Sunstone Of Time Demo Impressions: An Interesting First Look At This Aztec Mystery

Sunstone of Time is a colorful, history-inspired trek through ancient Aztec civilization where you will need to solve puzzles and uncover hidden secrets to return to the present and save the world. Its newly released demo offers players a small taste of the epic tale to come.

Finnish indie VR publisher VRKiwi (Pirates VR: Jolly Roger, Cave Digger 2: Dig Harder) has already put out a short demo on Steam, even though the full release date has yet to be announced.

You take on the role of Helen, an archaeologist who is suddenly transported to an ancient Aztec chamber during a dig project she doesn’t remember signing up for. The voice of the Aztec Sun God Tonatiuh calls to her from a gemstone on her gauntlet, urging her to explore the land around her to find more jewels and to save the world from a mysterious threat.

The Sunstone of Time demo is comprised entirely of the first room you encounter after being sent to the past, and tasks you with mixing different colored powders in a bowl, placing objects on matching pedestals, moving a green stone along a maze using arrow panels, and unlocking a treasure chest by dialing in symbols on a padlock after translating them with a decoder wheel.

You’re largely left to solve these puzzles on your own using the visual clues around you, and you should expect to be stumped until that eureka moment hits. Honestly, I was genuinely stuck on a few of these, but the solutions are all in your environment – even if a few of them are things you normally wouldn’t think to check until you’ve used up virtually all other options.

Interacting with your environment is as easy as moving around with the right joystick and grabbing items with the controller triggers. You can also crouch with the B button. The controls are all pretty responsive, even though I did find myself bumping a larger object against a wall or getting a hand stuck in a box on occasion.

Sunstone of Time’s visuals are bright and colorful, with vibrant chambers that bring The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to mind. There are also plenty of interesting tidbits about ancient Aztec mythology and its deities, with most of the demo’s puzzles being centered around Tezcatlipoca, the god of destruction and the night sky. The audio is mostly quiet, allowing you to think about the puzzles around you, and lending the game a somewhat creepy atmosphere.

Once you’ve solved the last puzzle and unlocked the door to escape, the demo ends on a cliffhanger, teasing the greater adventure ahead. So far, Sunstone of Time looks very promising, offering up fun brain teasers and a fascinating look at Aztec mythology. With some more polish, it could end up a compelling archeological VR romp.