You are a solar powered craft and you must chase the sun to keep powered so you can continue on your flight. In Race the Sun it is all about avoiding crashing into objects while chasing the sun to keep going.
General Gameplay
Race the Sun is more of a beat the clock/racing game in which you try to get as far into the levels as you can without crashing into anything. As the game is all about skill and trying to get as far as you can from each area as you chase the sun as it is your power source for your solar powered craft. The Game Visuals are very detailed in both the environment as well as backgrounds. The main ship, details in the level are very easily seen and there is no type of confusion on what object in the game is. As the game is more in polygon shapes it is very easy on the gamers eyes to play the game. The game is presented in more of a front to back style of gameplay like a racing game, so for those that are racing fans they will feel right at home with the visuals. There is no type of violence in the game expect for the crashes that are more animated. The game does not support a colorblind mode, however as the color scheme are very neutral colors so it works out fine. In our playtesting we did not see any issues with the graphics in Race the Sun. Audio for Race the Sun is a very mellow soundtrack that is mostly instrumental. There are the standard racing sound effects that you would hear such as a boost, power up pick ups and other sound but nothing that would not be out of place in a racing game. The game soundtrack as it is limited is a decent one and great to listen to, however as there are a limited game mode so are the selection of in game music. The game is in 5.1 surround sound and can be played with a gaming headset but again parents/guardians please use caution for extended usage of a gaming headset. Race the Sun Controls are very easy to use. As the game is all about having exact control in racing in very tight moves, Race the Sun does a fantastic job of the controller settings. The left thumb stick controls the craft where one face button controls the jumping. As with a racing game the controls are very important and need to be on point. In our playtesting we saw that both newer gamers and veteran were able to pick up and play Race the Sun. This was also the same case in our special needs game testing where our special needs gamers found it very easy to play the game. As the game does not need any special type of controller, you should be ok using the standard controller for the game.
“Race the Sun is all about speed, getting the best score per run, and playing it again, however for some gamers the speed of the game may be to fast”
Family Friendly
Race the Sun is a fun game but it all depends on who is playing it and what they are taking away from the game. In our playtesting, some of our gaming family did have some frustration in the game and how once you collide with an object that you must start over from the first level again, however this is the nature of the game. The game is all about chasing the sun and not crashing into the objects. Race the Sun is a fast pace game and for some gamers this may be too fast. In our special needs game testing our gamers did get the hang of the game, and some really liked it but for newer gamers and others it was too fast for them to play and after a while they lost interest (On a personal note, when myself and our senior family game tester Camille both liked the game but she from a parents perspective found the game to be just to fast for her gaming taste.) In the end it depends on who is playing the game. If you have gamers that love to challenge themselves and always fighting to get the highest score then this would be a great title, however for the causal racing fan, this may be a pass. Again, this is one of those titles that will be a hit with some in your gaming family and not with others. Our best advice is to watch videos on the game or even try a demo on the PC to see if this is a fit for your gaming family. One thing to note is that the levels are daily changing by the developer, so you will always play a different version of the speed run levels, which we felt is a big bonus of the longevity of the game. In our full special needs gaming play testing we did not run into any issues that any special needs gamers would encounter. If anything, our gamers that have Autism really enjoyed the game but some of the younger gamers did get frustrated with the game. In the end, Race the Sun is a fun game, but it is geared towards a more hardcore racing audience.
Closing
Race the Sun is a fast-passed game with lots of replay ability, but the speed of the game may be to fast for some younger and older gamers, so best to pick this up for the hardcore racing fans in your gaming family.
