SUNWARD

Art games are about more than just mechanics, as their main purpose is to invoke some kind of reaction in their audience, usually in an unconventional manner. They are typically abstract, and each player can come up with personal interpretations to explain what is going on.

SUNWARD is a short, beautiful game that lets you play the role of a hunter on an ancient grassland. You can hunt creatures and put their spirits to rest, all while admiring the stunning landscape.

As you can probably tell from the screenshots, this game looks quite lovely. While the 2D graphics are not exactly advanced, everything is well put together, and the textures are very impressive.

The visuals are reminiscent of the cave paintings created by early humans, and the whole game pretty much looks like a moving piece of art.

Once you are done admiring the landscape, you should probably get to work. Your goal is to hunt the creatures wandering across the grassland and guide their spirits back to the strange symbol in the middle of the map.

It is not very difficult to aim your shots and hit the animals with your spear, but we recommend you use a gamepad for the best experience. After you hit a creature, you will need to track it and retrieve your weapon, along with the animal’s spirit.

When some time has passed, the skies begin to darken and a fire starts to consume the land. Exactly why this happens is unclear, but both the character and the creatures can be killed if they run into the flames.

While the game isn’t exactly challenging, the delightful art style and relaxing sound effects may be just the thing for unwinding after a difficult and stressful day.

It is important to understand why games like SUNWARD are created, so as not to end up disappointed. While the gameplay is simplistic, and you can complete your goal in just a few minutes, this title is, essentially, an interactive piece of art for you to interpret and admire.