GENERAL INFORMATION:
Genre: Shoot'em'up
Platform: Xbox Live Arcade (Xbox 360)
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Developers: Digital Reality / Grasshopper Manufacture
Release date: 21/03/2012 (Global)
Pricing: 1200 Microsoft Points
Sine Mora is a collaboration between the hungarian studio Digital Reality and the japanese studio Grasshopper Manufacture. Grasshopper Manufacture is responsible for the concept art and the sound design - that includes a soundtrack created by Akira Yamaoka (Shadows of the Damned, Silent Hill), and Digital Reality is responsible for the game design, the programming, 3d modelling - although both development teams have been overseeing all aspects of the project. Sine Mora is designed to appeal the newcomers to the shoot'em'up genre as well as the hardcore veterans who want to jump right into the Arcade Mode and Score Attack as they launch the game. Sine Mora is also pushing forward with its story direction - the Story Mode separates gameplay levels with story elements in written form, and during gameplay, players get to know the characters better by hearing their conversations as the story progresses.
Introducing Time
Sine Mora is a shoot'em'up that revolves around Time being the main mechanic to it. When touching an enemy bullet or beam, you are losing time, when destroying an enemy, you are gaining time relative to the destroyed enemy's importance (bosses and more robust enemies net you more, normal enemies only give small amounts of time. Lose all your time, and that is about it - keep more time and get higher score.
Powerups, Score modifiers, replayability
The game rewards perfect play in a variety of ways. If you do not get hit, you will have access to an increasing score modifier - and you will also get stronger as you are picking up more and more bonuses. Upon touching an enemy bullet or beam, however, you will lose your accumulated damage boosters - but you can pick them up again if you are fast. In a hectic situation, that is highly ill-advised, as you will most likely end up getting shot again and again while you are trying to reach the lost powerups.
Every character has a different secondary shot that has different properties (weapon extensions, a high-powered energy beam, seeker missiles, etc.), and in addition to that, you can decide what special ability you want to use in the stage. Plan around your character's secondary attack, and decide what additional ability you want to use to master Sine Mora's gameplay. If you prefer getting out of situations in just the nick of time, time slowing might be just for you. If you want to practice the actual scenarios instead without needing to replay the whole level, rewinding time will still help you to get through that dangerous situation, even if you failed for the first time. And reflect missiles might help you to just ignore the dangers, and do your own thing, at your own pace!
Four different difficulty levels
There are four difficulty levels available in Sine Mora. The first two is reserved for Story Mode - these difficulties are intended for beginners, but can still provide a decent challenge for those that are familiar with the shoot'em'up basics. Those who feel that they are ready to truly master this game are going to spend a lot more time though: both the Hard and the Insane difficulties are available in the Arcade and the Score Attack modes. These are meant for the hardcore shoot'em'up enthusiasts: you will fail, you will need to memorize the attack patterns - and you will need to replay the levels several times before being able to perfectly run through one.
STORY
THE VEHICLES
THE CREW
In story mode, you are not able to choose which character to play as - they will take turns as the story progresses. You will be, however, able to choose them once you have unlocked them in the other modes - and they all have a unique secondary attack. Secondary attacks are limited in use, and can be vital in exploiting the weaknesses of all bosses - it is something you will be able to experiment with in the Boss Training mode.
SCREENSHOTS, TRAILERS - MEDIA:
Launch Trailer | Normal vs Insane comparison (Youtube) | From Dust to Dust - Teaser (Youtube) | HD Gameplay from the first stage (Cam, GC2011 - Youtube)
The pictures are all taken straight from the game - you will see this (and more) running at 60fps - with the option for stereoscopic 3D!
Click on the thumbnails for bigger pictures! Links are pointing towards imgur.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q: What is Sine Mora?
A: It is in latin, and it means: "without delay".
Q:I am not convinced that this will satisfy my tastes as I have grown up on japanese shmups! Can you help me out?
A:Yes, I can. Theodore Reiker, the creative mind behind the whole project is a faithful fan of the genre as well - and you might want to check out this interview with him, for example, to see for yourself. The development team has created and balanced two additional difficulties and game modes (Score Attack, Arcade Mode) for the hardcore shoot'em'up fans out there.
Q:How long is the game? Is there replayability in it? How fast can I get my 'cheevos out of it?
A:If you are looking for a 200/200, you might wanna take a seat. The story mode can be completed in a few hours, but it will not be enough to really conquer the game. The Score Attack and Arcade modes provide more difficult encounters, and to clear them all, you are looking at least 40+ hours of gameplay. The achievements are gained by getting to higher ranks - the highest have some insanely hard requirements tied to it.
Q: Are there any plans for DLC content?
A:Nope. From the interview posted two paragraphs ago: "There are no DLC plans. This decision was left to the development team, and we approached it as players. As players, we’re not fond of the business model when connected to digital releases, to be honest. Small additions would not justify any price point, we would definitely feel guilty of ripping off our customers..."
Q: What language can be heard during the game? Is it swedish? Backwards german? A long forgotten dialect of sidhe? Or a corrupted audio file?
A: Glad you asked. The language is as real as it gets - it is hungarian.
Q: I have a serious case of TL;DR - could you tell me what this is all about like..real fast?
A:Alright. Sine Mora is a shoot'em'up with previously unseen mechanics, four difficulties, amazing graphics with vivid colors, fast and responsive gameplay, 3d support - and it is coming out for XBLA (Xbox 360), in march 21, 2012 - for the price of 1200 Microsoft points.
REVIEWS
Destructoid - 9.5/10
Joystiq - 4,5/5
IGN - 9.0/10
GamesTM - 9 / 10
Eurogamer - 9/10
Gamer365 - 9/10
Gamesradar - 7/10
