Sine Mora (XBLA): "A Masterful Tale of Genocide & Revenge Told Through Shmup Style Gameplay"

Sometimes I really get excited for a game, and will send my request in early for it. As a reviewer I realize that the demand for review codes is rising as more sites are created around games from the Xbox LIVE marketplace. I jumped at the chance to send in my request the moment I watched the first trailer of 'Sine Mora'. As time passed by I kept a close watch for details about the game, because I knew this game was going to be something special. In one of the articles I read about 'Sine Mora' prior to the game's release I found out that two very awesome, and talented artists would be contributing to the game. The game's musical score was created by the extremely talented 'Akira Yamaoka (Shadows of the Damned & Silent Hill series). I also found out that the boss battles within the game were created by an equally talented anime artist, 'Mahiro Maeda (Final Fantasy Unlimited, The Animatrix sequence "The Second Renaissance Parts I & II", and the animated sequence from Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill Vol.1"). Sine Mora's story unfolds in a grand fashion that is beyond what most shmups try to express. I would say that it even exceeds most of it's competition within the shmup (shoot'em up) genre.

The story behind 'Sine Mora' is extremely complex. It offers vivid details about the loss of a son, a quest for revenge, and the near-complete genocide of an alien race. The game eases the gamer into this involved plot with a tutorial for the gameplay functions that play out as the gamer makes their way through the intro stage. As you play through the multiple levels of this side-scrolling, and somewhat dynamic shooter you will discover a story of revenge involving a war pilot/father (Ronotra Koss) who's son was killed for disobeying direct orders. You'll also discover a complete mythology that details a race called the Enkle who have almost entirely been eradicated by the Layil Empire. This race of aliens (Enkles) has the ability to traverse time, and intend on using it to right the wrongs that have been done to their people. The themes within this plot driven shmup are mature in nature, and detail such things as rape, violence, and blackmail. The warning about the strong language is justified in the sense that this game has a lot of foul language that most games would shy away from. Be warned this game does have a serious storyline that is anything but child friendly.

Sine Mora is a game that is definitely grand in scale. I know I mentioned this previously, but I think it's worth mentioning again. The gameplay within 'Sine Mora' is heavily based on the fact that the alien race which the gamer controls can control time. As you play you will encounter, and control various pilots who are a part of the story. Your goal in the game is to make it through the end of the stages/levels without running out of time/lives/continuations. Getting shot in the game will deduct seconds from a timer located on the game's HUD (display). You can regain time, and keep your clock ticking as long as you shoot down enemies. Keeping this in mind is the key to successfully completing the game. I found that nearly every stage in 'Sine Mora' has a boss battle of some type. These bosses require different tactics to defeat, and have multiple parts which must be destroyed. The bosses within the game are as grand in scale as the game itself.

There are three different modes of play in 'Sine Mora'. The campaign mode unfolds through multiple levels, stages, and typed/vocal (foreign) dialogue intermissions. This mode is the least difficult of any of the available modes within the game. You are given one life in which to pilot through each chaotic stage, and 10 continues in case you die during your attempts. I found that even though this mode was the easier of the three I still ended up dying a lot. The second available mode, 'Arcade' comes with two different difficulty settings including hard and extreme. The 'Arcade' mode is basically the campaign without the story. The third, and final mode is 'Score Attack'. Any fan of shmups will easily understand what this mode is about. You are given one life in which to play through the stages, and accumulate the highest score possible. The difficulty settings for this mode are also hard, and extreme. In that sense I think 'Sine Mora' is geared more towards the hardcore shmup players.

Sine Mora has a unique variety of pilots, and ships that can be used within the three modes of the game. There are a total of 60 different pilot, and ship combinations. The game also has a unique weapon/arsenal system that has 60 different possible combinations as well. When the game begins it tells you that you can upgrade your weapons in 9 stages. This simply means that you can collect power-ups from fallen enemies, and as you do so your ship's weapon fire will increase in effectiveness. Aside from the weapon power-ups enemies also drop points, time extensions, and secondary weapon refills. I forgot to mention the secondary weapons, but you do have a secondary (more powerful) weapon that can be used for a limited time. The points you can collect increase in value as you increase your multiplier which is located on the game's HUD display.

There are a lot of things to unlock within 'Sine Mora'. As you play through the campaign you will unlock ships, and pilots for play within the game's modes. After defeating bosses within the game you'll also unlock boss fights which you can practice in via a sub-mode within the games menus. All of the unlocked pilot/ship content can be viewed during game mode start up menus. You can mix, and match pilots, and ships. This makes the game more personal allowing the player to choose the character they sympathize with the most, and allows them to place them in the ship that they find to be the coolest.

The control scheme within 'Sine Mora' is kept extremely simple. This is definitely a good thing considering the fact that the game can be quite unmerciful at times. As the gamer you will use the (Left Thumbstick) for movement. Firing is done by pressing (A), and the secondary weapon fire is utilized with the (B) button. To slowdown time you will need to press the (Right Trigger). This comes in handy when facing the extreme bullet hell situations. I may have not included details about all of the controls, but the tutorial does an excellent job of showing, and teaching the gamer how to play 'Sine Mora' properly. The only thing you will really have to focus on in the game is the enemies, and the bullets ... maybe the environment as well.

The visual graphics are one point where 'Sine Mora' definitely shines. I didn't actually know this until I read the press release, but 'Sine Mora' is displayed in stereoscopic 3D! I can honestly tell you that this is one of the most visually impressive shmups I have ever layed my eyes on. The entire game doesn't just play out in a side-scrolling point of view, but there are awe-inspiring moments where the action comes to life with 3D dynamic cinematics that make the game seem even more epic. The level, ship designs, and character designs are brilliant. The characters in the game actually come to life, and are given a face by the pictures that are placed by their dialogue output on the game screen. One thing that did let me down about the game though was that it's displayed in a pretty severe widescreen ratio. If you do not have a widescreen/HDtv then you'll likely miss out on how amazing the game really is.

In conclusion 'Sine Mora' is a shmup that should not be missed! While the game does sport a somewhat hardcore difficulty that may turn away some newer gamers, it is still worth the effort to try and complete/enjoy the story/campaign. Aside for gameplay 'Sine Mora' offers more than just a pretty display of visuals. It also has a very good plot, and significant replay value. The theatrical soundtrack by 'Akira Yamaoka', and the bosses by 'Mahira Maeda' are truly icing on the cake. One thing that I also really enjoyed about 'Sine Mora' was the spoken dialect that is used in the intermissions between each stage. I'm not sure if it is a made up language, or an actual language used in the world. Whatever the case is it is extremely cool to listen to. If you have 1,200 msp to spare I would highly suggest getting this game. It's worth it in so many ways!

*NOTE* 'Sine Mora' was developed by Digital Reality & Grasshopper Manufacture