Tail of the Sun

When the game begins, the player is situated at the home village with no goals, objectives, or guidance. The protagonist is free, from the outset, to go nearly anywhere and do basically anything. The landscape the player character inhabits is not only shared by a variety of polygonal fauna, but by flora rendered in the form of Mochi of various shapes and colors, which have varying effects on one's health and various stats. While exploring the landscape, the player's character will need to sleep, and will often choose to do so while in the middle of hunting or swimming. The North American release allows the player to wake the caveman up when this occurs. ==Development==

Tail of the Sun was developed by Artdink and directed by Kazutoshi Iida. When developing this game, Iida wanted to make the "anti-Mario game," explaining that the enjoyment of Super Mario Bros. derives from the action rather than the premise of saving Princess Peach. Iida was wowed by Super Mario 64, as the exploration of a 3D space was what they were aiming for with this, and using the same methods. However, he felt that a character like Mario, it's "impossible to imagine a game without a happy end," wanting to make a game without a happy ending. ==Reception==

Tail of the Sun has been called a spiritual successor to Artdink's earlier 'non-game' ''Aquanaut's Holiday. As with Aquanaut's Holiday, its relaxed gameplay style polarized reviewers. On one end, Next Generation said, Tail of the Sun'' "doesn't fit neatly into any one genre but still gives gamers most everything they want - challenge, tension, humor, and fun - in a way that hasn't been done before." The reviewer also praised the combination of ludicrous and serious concepts and the graphical style. ==Notes==