to people, who are trying to upload new and unique walkthrough/playthrough videos! Like I've said, it seems like there's not a single one available of this game here yet online.

It was wrong of me to be so careless

A beautiful, short game with a touching (and a bit sad) story. The puzzles are well-designed — some tricky, but nothing impossible. Gorgeous art, great music, and a strong emotional impact. Simple, but very well done. Great job!