The End of the Sun was originally released back in January 2025 for PC. A fellow reviewer from Movies, Games and Tech reviewed the game back then, though the game did not have a favorable review. Though The End of the Sun was praised for its beautiful visuals, it was criticized for having pointless puzzles, long and consistent cutscenes, and a pretty cliché plot.
A little over one year later and The End of the Sun is back with a PS5 release. Developed and published by The End of the Sun Team & Forge (respectfully), the game was re-released on April 21st, 2026. This Slavic mythology mystery has burned its way onto PS5 to reach a wider net of players. Although The End of the Sun has not received many updates since then, perhaps its time to revisit this game, especially for those who are thinking of purchasing for PS5.
The End of the Sun is a game of puzzles, mystery and Slavic mythology. Players take on the role of an Ashter—a Slavic fire mage who tracks mythical beings. The Ashter has been tracking down a Rarog, a fiery bird that’s been causing chaos in a small place called Willow Village. By connecting with bonfires, the Ashter can view and manipulate past events in order to stabilize the timeline. The Ashter can also meditate at bonfires to travel through time and seasons. The Ashter will run into many different Slavic mythical beings along the way. Players will need to work with or against them in order to stabilize the entire timeline and track down the Rarog.
Though its concept is interesting, I can certainly see why the previous review on here was rather poor. I don’t think it scores as bad as it did (2/10), but most of the negative critiques are unfortunately still on the slightly negative side. I think there are some good ideas here that boost the game in a positive direction. Overall, I think The End of the Sun is just okay, but I’m also not really sure if and who I would recommend it to either. So, get ready to connect with bonfires, because its time to discuss The End of the Sun!
The Ashter, Rarog, and a family in Willow Tree
As mentioned, the Ashter, a Slavic fire mage, is tracking down a Rarog, a fiery predator bird (a falcon according to wiki). The Rarog in some way or another has messed up the timeline and the Ashter needs to stabilize things in order to receive clues and dropped fire feathers. These fire feathers weaken the Rarog and collecting them will help you later on near the end.
However, that’s only part of the story. In the timelines, players see the story of a family, focusing around a couple—Nadimir and Mira. Other characters, such as Nadimir’s parents, are also prominent in the narrative. By viewing a trace of time, players can see how things went incorrectly, usually in the case of an item missing. For example, young Nadimir can’t reach the dousing pipe because someone moved the stool. His father can’t perform the ritual because someone misplaced his staff. When you place the correct objects back where they belong, you stabilize the timeline and trigger a new sequence that shows what actually happened, revealing a clearer, more accurate version of the family’s story.
Though I didn’t mind the story too much, I do think that the previous review said it best by calling it “cliché-spear”. There wasn’t any twist in the story that really surprised me. There’s really only five-ish characters in the story outside of the Ashter and Rarog. It wasn’t some heart-wrenching plot that was impactful or emotional. There wasn’t a deeper message hidden between the lines. Oddly, and probably in-part with the animations, it felt a little stiff, like it wasn’t really going anywhere. This may also be because of the time jumping aspect, but I’ll come back to this. I believe overall the game was going for a more light-hearted approach. However, an angry fire bird is probably more scary than portrayed. There’s one moment early on where Mira gets attacked by Rarog. This led me to believe the story would be more intense, but it was not.
I also noticed many times where the game tried putting comedy into the writing. I get it, comedy is subjective and everyone finds humor in their own way. For me, I found these moments more cringey than comedic. The game enjoys a high-pitched character voice or a ridiculous line. This somewhat makes the game feel…childish. I’m not sure what age-range was their target audience, but I would imagine its any age above 13/14. Of course this isn’t an issue at all. Nothing wrong with a game that wants to appeal to young and old. However, for a more mature audience, the comedy might not be as humorous.
One with the Bonfires
Scattered throughout Willow Village are several bonfires and hearths. The Ashter can connect with them, depending on the season, and attempt to stabilize the timeline. After connecting, a small number of smoke trails shoot out from the flame source. Following them leads the Ashter to a trace of time that needs stabilized. This commonly outlines a missing item, a misplaced item, or a puzzle that needs to be solved. The connection has a limited, range, and walking outside of it means that you will need to reconnect with the fire. I will say, many solutions to these traces of time can be found within the range. There are a few instances where a missing item might be outside of the range, or better yet, in a different time, but not many. It does make solving these a bit easier, though it does also make them a bit too simple.
