The Sun and Moon - System I: 21/21 Sun Medals

The Sun and Moon (PC/Steam)

System I
21/21 Sun Medals


So... what's "The Sun and Moon"?

TSaM is a game made by Daniel Linssen. It was originally created for Ludum Dare 29, a competition where gamedevs are given a theme and a limited amount of time to create the best game they can.

The theme for Ludum Dare 29 was "Beneath the surface".

TSaM won. =)

The Steam version of The Sun and Moon is an improved version of the original game, and features more levels (a lot more!), more features, and controller support.

On the surface, TSaM looks like a fairly standard platformer, but what makes the game interesting and unique is that:
1) You can choose to phase into solid objects, and
2) Gravity is reversed when you're inside a solid object.


So... what's this video?

By finishing a level fast enough, you can earn a medal (the Sun Medal being the highest rank). Anyway, I somehow managed to get a Sun Medal on every System One level... so I decided to go back and record the paths and strategies I used. Partly for my own benefit (so if I ever forget how I did a particular level, I can just look at the video), and partly for yours. So if you're having trouble getting a Sun Medal on one of these levels (or if you're just curious as to whether I used a different strategy than you did), you can just take a look and see what I did in this video.

Just keep in mind that the strategies I use here aren't necessarily the fastest or best or easiest... In fact, it wouldn't surprise me at all if someone else has figured out faster or easier ways of doing some of them. =)

Oh, and if anybody was wondering, yes the game does have music. I turned off the music because of Level 17 (I had a much easier time timing the L,R,L,R,L,R,R rhythm when there wasn't another rhythm going on in the background)... and after that, I just kind of got used to playing without music. =p


Level index and some notes:

0:08 Level 1
0:26 Level 2 - For the third bit, just run into the wall while holding down the Phase button; you don't have to jump (the reverse gravity should propel you upwards at just the angle you need to grab the bit and hit the exit).
0:43 Level 3
0:56 Level 4 - There's probably a better way to do this one. Anyway, to save time on the first block, jump as high as you can (hold the button down) and try to hit the side of the block when you're at the top of your jump (that way you won't have as much upward momentum, so you'll land quicker). You might be able to do something similar on the second block to save a little time (I haven't tried, so I'm not sure). Also, if you avoid (unlike what I did) the third block entirely (don't hit or pass through it), you can probably save a little time as well (falling through the block slows you down, which means you don't land on the fourth block quite as soon).
1:07 Level 5
1:19 Level 6
1:31 Level 7
1:43 Level 8
1:55 Level 9 - This one took a long time for me to figure out! Again, there might be a better way, but this one seemed to work best for me.
2:07 Level 10
2:22 Level 11
2:37 Level 12
2:53 Level 13
3:04 Level 14 - That trick at the beginning gives me a lot of trouble, so I don't know if that's how you're supposed to do that part. Anyway, what I'm doing there is bumping into the wall, then hitting Jump and Phase almost exactly at the same time (Phase slightly after Jump), edging very slightly into the wall, and gaining enough momentum from that to hit the first bit, and then grab the second one on the way down. Even knowing what I'm supposed to do, that trick at the beginning takes me a lot of tries to get right... so this is one of those levels I suspect there might be an easier way of getting the Sun Medal.
3:19 Level 15
3:31 Level 16
3:41 Level 17
3:51 Level 18
4:02 Level 19 - After collecting the first bit, and going right towards the second one, if you do a quick jump over the first square cluster of stars then a long jump over the second one, you won't need to slow down to avoid any of the hazards (you can just keep holding right).
4:28 Level 20 - The jump trick before the third bit is basically the same as the trick at the beginning of Level 14 (Jump, Phase, edge very slightly into the wall). And just as difficult to do, even if you've done it before. =p
4:39 System I boss!

And that's System I. =) I probably won't do one of these for all ten Systems (based on what I've seen, some of the later levels get pretty hard, so I don't know how many Sun Medals I'll be able to earn on the later Systems), but if I manage a complete set of Sun Medals for System II or III... well, we'll see. =)


About Ludum Dare:
http://ludumdare.com/compo/about-ludu...

Original (Ludum Dare 29) version of The Sun and Moon:
http://managore.wordpress.com/games/t...
http://managore.itch.io/sunandmoon

Steam version of The Sun and Moon:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/321...