Under the Sun Review
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Under the Sun Review

Our Review by Lee Hamlet on March 29th, 2015
Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar :: TIME IS PRECIOUS
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Under the Sun is a 4D puzzle game in which time is of the essence as players strive to reach the goal in a certain number of steps.

Developer: Stegabyte
Price: FREE
Version Reviewed: 1.0
App Reviewed on: iPad mini Retina

Graphics / Sound Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar
Gameplay Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar
Playtime Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar
Replay Value Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar

Overall Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar

Life is short in Under the Sun- a 4D movement puzzler in which the world will age with each step players take, from bridges that crumble to nothing, trees that whither away, and even the island dweller himself, who will pass away under the night sky unless he manages to light a fire. It's not as depressing as it sounds, trust me.

Players move the rapidly-ageing man by tapping on the direction arrows surrounding him. Or alternatively, they can skip a turn as the world darkens around them. With only a designated amount of turns that can be taken before everything fades to black, players have to study their environment (rotating the island and zooming as they please) and its features while manipulating certain elements as best they can.

Luckily there is a dial on the right side of the screen that lets players rewind time if, for example, a turtle should happen to bash them out of the way (it happens, okay?) or they interact with the environment in the wrong way. It's much more preferable to have this implementation in place of a restart button, and it succeeds in keeping things moving along nicely.

Under the Sun is very colorful, and although I feel that the lighting effects should've been more of a focal point, the graphics are pleasant and cheerful enough. However, the environments do stay the same throughout, and athough more features are added - from huge Jellyfish to rising tides - it does become a bit visually monotonous.

Under the Sun is a charming and often tricky little puzzle game, challenging players to use foresight, hindsight (thanks to the handy time dial), and to understand how their environment can be interacted with to get the best results. There are no hints or tips, which I admit I sometimes needed (and is often commonplace in our more modern gaming era), so Under the Sun's 10 areas and 60 levels are reserved for the most patient and collected gamers.


iPhone Screenshots

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Under the Sun - A 4D puzzle game screenshot 1 Under the Sun - A 4D puzzle game screenshot 2 Under the Sun - A 4D puzzle game screenshot 3 Under the Sun - A 4D puzzle game screenshot 4 Under the Sun - A 4D puzzle game screenshot 5

iPad Screenshots

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Under the Sun - A 4D puzzle game screenshot 6 Under the Sun - A 4D puzzle game screenshot 7 Under the Sun - A 4D puzzle game screenshot 8 Under the Sun - A 4D puzzle game screenshot 9 Under the Sun - A 4D puzzle game screenshot 10
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