Thriller
Sin & Punishment: Star Successor
By Mike Jackson - August 15th, 2010
Sin & Punishment: Star Successor is the follow-up to an old N64 Japanese shooter by a similar name which was released back in 2000. I never played the original and, admittedly, never even heard of it; from what I understand it managed to obtain somewhat of a cult following. Both games were developed by TREASURE, the name behind some very successful shumps such as Ikaruga and Radiant Silvergun. Although, as I will describe, this game departs abruptly from your typical shoot’em up style.
The game picks up abruptly where the last one ended, providing very little back story which I didn’t find to be much of an issue (it is a ‘shooter’ after all). There were a couple of cut scenes over the course of the first few levels that had me scratching my head wondering what the heck happened in the first game (and why does one of the main characters have a tail??); nontheless, it did not detract from my enjoyment of the game.
Gameplay reminded me a bit of Space Harrier (remember that?): your character could either be on the ground or flying in the air with a jet pack or hover board. You have the option of playing either of the main characters, Isa or Kachi, at the starting of the game; there are only minor differences between them. In terms of control, you have the option to play with the standard chuk n’ Wii-mote combo, any of the old school controllers or even the Zapper. Personally I found the standard Wii-mote/chuk worked just fine. The controls aren’t overly complex: move with the chuk, aim and shoot with the Wii mote. There are two types of attacks: your standard bullet barrage or a locked-on charged super shot; both of which you will find are used a fair bit during the game.
S&P boasts some very intriguing level design that could only come from the creative mind of an Asian design team. One level in particular is a quasi dream sequence which takes place at night in a forest battling demons out of Japanese folklore. Very strange, yet highly entertaining. Although some of the levels are immersive, Star Successor is really about the epic boss battles with the intermediary action strictly used to rack up multiplier points.
Take note, Star Successor is not for the fair-weather gamer. Even set on easy I really struggled with the difficultly and intensity of gameplay. The bosses are extremely tough and some battles feel like they go on forever. The game also offers the option to upload your score after each level, which is ranked against an international leader board. Hardcore gamers will appreciate the competitive nature of online scoring and will spend hours attempting to better their rank.
Overall, this game is a change of pace form the typical everyday gamer titles that Wii is known for. If you are looking for a challenge or fancy yourself as a hardcore gamer this game will not disappoint.
