The Sun and Moon

Some games take a really long time to develop. You'll get your hopes up about playing it one year, and then see it suffer a string of frustrating delays and revisions. But that's not the case with the Ludum Dare, a regular event that sees creative programmers competing to create a game from scratch in a single weekend. That's just enough time to hatch a clever idea and build something fun out of it.

The Sun and Moon is a perfect example of the types of games coming out of this competition. The winner of Ludum Dare 29, this inexpensive 2D platformer takes a solid concept and fleshes out the idea in a number of exciting ways. Too bad the experience is marred by imprecise gameplay that turns already challenging stage into frustrating affairs.

You play a cute little blob that runs around the screen picking up tiny dots. Once you've picked up all of the dots, an exit door will open and it's off to the next stage. Of course, there's more to it than just picking up dots. Our little blob can phase through solid objects, allowing it to take advantage of the reversed gravity to gain momentum and make large jumps.

Although the first few stages are basic, The Sun and Moon quickly turns into the kind of platformer where pinpoint accuracy is a must. There are 150 stages to complete, each a little tougher than the last. You'll need to avoid spikes, disappearing platforms, fireballs and a frightening concentration of bottomless pits. There are even boss fights to contend with.

If all this sound infuriating, that's because it is. The Sun and Moon is the type of game where you'll die dozens of times before getting the timing exactly right. The good news is that it won't take more than a second to get back into the action. Much like Super Meat Boy and N++, it's quick and easy to keep trying. There aren't any load screens breaking the momentum, a smart decision with this style of game.

That said, I wish more could have been done with the simple concept. While the game offers a wide variety of stage layouts to conquer, it never felt like The Sun and Moon took the next step. It wallows in sameness for much of the 150 stages, adding a lot of predictable obstacles to the mix. I'm not looking for a complex story or anything, but there is a definite repetition with the challenges.

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There are also some technical issues that hold this game back. As much as I enjoy phasing through solid objects, I was disappointed by the imprecise platforming controls. I found my little blob falling to its death countless times because the jump button didn't register in time. This is an especially troubling problem for a game built around pinpoint accurate movements. It made stages more frustrating than they should have been.

I was also disappointed that you couldn't look around before starting a stage. Too many challenges have deadly spikes just off screen, so you'll need to play each level a few times to memorize everything. The bland camouflage backgrounds certainly don't help. And perhaps the most egregious oversight is the lack of cross-save option between PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. You'll have to play through the 150 stages separately on each platform, for some unknown reason.

This is one of those concepts I admire more than I enjoy. The theme is initially fun, but the focus on precision and frustrating stage designs left me cold. On the other hand, the inexpensive asking price may help you to overlook some of the game's imperfections. The Sun and Moon is a flawed, but entertaining 2D platformer.