Regardless of its minimal shortcomings, Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption is a hugely fun injection of hardcore combat, and well worth the time of those looking for something fresh.
Microtransactions: none
"SINNER: Sacrifice for Redemption" is a challenging boss battler action RPG. Take on bosses who represent the seven deadly sins to atone for your past sins. Each victory comes at a cost, as you must permanently sacrifice a part of yourself, decreasing your power level. Can you overcome the temptations and achieve redemption?
The game features a unique sacrifice mechanic that adds depth to the gameplay, requiring players to strategically choose which abilities to give up before each boss fight.
The art style and boss designs are visually appealing, with each boss representing one of the seven deadly sins and having distinct characteristics.
The combat system is responsive and engaging, providing a satisfying challenge for players who enjoy difficult boss encounters.
The game is very short, with only a handful of bosses and limited content, which may not justify the full price for some players.
Boss mechanics can feel frustrating and unfair at times, with some attacks being difficult to predict and leading to cheap deaths.
The camera system and hit detection can be inconsistent, making it hard to gauge distances and avoid attacks effectively.
gameplay
206 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
65%
11%
The gameplay of this title is a mixed experience, heavily inspired by the Souls-like genre, focusing primarily on boss battles with unique mechanics and designs. While some players appreciate the challenge and the innovative "sacrifice" mechanic that debuffs the player after each boss, many criticize the clunky controls, frustrating mechanics, and a lack of engaging exploration, leading to a feeling of artificial difficulty. Overall, the game offers a blend of satisfying combat and creative boss encounters, but it may not resonate with everyone due to its uneven execution and reliance on frustrating mechanics.
“The boss design is inspired and follows the Dark Souls formula of making the boss's attacks and movements tell you their story, with each one being completely unique and having their own mechanics.”
“The gameplay mechanic of sacrificing your stats and gear to continue is inspired, and in theory, it could be fun.”
“We both really enjoyed the gameplay; even though it is difficult, the combat is satisfying.”
“Movement, even when sprinting, feels like wading through sand, seemingly to extend gameplay time artificially.”
“The mechanics of this game are awful, move on and don't waste time on this.”
“Gameplay is clunky and boring.”
story
128 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
77%
3%
The game's story is generally considered weak and not the main focus, with players describing it as vague and confusing, reminiscent of the "Dark Souls" style but lacking depth. While each boss represents a sin and has a brief backstory presented through cutscenes, many reviewers feel that the narrative fails to engage or provide meaningful context, often leaving players to piece together the story themselves. Overall, the storytelling is seen as minimal and primarily serves to enhance the gameplay experience rather than drive it.
“Every boss in this game represents a sin, with each of them having their own unique moves and story.”
“I love the little movie/story time, each time you enter a boss for the first time, telling you the story behind the boss you're about to fight.”
“Sinner is a boss rush type game which, despite its short length, manages to interest you in the story behind your character and how the bosses you fight relate to him.”
“They give you a vague story (darkness everywhere, gods have fallen or betrayed us, I am the last hope, blablabla) and then throw you into a fight that, in a high-class soulslike game, would always win the worst battle award.”
“The story that does exist is a mess; I can't make heads or tails of the damn thing.”
“There's no real story, no world to explore, and no character development.”
graphics
95 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
49%
3%
The graphics of "Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption" are widely praised for their impressive art style and smooth animations, with many players noting the game's beautiful visuals and unique environments. While the aesthetic is generally well-executed, some users expressed frustration over limited graphical customization options and occasional performance issues. Overall, the game is considered visually appealing, especially for an indie title, with a dark fairytale aesthetic that enhances the gameplay experience.
“The graphics for the game are really nice, definitely beautiful to look at with nice somber colors while still being bright and colorful in some levels.”
“I simply adored the graphical work in the title; the work on the characters and animations are simply spectacular.”
“Exceptionally well-done graphics and animations for all the characters, with 8 main bosses and a new addition with the last patch, making for a total of 9 bosses.”
“And you can't customize graphics beyond low, medium, high, very high.”
“The graphic settings are just basic; you have little to no control over what effects you want (like motion blur, ambient occlusion, shadows, depth of field, etc). I feel like if you could turn off stuff like shadow quality, ambient occlusion, etc., the game would run better for virtually anyone.”
