Sunshine - Here Comes The Sun Review

It's raining outside. Winter is well and truly here. In Britain that means it'll rain from now until March. It doesn't make for the most cheerful of times of year. What better way than to boost a mood than by shooting clouds with sun rays? That's precisely what Sunshine - Here comes the Sun aims to provide and it does so with pretty enjoyable results.

Players take the role of the Sun in its lofty bid to vanquish sadness. 8 worlds are on offer, each with their own theme and original elements. Following a historical theme, the player starts out in the prehistoric era then works their way up to the future, with enjoyable detours to Ancient Egypt, Medieval England and a US city in 1977, amongst other places. Each of these worlds have four levels within them, provided as seasons in the year. The graphics within each world changes accordingly with the season which is a lovely touch.

Fundamentally though, the gameplay remains the same and it's a fun one. Players must shoot fireballs at the dark and grumpy clouds coming their way. In turn, the world's happiness is increased. Shoot anything else such as a humble dinosaur or bird minding its own business and another score increases: the sadness score. Ensure that the happiness score is higher at the end of the level and progress to the next stage.

It's simple but excellent fun. A few different cloud types exist such as a slow and lumbering huge cloud that requires many shots, while tiny and fast clouds only need one fireball. These little clouds, in particular, are pesky things and sometimes it's bordering on annoying to hit them. At times they also appear on screen just as the sun is rising or setting which makes it near impossible to hit without also taking out a poor unsuspecting tree.

Minor niggles aside and Sunshine - Here comes the Sun is a very pleasant game to play. Everything seems like it's been designed to invoke a smile, right down to the collection of hats that can be found and then worn by the Sun. They don't affect anything but they're cute. It's those subtle touches that make Sunshine - Here comes the Sun a cut above the rest and an ideal game for all the family.