The Empire has fallen silent, and something has clearly gone very wrong. Commanding the last surviving battlecruiser and its clone-based crew, uncovering what happened means fighting through hostile sectors, salvaging what’s left of humanity’s fleet, and confronting an AI uprising that’s already spiraling out of control.
Crying Suns is a tactical rogue-lite from developer Alt Shift, blending FTL-inspired resource management with real-time squad tactics. Commanding a fleet of ships across procedurally generated sectors, recruiting officers with their own unique skills, and making narrative choices that ripple across the story, you’ll fight to uncover the truth behind the Empire’s collapse, one chapter at a time.
What Makes It Different?
- Command a fleet across randomly generated sectors that shift every run
- Fight real-time tactical battles using squadron formations and positioning
- Recruit officers with distinct skills that shape combat and strategy
- Make narrative choices that genuinely affect how the story unfolds
- Explore a science fiction world drawing on Isaac Asimov and Frank Herbert
- Manage limited resources across a demanding, FTL-inspired campaign
- Progress through 6 distinct chapters, each with its own sector to conquer
Command Rather Than Control Directly
Crying Suns leans on tactical positioning rather than direct, unit-by-unit micromanagement. Squadrons are maneuvered around the battlefield, using formation and placement to gain the upper hand, and officers assigned to a fleet bring their own abilities that shift how those battles play out. That command-focused approach keeps combat feeling distinct from more traditional real-time strategy games, favoring smart positioning over raw execution speed.
A Story Told Chapter by Chapter
Rather than one continuous run, Crying Suns splits its narrative into 6 discrete chapters, each spanning three sectors and functioning almost like its own self-contained run. Choices made along the way carry real narrative weight, and the world built around them draws heavily on science fiction giants like Isaac Asimov and Frank Herbert, giving the roguelite structure a genuinely story-driven backbone.
How Long Does a Run Take?
A single successful run or chapter typically takes about 2 to 2.5 hours to complete. The narrative is structured into 6 distinct chapters, or acts, with each individual chapter functioning as a discrete run spanning three sectors. Focusing purely on completing the main campaign objectives across all chapters takes roughly 14.5 to 15 hours in total, while exploring additional side content and different mechanics averages around 21.5 hours. Striving for 100% completion and seeing every aspect of the game can take 45 hours or more.
Controller Support
No information provided.
Good If You Like…
If you enjoyed Convoy, Dead Weight, or Sword of the Stars: The Pit, Crying Suns’ mix of tactical fleet command and roguelite storytelling should be well worth a look.
