IfSunSets Review Summary

Enjoyable co-op with vast content and exploration, yet plagued by bugs and an unfinished state.

Game is enjoyable: Many players find the game fun and engaging despite its flaws. The core gameplay loop is praised as enjoyable and good.

Lots of content: The game provides a large amount of content, ensuring long playtime and good value for the price. Players mention tons of things to do and challenging gameplay.

Fun in co-op: Playing with friends in co-op mode is highlighted as extremely fun and enhances the experience. The game works well both solo and with friends.

Plenty of exploration: Exploration is a key enjoyable aspect, with many areas to discover and rewarding scavenging. Players find the world full of activities and secrets.

Extensive skill tree: The game features a massive and detailed skill tree that offers deep customization for both the player and companion. Players appreciate the build freedom and the inclusion of fairy skills.

Many bugs overall: Numerous reviews report many bugs that interfere with gameplay, ranging from minor to severe, with general jankiness and unpolished feel.

Unfinished game state: Reviews indicate the game is still unfinished, far from complete, and feels like early access with many missing or incomplete features.

Forced Epic login: Multiplayer and some game features require mandatory Epic Games login, which many players dislike, especially when also using Steam.

Combat feels clunky: Players frequently mention that combat is janky, clunky, and lacks smoothness, making it unpleasant and sometimes bad.

Graphics quality issue: Graphics are described as grainy, pixelated, or ugly, and not impressive by some players.

Survival genre with crafting: The game is widely described as a survival crafting game, with an emphasis on resource gathering, building, and combat. Survival mechanics such as thirst and hunger are noted.

Multiplayer and co-op supported: A significant number of reviews mention multiplayer, co-op, and online play, supporting both solo and multiplayer modes. Players can enjoy the game with others.

Base building is core: Many reviews highlight base building including structures, traps, and defense mechanisms. This is a fundamental gameplay element.

Day-night cycle with raids: The game features a day-night cycle where players explore and build during the day, while facing enemy hordes and raids at night. This creates a tense risk-reward loop.

Night defense and hordes: Players must defend against waves of enemies at night, using traps, cannons, and other defensive structures. Tower defense mechanics are integrated into the night phase.

Poor optimization and FPS issues: Many reviews report poor optimization with low frame rates on various hardware, including high-end systems. Issues range from FPS drops on low settings to severe lag during specific in-game events.

Game crashes and fatal errors: Multiple reviewers experience crashes, including fatal errors, crashes on save loading, and after specific actions like dying or using certain moves. These crashes hinder gameplay and progress.

Black screen on launch: Several players encounter black screens at startup, often indefinitely after the splash screen or intro video. This issue appears after updates and can make the game unplayable.

FPS drops during night hordes: Performance particularly degrades during night defense or zombie hordes, with FPS dropping to low numbers even on high-end PCs. This is a consistent complaint across multiple clusters.

Performance improvements with tweaks: Some users found solutions like adjusting settings, using DX12/DLSS, or disabling shadows to improve performance, but these require manual tweaking.

Overall positive recommendation: Reviewers generally recommend the game, citing enjoyment and fun despite minor flaws. They express satisfaction with the purchase and believe players will not be disappointed.

Recommended for survival fans: Many reviewers specifically recommend the game to fans of survival games, noting it appeals to those who enjoy the genre's core mechanics. The recommendation is consistent across multiple clusters, highlighting the game's strong fit for survival enthusiasts.

Best enjoyed with friends: Several reviewers emphasize that the game is more fun when played with friends, suggesting that co-op play enhances the experience. This is a common positive point.

Recommended despite bugs: Some reviewers recommend the game for those who can tolerate bugs, especially in early access. They find the game awesome if players have patience for issues.

Try demo first: A few reviewers recommend trying the demo or the game itself to see if it fits personal preferences. This is a neutral suggestion for those on the fence.

Community fair range: $10.00 - $20.00.

Game completion: 50.0h.

Story completion: 35.0h.

Session length: 9.0h.

The game has a rough start due to a problematic tutorial and clunky controls, but becomes enjoyable after players overcome these initial frustrations and progress into the deeper mechanics, especially in co-op.

Friction: Unclear or broken tutorial; Clunky controls and input registration issues; Multiplayer connectivity and reward sharing issues; Epic account requirement for online play; Unclear progression and area leveling; Tedious manual repair mechanics.

Unlock drivers: Adjustable difficulty settings; Option to disable nightly attacks; Learning the game mechanics (including fairies, building); Progression unlocks (skill tree, better gear); Cooperative play with friends; Making progress beyond early game.

Patient Survivalist: Prefers a stable experience, explores survival crafting and base building cautiously; willing to wait for fixes. Motivation: To enjoy a deep survival RPG with base building and exploration, but only after technical issues are resolved. Stance: deep sale.

Enthusiastic Co-op Adventurer: Plays exclusively in co-op with a partner, tolerant of bugs, enjoys shared exploration, base building, and looting. Motivation: To experience a cooperative survival adventure with friends, where shared fun outweighs technical flaws. Stance: buy.

Solo Hardcore Grinder: Plays solo, seeks challenge and deep systems; values the ability to pause and customize difficulty to suit a hardcore progression style. Motivation: To overcome brutal survival challenges and master skill trees, loot systems, and base building through dedicated solo play. Stance: buy.

Game performance varies significantly by VRAM tier, with serious issues reported on low-VRAM (<8GB) and high-VRAM (12-15GB) systems, while mid-range (8-11GB) systems see mixed but generally playable results.

Windows 12-15GB VRAM: negative. Reviews describe very poor optimization, low frame rates even with DLSS, and graphics settings having little effect.

Windows <8GB VRAM: negative. Users report a black screen on launch, making the game unplayable.

Windows 8-11GB VRAM: positive. Most reviews are positive despite noting low frame rates and optimization issues, suggesting the game is playable with compromises.

Steam Deck: The game suffers from severe performance degradation, frequent crashes, and deceptive controller support labeling. Even on powerful PCs and Steam Deck, it often fails to launch or runs at unplayable frame rates, requiring constant workarounds with no stable experience.

Linux and Proton: Based on limited user feedback, the game runs poorly on Steam Deck (Linux) but remains playable after attempts to tweak compatibility settings. There is no evidence of crashes or anti-cheat blockers, but performance is notably degraded and requires user tinkering.

Early access with substantial content: Many reviews note the game is in early access but already offers a large amount of content and active development. Players appreciate the ongoing improvements and updates despite the early access status.

Frequent updates and developer activity: The development team is praised for frequent updates, bug fixes, and responsiveness to player feedback. This active development is a positive aspect for players, giving confidence in the game's future.

Comparisons to popular survival games: The game is frequently compared to established titles like Valheim, Enshrouded, and 7 Days to Die, with reviewers positioning it among top survival games. These comparisons highlight its strengths and genre fit.

Epic Games account required for multiplayer: Players report that multiplayer requires an Epic Games account even when the game is purchased on Steam. This is a significant point of frustration, as it adds an extra layer of authentication.

Comparisons to Windrose: Several reviews compare the game to Windrose, noting that this title provides what Windrose lacked or that Windrose works without certain issues. This indicates the game is seen as a viable alternative or improvement.