Sin and Punishment 2: Successor of the Skies

Have you ever played with a friend or relative that is clearly excessively skilled at a particular game, whilst you seemingly have complete ineptitude when it is your turn to take the reins? As boastful as it sounds, this is not usually the case on my part, yet Tracey, the young representative at a recent event that Nintendo had demonstrating Treasure’s high octane action shooter, Sin & Punishment: Successor of the Skies (Sin & Punishment 2: Star Successor in the US), definitely made me feel extremely humble thanks to her prowess with the Wii Zapper attachment. Being a massive fan of the first game, Sin & Punishment: Successor of the Earth on the Nintendo 64, this sequel has been high up my ‘Most Wanted’ list ever since it was revealed. The original was never actually launched in Western territories, but has since achieved major cult status, culminating in massive support for its eventual worldwide Virtual Console release and the subsequent announcement of this follow-up. There was definitely something special about the first game, and thankfully it eventually got the worldwide attention it deserved. Now, though, it is time to give its successor the limelight.

 

From the short time myself, Mike Mason and James Temperton had with Sin & Punishment 2, it is indeed extremely clear that Treasure has once again created something extremely exceptional that will appeal to fans of on-rail shooters such as House of the Dead, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles and Ghost Squad, as well as those that have a constant yearning for traditional shooters like Treasure’s own Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga. Set many years after the first outing, Successor of the Skies gives players the chance to take control of Isa (the son of Saki and Airan from the first game), and his young female companion, Kachi. There are three alternative control methods on offer (Wii Remote with Nunchuk, Classic Controller and PRO, GameCube controller), yet Nintendo was keen to show off the fourth one, highlighting how well the Wii Zapper option worked; a move that was no doubt successful in converting some of those doubters that have shied away from the gun-shaped plastic shell.

 

Isa and Kachi run or fly through the on-rail stages, moving around rapidly and shooting at any given opportunity to fight off the hordes of on-coming enemies. Should some of the opposing forces manage to get within close range, though, there is no need to panic as a melee attack comes into play, with frantic hand-to-hand combat ensuing. Additionally, long distance projectiles can be deftly swiped at in order to send them careering back from whence they came, to devastating effect. Fortunately there is the chance to choose from various difficulty settings, since newcomers to the genre will be quickly humiliated on the Normal or Hard modes. Unfortunately, the Nintendo rep was so good at the game she refused to let me try the easiest mode! I still claim that being under pressure was the reasoning behind my poor performance, despite what my esteemed Cubed3 colleagues believed, since I did far better when trying the Japanese edition last year in the comfort of a relaxing sofa.

 

Anyway, back on point, as well as the standard shooting sections, there is the odd occasion where the lead character is put into a one-on-one fighting scenario that turns the game into something akin to a standard beat ‘em up, except without the ability to block, leaving players to swiftly dodge out of harm’s way instead. Treasure has tried to mix up the gameplay at various stages, which is a Godsend since small breaks from the incessant, blistering all-out bullet hell gameplay are required simply for the sake of catching your breath and letting your heartbeat return to normal! After all, some of the stages can last up to around forty minutes or so, and the intensity of the action, with a wealth of enemies, bullets and items constantly flying around the screen forces the greatest of concentration out of players. Therefore, whilst the one-on-one fights are not easy, by any means, they are a necessary slight change of pace.

The other key aspect of Sin & Punishment: Successor of the Skies is that it uses the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection for online leader-boards, meaning your high scores can be shared with the rest of the world, which will definitely give die-hard gamers massive impetus for replaying again and again, with the hope of building up more breath-taking score multipliers, chaining together direct hit after hit to obtain the highest score total possible. Throw in the eight lengthy stages to work through, plus extras to unlock, and you can easily see why this is garnering such attention from all corners of the world!