Raise the Sun

My fourteenth game is complete! Raise the Sun is my twelfth and final1 #onegameamonth game. The theme this month was “Solar,” and so I decided to graft that theme onto a game concept that I’ve been wanting to make for a long time. I think the theme fits the game really well.

I actually tried to make this game a little over a year ago, before I started One Game a Month, but it was just a little too ambitious for me at the time. I couldn’t get the physics worked out, so I scrapped it. At that time, Richard was working on his first #onegameamonth game, Flagstone.2 He talked me into joining the challenge, and here we are one year later. It’s great to be able to end with a game which is not only pretty fun, but is also a salient reminder of how much my skills have been improved by #onegameamonth.

Raise the Sun is about Helios, the personification of the sun in Greek mythology. The music for this game was written by Richard. He listened to a bunch of ancient Greek music and mimicked the style quite well. The art for this game is all based on ancient Greek “red figure” pottery.

I am hoping this game will run well on your computer, but I’m not sure it will. Physics can be really hard on a computer’s processor, especially when it’s in running in the browser. Browsers are known memory hogs even before you start hitting them with intense mathematics, so I can’t make any guarantees about how well the game will run for you. I get nervous about that sort of thing, so I’ve provided a lot of options in the game for reducing the computational workload. In all likelihood, I’m worrying about nothing—just don’t leave twenty tabs open for months at a time like I do, and there’s a good chance it’ll run smoothly.

I enjoyed making this one, and even though racing against the clock was (as always) a terrible source of stress and I’m glad to be done making it, I find that I don’t get tired of playing this one. I hope you enjoy playing it as much as I do!



1. Right? This is enough, isn’t it? I don’t have to keep going. I can quit any time I want!

2. You should totally go play that, by the way. Open Raise the Sun in one tab, then listen to the music while you play Flagstone in another tab. See how long it takes you to go mad.

4 thoughts on “Raise the Sun”

  1. I had a wonderful time playing this game; it wasn’t too difficult, but it was a nice brain teaser nonetheless. The difficulty curve was spot on, and the levels were all designed very well, providing many unique experiences. I liked the recurring level types, such as the levels without points to lock the rope on. I had a lot of fun figuring out the best strategies on each level.

    From my experience, stars are your best friend. There are several levels where stardom can be achieved (heh), most notably level 5. That being said, a star saved my life on level 21: https://i.imgur.com/sA9YIKi.png

    The art style is very elegant, and certainly reflects that Greek feel. The curtains were a lovely touch. Speaking of the curtains, it and everything else ran quite smoothly! I have an old-ish PC with a bunch of tabs and applications open. Even with that, there was only a slight bit of lag, and that was only when I switched from a different tab back to Raise the Sun.

    As far as complaints go, there isn’t much to say. The game is a bit short, but that’s understandable given your allotted time. The controls were a tad slippery, which led to many deaths simply because I didn’t account for slippy running and jumping. The collision while falling is a bit odd, leading to several deaths where I pass right through the edge of the platform. It wasn’t particularly noticeable on most levels, but the levels that required more precision became somewhat frustrating.

    Even with those slight complaints, I had a genuinely fun experience! From the puzzles, to the art, to the music, etc., I had a great time. 🙂

    1. Glad you liked it!

      Stars are indeed the way to go. In fact, I specifically designed level 21 for the seven-pointed star because I have a soft spot in my heart for those—not only because they look cool, but because there are two ways to make them:

      As for falling through the edge of the platforms, I’m afraid that’s the fault of my art. The platforms have curvy edges, but not for collision purposes. As far as the physics are concerned, they’re just flat boards that end suddenly. Unfortunately, this leaves the platform dimensions ill-defined for the player. It was a mistake on my part to put curvy edges on such small platforms, but A) it’s too late to change it now, and B) they’re just so pretty.

      Again, I’m glad you enjoyed it, and it’s always great to hear from you! It’s rewarding to know that people are actually playing these things.

  2. Congratulations on completing a year of hard work and fantastic games!

    Raise the Sun is maybe your strongest title yet. It’s a great way to finish the challenge. (But I still hate to see it end)

    Anyway, thanks for the games! Get some rest 🙂

    1. Thanks!

      I was planning to do this for a year and then take a break, but Richard submitted this game (since he did the music) as well, so he remains ahead of me in the high scores list. That will not stand.

      There are no bonus points for going thirteen months in a row, and I do have other projects planned for the next few months; but Richard seems determined to keep me from resting, and I think his nefarious plan is likely to succeed.

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