Remember how most platformers have you racing across the ground, jumping over gaps, bound by certain rules? Yeah, not in this one. Here, you’re gifted with the power to slingshot through solid matter, building momentum to reach crazy heights! You do still have to watch out for environmental hazards though, and falling out of the level will end your little treasure hunt rather abruptly.
I’m not entirely sure exactly what the protagonist of The Sun And Moon is, so I’m gonna go with… a cross between a slug and an inkblot. In a way, that actually makes a lot of sense, given the way he/she/it moves around, along with the death animation (which I experienced more than a few times). The objective, on the other hand, is crystal clear: collect all shinies, reach the portal. That’s it.
Ain’t as simple as simply bouncing around though, since each of the thirty levels are designed so that the only way to reach most of the [shinies], is by using that fancy power of yours. This involves some fast-paced precision jumping, seeing how it can only be triggered immediately following a jump! On top of that, there’s also momentum to take into consideration, since the game will immediately push you upwards (hence the ‘slingshot’ terminology). Basically, the taller the drop, the deeper the burrowing.
While early levels are pretty straightforward, the difficulty certainly ramps up later on; although not to the point where frustration might come smashing through the door. And hey, according to a note on its Ludum Dare 29 page, work has begun on a post-compo version, with even more levels and features. Awesome. Can’t wait to see how that turns out!