Sine Mora EX (2017) - before you buy - first 30 min (Video 043)
2Sine Mora (Metacritic 84%)
is a shoot 'em up video game developed by Digital Reality and Grasshopper Manufacture for the Xbox 360, Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and iOS. It was released on March 21, 2012 for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade, on November 20, 2012 for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita via the PlayStation Network, on July 16, 2013 for iOS via iTunes Store, as well as Windows, and on August 13, 2013 for the Ouya. The game is a 2.5D shooter; gameplay is restricted to two axes while the environment is rendered in 3D. The setting has been described as diesel punk inspired and features anthropomorphic characters.
The game was well received by critics, with aggregate scores of 84.05% at GameRankings and 83/100 at Metacritic, two video game review aggregators. Critics found the story confusing, but praised the overall gameplay. Specifically the shoot 'em up mechanic, time-based mechanic and boss battles received high marks. Reviewers also lauded the game's visuals.
On March 3, 2017, THQ Nordic unveiled Sine Mora EX, an extended version of Sine Mora for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One. The game was a surprise announcement to debut in PAX East 2017. It was released on August 8, 2017 and the Switch version released on September 26, 2017 in North America and October 10, 2017 in Europe.
Contents
1 Gameplay
Gameplay
Sine Mora is a 2.5D shoot'em up. While the environment and objects are rendered in 3D, gameplay runs along a 2D plane.
Sine Mora (Latin meaning, "without delay") is a side scrolling shoot 'em up game. The player controls an airplane along two axes while attacking enemies. The gameplay world is rendered in 3D, and at key points an in-game cutscene plays in which the camera and plane move. These are often transitions into another part of the gameplay world, but are also used to give the player a new perspective for things such as boss battles. The plane's primary weapons can be upgraded, and players are equipped with a limited-use, more powerful secondary weapon to eliminate more on-screen enemies at one time.Consecutive kills with the primary weapon will increase the game's score multiplier, while use of the secondary weapon or time manipulation will reset the multiplier. The player's final score is determined by a number of factors including kills, damage taken, and powerups collected.
As the game is marketed as a bullet hell shooter it features four difficulties: normal, challenging, hard and insane. The normal difficulty reduces the on-screen ordnance from enemies, while the insane difficulty is geared towards those who are veterans of the genre. In this difficulty the ordnance on the screen is much higher, forcing a greater difficulty level.[5] In addition, four game modes are included: Story, Arcade, Score Attack, and Boss Training. Story mode is the primary mode of the game and allows the player to see the narrative as the game progresses. On the standard difficulty players are given eight continues, while the Insane difficulty yields only five. Completing levels on the more challenging difficulty unlocks an alternate narrative. Arcade mode removes the narrative cutscenes and limits the player to only three continues. Score Attack mode allows players to replay any stage previously completed with only one life. The objective is to achieve the highest score possible and complete the stage. Players do not progress to the next stage after completion in this mode. Boss Training allows players to practice and/or replay any unlocked boss battles. Continues in this mode are unlimited.
Sine Mora does not use a traditional player health mechanic. It instead plays on the aspect of time. Each level is given a set amount of time which continues to tick downwards. Taking damage will temporarily speed up this process, while eliminating enemies will add time back. Powerups in the game can provide bonuses such as shielding, extra time, and upgraded weapon.Players can choose from multiple characters and planes, and the combination of choices determines the vital statistics during play. Characters are not tied to a specific plane, rather characters and planes each have unique attributes, the combination of which determines the statistics.