House of the Dying Sun is a fun sci-fi fighter sim that puts you in the pilot’s seat. Your mission is to bring death and vengeance to the traitorous system lords who conspired to assassinate the Emperor. The current game doesn’t have much lore beyond these opening details, but there’s tons of potential for indie developer Marauder Interactive to flesh out.
The game is stunningly cool-looking, which mixes a nostalgic throwback feel with some modern graphics that make for some spectacular locations as you move through the galaxy hunting down your enemies. Each mission is presented on a galactic map, and each one is another System Lord to kill, who has unique challenges and bonus targets. Each one has different ships, weapons, and tactics to take you down, including calling in reinforcements. If your small strike team isn’t fast enough, you’ll find yourself facing big enemy cruisers and battleships that arrive. Those spit out fighters and are heavily armed, and the game will politely warn you that you’re outgunned. You’ll need to strategize a bit, but the game is pretty flexible. It’s part RTS and part space sim shooter. You can pause the battle at any time and plan your attack with your strike force. You can direct ships to a specific target and switch right into the pilot’s seat for any one of them. You can accomplish these missions either way, since the game allows you to choose your preferred style.
You start off with two fighters equipped with standard weapons, armor, and gear. As you progress, you’ll unlock new weapons and earn points you can use to purchase upgrades. The progression system is satisfying without feeling grindy; each new ship or weapon feels like a meaningful step forward. You also earn new ships and learn more about the system lords as you hunt them down across various sectors. By endgame, you’ll have a small fleet to take down the System Lord leaders, which also includes the prince. This reveals a tragic truth about who was actually behind the Emperor’s assassination.
The tactical view is where the game really shines. Pausing mid-battle to issue orders gives you that satisfying RTS feeling, but you can also jump straight into the cockpit and handle the dogfighting yourself. This flexibility means no two runs feel exactly the same. Pilots who prefer pure space combat can stay in the seat the whole time, while strategy enthusiasts can choreograph entire engagements from the tactical overview. The flight mechanics themselves are responsive and rewarding once you get acclimated to the controls. There’s a real sense of mastery as you nail evasive maneuvers and precise targeting.
Each System Lord encounter feels unique thanks to their varied loadouts and tactics. You’re not just grinding the same mission over and over; there’s real variety in what you face. The bonus objectives also add replay value if you want to hunt for higher scores or challenge yourself further.
As an indie game, it’s pretty impressive, but we would definitely like to see more content added and a co-op mode. The limited lore is the biggest missed opportunity; there’s such a cool setup here that deserves more world-building. That said, the flight mechanics are a lot of fun as you start getting used to them, and the combat can get addictive as you master the controls. Whether you play it like an RTS or just fly and fight, it makes for a unique experience for fans of either genre or sci-fi games in general.
The Verdict:
✗ Minimal story and world-building
✗ No co-op or multiplayer modes
✓ Engaging hybrid RTS-and-pilot gameplay
✓ Responsive flight mechanics with satisfying progression
✓ Unique tactical and dogfighting playstyles
✓ Visually stunning retro-modern aesthetic
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