Kickstarter has been a boon for independent video game developers and niche genres. Successfully funded in March of this year by a narrow edge, Flippfly's Race the Sun is one such unique project, delivering a nerve-fraying race against the most powerful element of nature itself.
The objective of the game is as its title implies – to race the sun. You control a solar-powered craft that is ever moving forward while the sun steadily sets toward the horizon. Aside from a single loading screen, its world is one continuous run split into regions littered with obstacles and shadows to avoid. Stay too long in darkness and your craft is drained of power, causing the sun to set faster. Crash and you're forced to start from the very beginning. Lose the race and it's also lights out.
It's a simple concept that's easy to play, with only three controls to manage – left and right for steering, and an action button for power-up usage. But what makes it exciting are its honest challenge, randomness, and its delightfully unnerving sense of speed. The craft moves blisteringly fast – its forward momentum out of your control – through a procedurally generated world that changes every 24 hours. That pace has caused not a little nervous shouting as I weaved through increasingly dangerous environments.
As you dodge falling spires, explosions, rapidly moving objects and more, you're constantly attempting to collect points called Tris to raise your multiplier and your score. Unlockable power-ups and attachments earned through a leveling system aid the race, as well, such as quick speed boost that also extends the daylight or portals to access other worlds. It's a race that's ultimately about getting as far as you can with the highest score possible. It doesn't make it easy, but as a skill-based game, flying further and getting better is its own reward.
Race the Sun has a number of online features to keep the experience connected and growing. There are the expected leaderboards, of course, but a built-in editor allows players to create, share and rate custom worlds. There were only a few test levels available at the time, though there's potential for some great content as the editor is quite robust. In addition, the game supports asynchronous, co-operative multiplayer. You and a friend can share a run by punting progress back and forth four times before uploading the results to a special leaderboard.
Visually, the game keeps its elements simple. The geometry isn't complex, preferring base shapes to elaborate obstacles. Aside from its glowing power-ups, the developer created world is full of shades of gray. There's a beauty in that simplicity, however. The contrast of limited colors while flying through a world of tall razors, collapsing towers and shadowy daggers gives it a surreal quality. A game doesn't have to be made with thousands of polygons and high resolution textures to be beautiful. Race the Sun proves that.
Race the Sun is a heart-pounding pursuit across a dangerous, evolving world. It does a wonderful job of instilling that addictive drive to do better, whether it be to finally get past the fifth region or top your last score. I'm looking forward to having a more in-depth look at it once its beta ends. For now, check out its website or vote for it on Steam Greenlight here.
