Sine Mora

Sine Mora is a really refreshing game, and is one that is created with a lot of love and affection. People who are fans of this genre shouldn't think twice about picking this one up; it is possibly one of the best Shmups I've ever played.

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Sine Mora is a critically acclaimed horizontal shoot'em up, combining innovative gameplay and stunning graphics. Its unique time-based challenge system sets it apart, while it offers a fresh take on classic shooter mechanics. Now available on iOS, get ready for a breathtaking adventure and one of the best shooter experiences.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 564 reviews

story82 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

Gorgeous graphics and art style that enhance the overall experience.
Engaging story that adds depth to the gameplay, featuring themes of revenge and sacrifice.
Unique time-based health mechanic that encourages aggressive play and strategic decision-making.

Frustrating difficulty spikes and instant-death mechanics that can feel unfair.
Poor mouse controls and sensitivity issues that detract from the gameplay experience.
The story can be convoluted and hard to follow, with unskippable cutscenes that interrupt the flow of the game.

story
325 mentions
25 % positive mentions
66 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The game's story is often described as convoluted and difficult to follow, with many players noting that it is delivered through lengthy text screens and lacks engaging character development. While some appreciate the dark and mature themes, including elements of time travel and complex narratives, others find the execution awkward and distracting, detracting from the overall gameplay experience. Despite its flaws, the story is recognized for its ambition and depth, making it a notable aspect of the game, albeit one that may not appeal to all players.
- “An epic, dark sci-fi storyline encased in excellent cinematics, animations, and gameplay.”
- “The story is rich and engrossing and the gameplay is fluid, frantic and fun as hell.”
- “Sine Mora is a wondrous shmup, extremely well done and fluid, yet, what truly distinguishes such a baffling title is its setting and deep, philosophical story.”
- “Most of the terrible story is told via black screens with writing on them between levels, which could have at least made the bad writing less intrusive, but there's loads and loads of terrible, edgy dialogue during the levels themselves.”
- “The story is lazily delivered via bland walls of text in between missions, without effort to bring the game's world to life.”
- “One thing I will say is that the story mode, for me personally, made no sense whatsoever...a very difficult story to follow, coupled with annoying cut scenes every few minutes made it a less enjoyable experience.”
graphics
223 mentions
72 % positive mentions
26 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their stunning beauty and immersive art style, often described as the standout feature that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the vibrant visuals and creative level designs, which keep the gameplay engaging even after repeated playthroughs. However, some reviews note that while the graphics are impressive, they can occasionally distract from gameplay clarity and may not compensate for other gameplay shortcomings.
- “The standout feature of the game is the gorgeous visuals.”
- “The graphics and art style are really impressive; while it's hard to concentrate on the scenery while dodging hundreds of bullets, this game is an absolute pleasure to watch.”
- “Sine Mora is an awesome side-scrolling shmup with a beautiful art style, intense, well thought out boss battles, and multiple weapons and characters to play with.”
- “Sine Mora EX won't run after setting graphics settings to ultra; it crashes to desktop upon startup.”
- “Probably not worth playing unless you're completely in love with the visuals and willing to overlook everything else being mediocre to bad.”
- “What I got: a confusing mess of horrible controls, poor level design, strange hitboxes, and distracting visuals.”
gameplay
201 mentions
30 % positive mentions
66 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Sine Mora is characterized by its unique time-based mechanics, which serve as both health and a challenge, creating a blend of traditional shoot 'em up elements with innovative twists. While the visuals and presentation are praised, many players find the gameplay experience marred by frustrating design choices, such as excessive cutscenes and a lack of depth in mechanics, leading to a mixed reception overall. Despite its beautiful graphics and engaging story, the gameplay can feel punishing and convoluted, particularly for those unfamiliar with the genre.
- “The gameplay may just use two dimensions but the 3D visuals really add to the immersion.”
- “The control is super tight, the power-up mechanics work great and the bosses are epic.”
- “The story is rich and engrossing and the gameplay is fluid, frantic and fun as hell.”
- “Ended up stopping playing because of this mechanic.”
- “However, many reasonably small design choices in the gameplay and general design come together to make for a game that is bland at best.”
- “The game mechanics are bad, the controls are equally as bad on mouse, keyboard, and gamepad, and I could not wrap my head around the design decisions these developers made.”
music
56 mentions
54 % positive mentions
