I’m not really sure why this game is called The Sun & Moon, but it’s a precision 2-D platformer downloadable on PS4 and PS Vita (Vita version reviewed here). In the game, you can phase shift by pressing a button, which will allow you to dive into the blocks you walk around on, allowing for some creative movement through the levels.

There isn’t really any story to this game. You’re just a black dot and you must collect smaller black dots and then touch a portal-looking thing to complete the level.  You can run left and right as well as jump.  But by pressing another button, you can phase shift and you’ll turn white and be able to go through the platforms you can walk across.

The best way to describe it is that it’s like you’re diving into water. You can go down for a little bit, but you’ll come right back up.  If you fall and dive into the platform from a higher place, you’ll go down further, and when you come back up, you’ll fling even higher in the air.  You can also phase shift into blocks above you, which is handy for climbing to higher spaces.  You must avoid spikes, and chasing enemies.  If they touch you or you fall, you’ll have to start the level over again.

This is one of those super hard precision platformers, and it can get pretty frustrating. Even after stage 10, things got rough, and there are around 100 stages in all, so I can’t imagine how hard it gets later on.  While the game tells you the controls, there aren’t any instructions (even the in-game manual has nothing), so it can be a little hard to figure out at first.  The graphics are uninspiring and the music is grating, but if you enjoy difficult platformers like Super Meat Boy; you might like this one anyway.

Kid Factor:

While you do explode if you hit an obstacle, you’re just a little black dot so violence is fairly non-existent. Reading skill isn’t necessary to play, but younger gamers may get frustrated at the high difficulty.  The Sun & Moon is rated E for Everyone.

Tags: Game Reviews