I don’t necessarily want to be frustrated by games, though I don’t really want them to be a walk in the park either. Whether it’s finding a missing item or an actual puzzle with multiple steps, most are quite easy to figure out. Some puzzles were trickier than others, but I never felt like I needed a guide to walk me through. For example, one puzzle involves spinning a rope…maker machine thing in the correct order from left to right. A Slavic mythical being called a Domovoy tells you the correct order to spin the rope in the form of a riddle. The Ashter needs to count items in a dark barn and spin in a corresponding direction, left or right. If you get the answer wrong, the Domovoy taunts you with a song each time.
Admittedly, I did get this wrong a few times. This one I would say was one of the better puzzles because for me, it was somewhat of a challenge. However, on paper, its really just counting scattered objects and knowing if you should turn the rope left or right. Me needing a few tries probably says something more about my intelligence than it does the game itself.
Again, I do think I have to agree with the previous review in that it does get repetitive fast. Having to sit through and watch small cutscene-like flashbacks with each trace of time, just to solve it by picking up a nearby item and placing it in the correct spot, is a bit lackluster in gameplay. I believe there should have been way more actual puzzles to solve as they at least take you momentarily out of the monotony. It’s something different to do, requiring some level of thinking. Sure, the puzzles in general could be a bit more challenging, but I think I’d take quantity over quality in this case.
Time Travelling and the Seasons of Willow Village
Once you stabilize all the smoke trails of a bonfire or hearth, the fire will burn brighter and stronger. After another cutscene, usually longer and more in-depth than the ones that play during traces of time, the fire then becomes a fire of time. The Ashter can meditate at these locations and instantly travels to a magical realm centered around a large, glowing tree. Surrounding the tree are four bonfires, each representative of the four seasons. Meditating at any of these points sends the Ashter straight back to Willow Village. Not only will the Ashter be in a different season, but also in a different time as represented by the numbers next to each. Spring is first with Nadimir and Mira being children, followed by Summer, Autumn, and Winter where the couple is now elderly.
What’s most important about this change however are the new pathways and bonfires/hearths that open up to the Ashter. When interacting with a fire that is completely out, players can see which season they need to go to. This can also be viewed on the map as well, which I will talk a bit more about in a second. Some paths may also be blocked and the same idea applies. Sometimes clearing these might require stabilizing the past first, which the Ashter usually says something if it does.
I do actually like the time travelling and season change mechanics in this game. It’s simple, but effective at making the setting more interesting. There is no set order in to go in, so players are freely able to travel between each and see what changes and what is unlocked. I do think story wise, it does hinder it somewhat. Obviously if you see a plot point in a later timeline, it makes the past events a bit more predictable.
Willow Village isn’t too large of an area, but its big enough to get lost. A map is provided in the beginning. Players can use this to navigate the village and see some information on fires. Beyond their location, each fire displays a specific season and marked with a corresponding color. Once you pass a certain area, the ??? areas will fully unlock, showing their locations and fires. The downside of the map however is that there is no player marker. Players need to use the map like an actual map, relying on the surroundings to get your bearings. This makes exploration a bit annoying as there is no fast travel. The fastest you can move is a light jog, which makes crossing long stretches feel like a chore if you’ve been exploring or ended up lost.
Though the game visually is pleasing to look at, it is a bit rough around the edges. I could see the rendering line in the snow as I walked. Some animations looked clunky with occasional clipping. There is also occasional stuttering. This mostly happens during the longer cutscenes that play after you fully stabilize a bonfire, but I noticed it at other moments too. I’m not sure if this is just a PS5 issue, but it did detract a bit from the overall visuals of the game.
The End of the Review
Despite it’s flaws, I don’t think The End of the Sun is terrible. I could see the charm the game has. The Slavic mythology is fascinating and I wish there was more of it. The idea of time travelling connected to the seasons, telling a story over decades is a great building block to have and blends beautifully with a game of mystery and puzzles. The visuals are for the most part nice, more so in the settings than the people. The game isn’t unplayable and certainly has some positives!
However, its negatives are just as apparent. The story was a bit cliché with unsurprising events and cringe comedic moments. There’s a lot of sitting through cutscenes to learn that story, with too simple puzzles placed in-between. The visuals are rough around the edges in spots. And for a walking simulator puzzle game that ultimately tells a story, having these three as negatives hits pretty hard. It’s like ordering something off a menu that sounds super good and delicious, but it isn’t as good when you start taking bites. Sure, it’s edible and not worth sending back, but it certainly is not what you were hoping for.
As mentioned, I’m not sure if and who I would recommend this to. Overall, The End of the Sun is just okay—a middling experience that could have been better. Gameplay is only a few hours long and doesn’t really have replayability. There’s multiple save accounts possible, though I’m not too sure why. I guess if you’re a fan of some simple puzzle solving, then maybe this one is for you? Anyways…
Dziękuję za przeczytanie!
