Chased by the Sun Review

Get ready to start your tiny green spaceship engines and keep them going in Chased by the Sun, an android action game where, yes, you’ll be chased by a giant flaming ball of plasma. Sound fun? Well maybe I should have mentioned that while you’re outrunning the inferno you’ll be dodging rocks, ice, dark matter, black holes, and detonating moons. Still here? Great, welcome to the not-so-endless runner by Half Glass Games, where being left in the far corners of space to fend for yourself maybe isn’t so bad. If you’re fast enough.

Chased by the Sun sports twenty five action-packed levels, five for each of the solar systems you’ll be visiting (I think the pilot forgot which direction was home). Luckily, because of the simple tap and go gameplay and the addition of quick tips at the beginning of each level, you can get in on the action right away, no tutorials needed. Naturally, such a streamlined approach allows for each level to bring the pain, so that even the first level proves challenging upon your first try. Though the basic idea of the game is to outrun the sun, each level uses star ratings that boil down to three factors: speed, minerals collected, and lives lost. Efficiency is key, and since your ship thrusters are only replenished through moon landings, you’ll need to plan your routes accordingly.

The three dangers surrounding each moon are ice, rocks, and dark matter, so tactics come into play based on their functions. Moons with ice or dark matter orbiting them purely offer points, but the red rocks will propel outwards and explode on contact, thus clearing you a new path. Moons with these rocks prove invaluable when the sun is hot on your tail. If you’re more concerned with beating a level rather than achieving a perfect score, or maybe reaching a coveted checkpoints, this is the route you’ll want to take. Unfortunately, these checkpoints seem to diminish slightly the more challenging levels in Chased by the Sun, and it’s a shame since the game’s difficulty is part of what makes moon hopping so irresistibly fun.

The graphics in Chased by the Sun are simple but slick. The ball of thermonuclear plasma chasing you delightfully licks at your heels, and the vibrancy of the moons and the collateral explosions from landings are bright and vivid. The auroras in the background are lavish and colorful and even the checkpoints glow with an enticing appeal. All of this eye candy is wrapped around a neat techy soundtrack that fits nicely with the space theme.

Arcade style games have a huge fan base because of their stop and go nature: that is, they can be played in short bursts. But oftentimes games such as these lack the depth of other titles. Fortunately, Chased by the Sun deftly handles the task of providing quick, in your face gameplay without losing the necessary nuances that make a game fun to play. The game’s gorgeous graphics and star rating system make for a title that is hard to put down, and yet, if you need to, go right ahead. The sun will be waiting to send your little green spaceship into oblivion on your lunch break.