Written By: Bernard Julius Paje
Developer: Digital Reality / Grasshopper Manufacture
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Genre: Adventure, Strategy
Price: $29.99
Also Available On: PS4, Steam, XB1
Sine Mora EX is unique as far as shmups go, because in addition to the barrage of bullets thrown at you by the legions of enemies that swarm you there is another, more ominous antagonist the player must battle with: Time. The game’s unique mechanic is you do not have a life bar, nor can you simply die after a set number of hits. You are given a set amount of time at the beginning of each stage and when it goes down to zero it is game over for you. You gain a few seconds of time whenever you kill an enemy or part of a boss, so it is paramount for you to destroy as many of the enemies you encounter as you can. In turn, you lose seconds from the clock whenever you are hit by enemies or their bullets. In a sense, it is perfectly acceptable to get hit by bullets from time to time as long as you keep on destroying enemies.
Oh, ‘sine mora’ is Latin for ‘without delay’ by the way, making the game’s title very fitting for its time-based mechanics.
Speaking of time, Sine Mora EX also integrates a deep storyline with interweaving paths about time travel into the mix—something unheard of for shmups back when the original game was released. While the main meat of the narrative is mostly told by anthropomorphic characters through walls of text with spoken dialogue, parts of some stages have your pilot conversing with other characters to progress the story. For me, the story is nothing special really, and I kind of found it hard to understand at times. The story will not affect your enjoyment with the game in my opinion, so you can choose to ignore the story altogether if you so wish. Thankfully, the developers added an option to skip and fast forward through all story-related aspects of the game.
The game lets you take control of several different pilots, each with individual special weapons and abilities. You are also given the power to slow down or rewind time, which you can use to either easily avoid enemy projectiles or to go back to a previous point in time (even after you die). You can also stack firepower upgrades—a crucial game mechanic that can ensure your survival in the game. As long as you do not get hit all the upgrades you have obtained will stay with you. If you get hit the upgrades you obtained will scatter and you will have a limited window of time to get them back.
The graphics of Sine Mora EX are gorgeous. The game is presented in a 2.5D perspective, wherein everything is technically in 3D but generally scrolls in 2D. The game’s varied environments are lush and detailed, with intricate background details and parallax scrolling. This beauty can be a hindrance at times though, because there are instances when enemy projectiles can seemingly blend with the background. The game’s musical score is also top-notch, helmed by famed Japanese composer Akira Yamaoka. Mahiro Maeda (of The Animatrix and Neon Genesis Evangelion fame) designed most of the bosses in the game, and these are mostly huge, screen-filling creatures (or structures) each with multi-tiered damage areas.
Playing through the game in Normal difficulty is manageable enough for most players. While it can get challenging, even players new to shmups can make it through to the end in this difficulty. There are some stages which will throw you with surprise (cheap) insta-deaths—good luck avoiding these scenarios during your first play through—and particularly tough bosses. Once you move to Challenging difficulty however the game is no walk in the park. More of your time is lost when you get hit, enemies take more hits to defeat and bosses are generally more menacing in this difficulty. New to the EX version of Sine Mora are enhanced graphics, two player co-op mode in Story Mode, new versus modes, new challenge modes and full English voice overs (in addition to the original Hungarian dub). Also, those who will pick this game up on the Nintendo Switch will have to pay an extra $10 for the game compared to the $19.99 the game is being sold for on other console marketplaces. This is true for both the digital and physical versions of the game, which in my opinion is a weird decision.
Higher asking price aside of the Switch version aside, Sine Mora EX is still a great game. Players new to the genre (and in Sine Mora itself) will enjoy this game as long as they start off in Normal difficulty. Those who have played the original Sine Mora however, may find the high price point of the Switch version a turnoff to double dip. Finally, shmup veterans who have never played the original game will definitely enjoy the punishing gameplay of Challenging difficulty. Sine Mora EX is an excellent addition to your Switch library, but if you have other consoles and do not mind losing portability, consider picking it up elsewhere to save $10.
- Unique time-based mechanics.
- Great graphics and music helmed with the help of various famed industry veterans.
- Normal difficulty is a fair challenge for all players.
NAY!
- Nintendo Switch version costs $10 more—the cost of the convenience of portability perhaps?
- Some instances of cheap deaths.
- Average presentation of narrative in Story Mode.
REVIEW SCORE: 7.3 out of 10
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