41 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it forgettable and not fitting the game's aesthetic, particularly criticizing the ambient and cheerful tones that contrast with the darker storyline. Others appreciated the soundtrack, highlighting its beauty and how it complements the stunning visuals. Overall, while the graphics are widely praised, the music is often seen as a weak point, lacking the aggressive energy expected in a shoot 'em up.
- “Gorgeous art, breathtaking bosses, and a fantastic soundtrack.”
- “Awesome soundtrack.”
- “The game also has not only spectacular visuals that engross you as well as some amazing music to accompany you.”
- “I mean for a shoot 'em up, I always expect some aggressive, joyful, or rocking music in the background to pull me more into the game and provoke me to shoot more aggressively… unfortunately, there is none.”
- “The soundtrack, mostly electronic ambiance for the levels and more upbeat EDM for the bosses, is pretty forgettable in my opinion and doesn't really fit the aesthetic.”
- “It was so forgettable that I don't even remember if there was some background music to begin with, and I'm not even joking.”
replayability
23 mentions
48 % positive mentions
39 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability through various ship combinations, multiple game modes, and a rich scoring system that encourages competition. While some players note that the short length may limit replay value, the challenge of higher difficulties and the intriguing story keep many engaged. Overall, it is praised as a strong contender in the genre with ample replay opportunities for fans of bullet hell shooters.
- “There's different combinations of ships you can use, so it adds an element of replayability.”
- “The story itself is intriguing enough to keep me playing, and the modes that it offers give it a lot of replay value, topped off with a rich scoring system.”
- “That being said, as a bullet hell, this game provides a decent challenge and has unlockables and several game modes for replayability.”
- “Scoring adds a competitive aspect to most shmups, and with broken scoring a large amount of the game's potential replay value is gone.”
- “Pretty graphics can't make this mess any more playable.”
- “That being said, as a bullet hell, this game provides a decent challenge, and has unlockables and several game modes for replayability.”
atmosphere
8 mentions
50 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is polarizing; while some players appreciate its gorgeous design and atmospheric music, others find it lacking in excitement and energy, leading to a disconnect in overall engagement.
- “You don't have to be fond of the genre to enjoy it unless you have trouble with gorgeous design and atmospheric music.”
- “Amazing looking, loads of atmosphere, great bosses.”
- “The problem with the game starts with its atmosphere.”
- “You can find no excitement, no energy, no atmosphere in it.”
optimization
8 mentions
25 % positive mentions
38 % neutral mentions
38 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is considered adequate, allowing it to run smoothly on average laptops and standard graphics cards, particularly at 720p on normal settings. However, some users have reported poor performance, suggesting that experiences may vary depending on specific hardware configurations.
- “The game runs smoothly on an average laptop and a standard graphics card.”
- “Adequate performance on Intel HD 4000 on normal at 720p.”
- “Poor performance.”
- “Adequate performance on Intel HD 4000 on normal settings at 720p.”
- “It's optimized pretty well, so don't worry if the screenshots make you wonder if you'll handle this... you will!”
stability
4 mentions
50 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game generally runs well on Windows 10 (64-bit) and supports ultrawide resolutions, but users report frequent crashes and bugs, particularly with the console port, indicating significant stability issues.
- “Runs great on Windows 10 (64-bit) and it is ultrawide friendly (2560x1080)”
- “I love the game, really cool characters, planes, voice acting, bosses, and awesome backgrounds, but it crashes... a lot... buggy console port, I guess...”
emotional
4 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players highlight "Sine Mora" as a standout shoot-'em-up that effectively combines intense gameplay with deep emotional engagement, likening its impact to that of classic titles like "Ikaruga" and "Radiant Silvergun." Despite some gameplay frustrations, the emotional resonance of the game is a significant draw for players.
- “Besides Ikaruga and Radiant Silvergun, both being Treasure masterpieces, Sine Mora is the only other shoot-'em-up that is successful in delivering intense yet highly emotional shooting action.”
grinding
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-50 % neutral mentions
150 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect enjoyable initially, particularly during the first 10-20 playthroughs. However, it tends to become tedious over time, especially when pursuing achievements.
- “It was really fun the first 10-20 times I played through it, but it gets a bit tedious if you keep grinding for the achievements.”
- “Grinding becomes repetitive and loses its charm after a while.”
- “The grind feels endless and can turn an otherwise enjoyable experience into a chore.”
humor
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the game to be unexpectedly enjoyable, particularly when replaying missions for achievements, which adds a lighthearted and amusing element to the experience.
- “Just beginning the game, but I found it unexpectedly funny to replay missions all the time to get every achievement.”