I know we take our retro very seriously in these parts, but Beyond Sunset took it a little too far. The retro aspects are on point, and the melee combat system is fire, but the game plays like eye torture.
Developed by Metacorp/ Vaporware and published by Movie Games S.A., Beyond Sunset is a retro-inspired Boomer Shooter with a heavy focus on close combat.
No ifs or buts about it, Beyond Sunset gets a lot right, but makes it very hard, actually, to enjoy the game. Whether with a controller or Keyboard/Mouse, the game has a horrendous HUD and interface. But… beyond the mud, there is a real game.
Sunset on Combat
Boomer shooter through and through. The 2D on 3D aesthetic is strong with this one, but it is designed nicely enough not to cause any discomfort while playing.
Beyond Sunset has you jumping and shooting across many different maps.
Most enemies don’t take much damage before dying, so you only see attack sprites and death sprites. Even the enemies which take a while to die only seem to react once they are dead. Not an issue, I actually found it aesthetically pleasing.
That, however, is just the tip of the iceberg. The real enjoyment that can be extracted from this game is from the close combat. Beyond Sunset has a heavy focus on the main character’s Katana. One slice kills all and makes shooting moot.
I spent the majority of my time with Beyond Sunset parkouring to high perches and slicing the life out of these long-range bullies.
It was, in simple words, fun!
My issues with UI+more
The very first expression of Beyond Sunset comes from the HUD, and it nearly turned me off the whole game.
Static- style, overbearing and very hard to see when at full speed, the text on screen, combined with the pixel graphics, and constant prompts made me pukey on more than one occasion and even made me quit the game out of anger.
Another thing that annoyed me was the settings. Whether graphics, controller sensitivity, or just plain audio, the settings were filled with sliders and buttons with confusing descriptions and, for the most part, did absolutely nothing.
This may not sound like much, but when you spend ten whole minutes trying to figure out how to adjust sensitivity and nothing seems to work… It can frustrate you for the wrong reasons before the right reasons get the chance.
Final Sunset
Beyond Sunset is one of those games that leaves you conflicted. On one hand, it nails the retro boomer shooter DNA with tight levels, crunchy weapons, and a katana slash that never gets old. The parkour mixed with melee combat feels like the best version of an arcade daydream. It has the bones of something special.
But on the other hand, it drags itself down with design choices that make you question how much the devs want you to actually play it.
The HUD is a mess, the menus fight you every step of the way, and basic options feel broken or unfinished. For a game focused flow, being stopped dead in frustration by the UI is the real enemy here.
Alas, if you can stomach the eye strain and accept that half the systems work against you, a fun and frantic core is waiting to be discovered.
Beyond Sunset is proof that style and mechanics can shine through technical grime, but it’s also a reminder that first impressions matter. And hey… Maybe a few patches down the line will fix these little nibbles.
For now, it’s a game that deserves your curiosity but not your patience. A cult gem in the making that is just not quite ready for the spotlight.
