Your login information returned multiple users. Please select the user you would like to log in as and re-type in your password.
Nestled in one of the back halls of PAX was one lonely station, cradled between Skydrift, a MarioKart/Crimson Sky Hybrid, and a walkway crammed with PAX attendees. Barely noticeable, it was the only place where one could play Sine Mora - the new side scrolling shooter by Grasshopper Manufacture and Digital Reality.
The game is a 2 1/2 D side-scrolling, timed, shooter that looks like Crimson Sky but plays more like a combination of 1942 and The Club. Still with me? You see, there is only have a certain amount of time to finish levels, each enemy you kill puts more time on the clock, and each hit receive takes it away. When the clock hits zero, it's game over. It adds an extra level to the gameplay that, as someone who doesn't like time trials, wasn't crazy about at first, but learned to love after playing for a bit. The timed component adds an extra dimension but also never feels like it's breathing down your neck just waiting for that one moment where you trip up. A mechanic like this could have broken the game completely, luckily it's implemented very well.
The shooter has all the things you would expect from the genre, waves of patterned enemies, poweful secondary attacks, large bosses, and a truck-load of bullets. But what really separates it from other games in the genre is it's sheer beauty. The game is absolutely stunning -the artwork portion is the bit put together by Grasshopper Manufacture, and the story seems well presented for a genre that often times will try to get by with almost no story at all.
Boss fights are also epic affairs that will expand over multiple screens, each with their own multiple-bits to fight through, and all looking spectacular as you play through it.
It was a brief affair, but I really look forward to playing a lot more of this game in the future. My initial trepidation quickly whisked away by a beautiful game taking some older gameplay mechanics and infusing them with a little fresh life.
Sine Mora is currently scheduled for a winter 2011 launch on XBLA and the PSN.
Comments
12 years, 7 months ago
This one is a maybe for me. I'm personally not a big fan of shoot em ups/bullet hells, but I do like the way the art and story are going. Gameplay just looks the same.
12 years, 7 months ago
Looks gorgeous!
12 years, 7 months ago
I love these types of games. I feel that the side scrolling and top down shooters are genres that often go overlooked and under appreciated. I was skeptical as well about the time adding mechanic as well, but it seems easy enough to put time back on the board. I like the fact that they have integrated something besides scoring points to defeating the enemies.
The aesthetic presented in this game is really nice to look at. Everything is well defined and never once during the video did I loose track of an enemy or bullet. This game looks very impressive thus far. Thanks for hunting this one down Joseph.
12 years, 7 months ago
Not really my kind of genre in and of itself but this game has a lot of charm to it, at least it appears to from that video. The 2 and a half-D thing reminds me a lot of the Klonoa games in a way and I enjoyed those so i'm optimistic about this title.
12 years, 7 months ago
i really do like the style and transition of the bosses and the lovely background detail in the terrain and the water..i love me some pretty water graphics xP. Looks like its a good pick up and play kinda game after a long day at work.
12 years, 7 months ago
Looks pretty coolio
12 years, 7 months ago
Have to agree, love the art direction.
12 years, 7 months ago
It's looking very nice, but the gameplay's not something I tend to go for. Still, could be worth a rent.
12 years, 7 months ago
love that art direction too, and that sound design is amazing as well.
12 years, 7 months ago
hmm, seems a little lacklustre to me. then again, this is not really my type of genre of games so I perhaps shouldn't be the one to ask
12 years, 7 months ago
This should be pretty cool!
12 years, 7 months ago
Hmm, not sure what to think of this one yet.
12 years, 1 month ago
[...] You can read out Hands-On with the game here [...]