$24.99Crying Suns Command a fleet, unravel an empire
Lead a battleship and its squadrons through a dying galaxy, one tactical run and one dark secret at a time.
Is Crying Suns worth it?
Crying Suns is worth it if…
- you like slow, tactical games where pausing to think is the whole point
- you want a story-driven sci-fi game with a plot that carries the whole run
- you enjoy roguelites where each failed expedition still teaches you something
- you have a soft spot for classic space opera like Dune, Foundation or Battlestar Galactica
- you like pixel art worlds with a grim, atmospheric mood
Screenshots
A fallen empire, one clone at a time
The Galactic Empire has stood for 700 years, kept running by the OMNIs, god-like machines that did everything for humanity. Then the OMNIs shut down, all at once, and humankind, long unable to fend for itself, started sliding toward extinction. You wake on Gehenna, an ice-bound secret facility, as a clone of Admiral Ellys Idaho, the best fleet commander the Empire ever produced. Kaliban, the last working OMNI and a dry, darkly funny guardian, briefs you: reactivate the machines, save the species, and leave now, because time is nearly gone. The story runs six chapters, with more than 300 possible events along the way, and each successful run uncovers more of what really happened to the Empire, and to you.
Fleet command on a hex grid
You do not fly one small ship. You command a battleship with a crew of over a thousand, launching squadrons of fighters and frigates while your main guns hammer enemy capital ships. Fights play out in real time on a hex grid, with a pause button for when the pressure spikes: order a fighter wing to intercept, reposition your frigates, decide whether to push or hold. Between battles you manage fuel and resources, pick routes through procedurally generated sectors, and weigh every risk, because one wrong move can end the run. Permadeath is part of the deal, and the story gives it a reason: there is always another clone. Combat is demanding, and winning a fight you nearly lost feels earned.
What should you know before starting?
Do you need to like roguelites to enjoy it?
Not necessarily. The story is the spine of the game: six chapters that carry you from Gehenna to the truth about the Empire, and the roguelite structure is woven into that plot rather than bolted on. If permadeath usually puts you off, the framing helps, since your admiral is a clone and every run is another awakening. That said, losses do set you back, and there is little lasting progression between runs, so patience with the format goes a long way.
How does the combat compare to FTL?
People often bring up FTL, and the comparison is fair on structure: runs, permadeath, resource management. The scale is different. Instead of one small ship you direct a capital ship and its squadrons, coordinating fighters, frigates and main guns in real-time-with-pause battles on a hex grid. It is slower and more about fleet-level decisions than moment-to-moment juggling. Combat makes up roughly a third of your time; the rest is exploration, events and story.
How long is a full playthrough?
A full campaign through all six chapters runs about 15 to 20 hours if you take your time with events and exploration, less if you push straight through. Runs are self-contained, so shorter sessions work well: explore a few systems, fight a battle or two, follow a story thread, stop. The procedurally generated universe and randomized events mean each attempt plays out differently, which is where much of the replay value comes from.
Is the story actually good, or just set dressing?
The story is the main event. It is a slow-burn mystery about why the OMNIs vanished and what that says about a civilization that forgot how to survive without them, told across six chapters with a dark, sometimes grimly funny tone. The writing leans on classic sci-fi ideas about artificial intelligence, power and memory, and it does not shy away from bleak answers. Fair warning: some events repeat between runs, so on a long campaign you will see familiar situations more than once.
