Sine Mora EX

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
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  1. GameCritics
    Apr 4, 2018
    70
    Sine Mora EX looks amazing, plays like a dream, and has a story that will leave players feeling bad about themselves and the world. That third thing may not sound like a selling point, but it’s so strange that I couldn’t help but be impressed by the audacity the developers had to include it. Horizontal Shmups don’t come smoother or better-looking than this, so it’s an easy recommendation for anyone with an interest in the genre.
  2. Destructoid
    Aug 18, 2017
    70
    I don't consider Sine Mora EX to be a game that sets the genre on fire, or redefines shmup gameplay in general. But it is very well-priced, looks fantastic, has replay value and is a fun and ferocious slice of old-school arcade action, one that can be enjoyed by battle-scarred veterans and eager rookies alike.

Awards & Rankings

56
#56 Best PS4 Game of 2017

User Reviews

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User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 22 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 22
  3. Negative: 4 out of 22
  1. Eyes_Grim
    Aug 28, 2020
    10
    Really nice challenge and gameplay. Wish the game had a couple more levels and a platinum trophy
  2. tomvs123
    Aug 10, 2020
    4
    An okay game, but primarily for bullet hell fans and not old-school side-scrolling shooter fans (such as Gradius).

    I'll talk about the    An okay game, but primarily for bullet hell fans and not old-school side-scrolling shooter fans (such as Gradius).

    I'll talk about the story briefly. It's really all over the place, with you taking on the roles of different people for each level, and with each one having way more backstory than you need for this type of game. Somehow they decided to add in profanity and rape references, so it quickly becomes a game you normally wouldn't give to young kids. Although they'll likely just skip all of the story scenes, since that's what I did after the first two levels because the stories aren't very interconnected and have very little to do with what you're doing gameplay-wise.

    As for the gameplay, it's very basic. You can upgrade your main weapon, primarily giving it a wider firing rage, by getting random upgrade items during the level. You have a special attack that varies from killing everything on screen to doing a large forward-facing blast, depending on which person you're playing. And you can slow down time temporarily. That's it. There's no between-level shops, loadouts, or upgrades. So if you're a fan of games like Gradius or U.N. Squadron, you might be disappointed by this one.

    What the game does do fairly well is bullet hell. I've don't play these sorts of games, so don't have much to compare it to. Just know that you'll be doing a lot of dodging of small balls in a variety of patterns that make no practical sense, weapon-wise. But that's the point of these sorts of games. As someone who doesn't play these sorts of games, it was challenging, with the last two levels (out of6 levels), taking multiple retries to get through on Normal mode.

    There's some minor annoyances in the gameplay, such as not being able to shoot behind you (things frequently show up behind you), and it being difficult to tell the difference between the terrain and sky. But with enough deaths and retries, I got used to these.

    And then there's local multiplayer options. The three different versus options are incredibly basic. They have you on a static screen shooting at each other twin-stick style. I and my daughter got tired of them quick. So then we tried the co-op main campaign. It has the 2nd player flying in one of the twin-stick crafts while the 1st player is in the normal plane. And unless you're both decent at bullet hell games, you'll have a bad time since your life pool is shared. If one of you is no good, then you'll both die very quickly and not have much fun.

    So it was an interesting 5 or so hours to get through the game, but I have no plans to replay it.    … Full Review »
  3. wesker2012
    May 22, 2018
    7
    A fun, side scrolling airplane shooter with a nice presentation and solid gameplay. Levels are pretty short though.
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