Sine Mora: A Shooter Darkly

Shoot 'em ups are one of the most tried and true genres in the gaming world, tracing their roots back to a period that I can hardly even remember, and I ain't no youngin'. These games, as simplistic as they tend to be, oft times offer intense action and demand hand-eye coordination that few other genres do. One of the reasons why I'm still a loyalist, and why rare gems like Sine Mora have a chance to exist.

Sine Mora is a dark tale fueled by revenge, murder, and terrorism, which belies the colorful beauty of the world it exists in. Do not be fooled by the anthropomorphic characters you control, this is an adult title which touches on subjects such as blackmail and rape, which apparently humanoid animals deal in too. A good part of the surprisingly complex story hinges on the premise of time travel, and an old man's resolve to change the course of history by any means necessary.

For a $15 XBLA game, Sine Mora weaves a pleasantly complex tale, so much that I found myself wishing the game featured an encyclopedia or codex of sorts. This story hasn't been lazily tacked onto some real world history or similar spinoff, but rather exists as its own time and place; characters, cities, factions and technology all exude a high degree of uniqueness. Even the language has been crafted as its own imaginary standard. That is, unless they are just speaking a European tongue that I am none too familiar with, which is most likely the case. I'd like to consider myself a wordly guy, but the European languages aren't my strongest point.

For all its unique intricacies, Sine Mora has a lot of common with other shoot 'em ups, because it's hard to create a shmup that is unlike any other that has come before it. Unlike most others, Sine Mora doesn't adopt the one-hitter quitter policy when it comes to longevity. As you advance, you collect weapon power-ups, a staple of these games. The power-ups progress linearly for 10 levels, but taking damage causes most of your hoarded power orbs to be expelled from your fighter in a fleeting forward fashion. In this sense, Sine Mora wants the player to be aggressive on the recovery. Moreso than the recovery even, this game requires an pugnacious spirit to succeed. The ever-present timer signifies your life, and while it always ticks down, taking damage causes you to lose chunks of time at once. Conversely, successful kills increase your limit, something you will frequently fight for if you have any hopes of completion.

Also integral to the flight for survival is the game's Time Capsule mechanic, an impactful ability that you must learn to wisely use. I first neglected the ability, but after enough deaths I was forced to learn it, which in turn saved my ass on more than a few occasions. In story mode, Time Capsule is limited to a 'bullet time' slo-mo, where enemies and bullets can be carefully avoided as you speed along at normal pace. In the secondary modes, this skill can be changed to a shield which reflects projectiles or a capsule which changes the flow of time, allowing you to correct the sloppiness which has undoubtedly led you to an early death. Of the three, I'd say the shield is the easiest to implement, followed by the slow, and finally the time reversal. Take heed my words if you plan on conquering this creation, grasshopper.

Sine Mora is not easy, even on normal difficulty, however the challenge seemed to ramp up on Arcade and Score Attack modes, where your available time limit is fractioned. Every shot, dodge, and kill must be perfectly placed lest your game meet an early end. For your mental health, I advise staying far from these modes until you have mastered the the intermediates at the very least. Unless you have an iron will, and the desire to learn from your most minute mistakes. In that case, best of luck.

The "dieselpunk" world around your minuscule shooter is one full of splendor and vibrancy, whose beauty in color belies the very dark accompanying story. Backdrops range from assembly lines to retro-futuristic cities, deep sea darkness to the open blue sky. All varied, but also similar in the amount of love that was funneled into their creation. Bosses are absolutely massive. So massive that most boss fights are segmented, so your ship attacks a different area of the monstrosity after leveling the preceding appendage. And as boring as it would be to go through bullet hell after bullet hell when attacking a living colossus, these battles like to throw you off. The bosses hit you with everything they have in addition to a sea of bullets: tentacles, heat eat exhausts, lasers, even their entire bodies are likely to come flying at you from God knows where. And then there's Ssob Pu Dekcuf - go ahead, spell it backwards. Yes, that is its real name, and it's completely warranted. There is some grade-A design on display here, punctuated by Akira Yamaoka's always incredible music.

Sine Mora is a refreshing take on the shoot 'em up genre, mostly for making strides with its deep narrative and rich world more than anything else. Grasshopper Manufacture and Digital Reality have created a lore that would be best served making a return in some form sometime down the line than being buried after this one off. The campaign should take one approximately 2 hours to complete, with another few hours found in the secondary modes, provided you enjoy a challenge. And though the game is beautiful and lovingly crafted, I can't help but feel that $15 is a bit of a steep entry, especially for a genre as niche as this.

The Score: 7 outta 10 Blasters!