When it first released back in 2012, Sine Mora was a critically acclaimed side-scrolling shooter with an interesting story driven along with time-bending twists. It intended to recreate the glory of old school 2D shooters, with modern visuals, gameplay tweaks and sharp presentation. Now the IP is in the hands of THQ Nordic who have brought out a more visually polished version of game, while also adding new multiplayer modes.
I like the story in Sine Mora, but I can understand why it’s not easy to take to. You play as pilots in a war, and the story is told from two perspectives running parallel to each other. You have the ability to manipulate time, the effects of which are mostly gameplay related. There are time travel elements involved and the story can be a bit too much to take in at times. It also takes some dark turns along the way, addressing the atrocities of war, including suicide, genocide and rape. While the dark and heavy story sits in stark contrast to the gameplay and visual presentation, it is good nonetheless.
The gameplay is the main draw for anyone interested in the game, and is really good. It’s instantly reminiscent of older 2D shooters we used to play. There’s a timer always running and you add seconds to it by getting kills. The number of enemies ramps up eventually, and often you need to use the ability to slow time in order to avoid taking damage. The game is generous on the bullet-hell side, and you’d do well to avoid enemy fire as much as you can. Fallen enemies drop pickups, that give you an additional edge during fights. You will lose these pickups when you get hit, but if you move fast enough, you can try to get them back.
Boss fights are plenty throughout the game and last across multiple stages, giving an epic feel to the fights. And they are really well designed – hulking monstrosities of metal that are intent on killing you.
The game also looks absolutely gorgeous, with excellent lighting, framing and particle effects. Everything explodes in a spectacular fashion, and the camera often pans between fights to give you a better view of your surroundings. There’s a great variety to the levels, with constantly changing backgrounds like underwater sections, lush vistas, military bases, etc.
You can play the game solo through the single player campaign and the arcade mode. You can also play in couch co-op where one person controls the plane while another shoots. There are also multiplayer versus modes, and other variants. Sine Mora EX is definitely a robust package that packs in hours of gameplay.
Sine Mora EX definitely brings back fond memories of good old school 2D shooters, while reminding me that they are still really fun today.
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