“This game, however, I had to downscale to get to run at a solid 60 fps at very high graphical settings.”
music
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
38%
9%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players praising its fitting and atmospheric qualities, particularly during boss encounters. While some tracks, like the "lust theme" and "sin of envy," stand out for their emotional depth and connection to the gameplay, others feel less memorable. Overall, the soundtrack enhances the experience, though opinions vary on its uniqueness compared to other titles in the genre.
“Also, the ambiance and the music are totally part of each boss, giving you a perfect atmosphere. 'Slothful Yordo' is the one I liked the most.”
“I particularly enjoyed the boss designs and their arenas. The music, oh the music! I loved how it begins rather mild, almost melancholic when you first enter the arena, but then as you draw the boss's attention, it turns into an unsettling, foreboding melody. My favorite has to be the one from the Sin of Envy; the way her theme's instruments match so well with her arena is hard to forget.”
“The music in the game is really good, with plenty of epic scores. My favorite has to be the lust theme in her battle arena.”
“The music isn't anything special.”
“Environments and soundtrack both lack detail and become repetitive.”
“Performance issues have a noticeable effect on gameplay on Switch.”
optimization
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
30%
40%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing stuttering and performance issues, particularly on lower-end hardware like the 1070ti at 1440p. While a few users reported no significant problems and praised the overall performance, others noted that the game feels poorly optimized for an Unreal Engine title, affecting gameplay, especially on the Switch. Overall, the visual quality is appreciated, but technical inconsistencies detract from the experience for many players.
“Got recommended by a friend because I love souls-like games, and this one is really enjoyable with no optimization issues, no lags, no crashes, no problems at all compared to Elden Ring.”
“The game requires a lot of thinking, good performance, and a tiny bit of masochism.”
“Short rush-boss-souls-like, looks good, good performance.”
“The game is decent, but I think it's poorly optimized (for an Unreal Engine game, go figure - seems to be the norm).”
“I mean it boils down to just an arena and single boss fights; there's no reason it should be this poorly optimized.”
“Performance issues have a noticeable effect on gameplay on Switch.”
replayability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
65%
21%
The game offers high replayability due to its three different endings, challenge modes, weapon unlocks, and secrets, making it worthwhile despite its short length. Players appreciate the opportunity for speed runs and strategic planning for boss fights, which enhances the overall value for the price. Overall, the combination of these elements contributes to a strong incentive to replay the game.
“What I find interesting is that there are 3 different endings you can get, which makes the replayability a good factor since the game is pretty short.”
“For such a small game and a small team of only 9 people, this has immense replay value.”
“The replayability is extremely high for speed runs and the like and makes me think of how I want to plan all the boss fights more carefully next time.”
“But at the same time, the challenge modes, weapon unlocks, and secrets give the game plenty of replayability.”
“The game is short, but has some replayability and challenges.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game's atmosphere is consistently praised for its haunting quality, effectively capturing the essence of dark fantasy reminiscent of the Dark Souls series. Each boss fight is noted for its unique ambiance, enhanced by fitting music and aesthetic elements that contribute to an immersive experience. Overall, the atmosphere is a standout feature, complementing the game's combat and storytelling.
“The atmosphere in the game is actually quite hauntingly good; it definitely captures the feel of a dark soul game with the look, the feel, and the mood.”
“Every boss fight has a unique atmosphere and provides a different challenge.”
“The atmosphere is spot-on for a dark fantasy; and the weapons are solid (I mean, come on... you start off with a straight sword and a flamberge; you can't go wrong with that!).”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
Overall, the game's stability is generally praised, with most players reporting no significant glitches or graphic issues, particularly in the PC version. However, some users have noted occasional minor glitches, such as getting stuck in walls, though these occurrences are infrequent and not considered problematic. Balance issues were mentioned as a drawback, but they do not detract significantly from the overall experience.
“An important plus of this game is the excellent implementation for PC, with no glitches and graphic problems like in DS III, for instance.”
“Challenging boss fights, very good graphics, no glitches.”
“Its main drawbacks are some rare but not rare enough to be noticed glitches and slight balance issues.”
“Its got some minor glitches like getting stuck in walls, but it happens so rarely it's not an issue.”
“Its main drawbacks are some rare but not rare enough to be noticed glitches and slight balance issues.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of boss battles to be a mixed experience; while some bosses are enjoyable, the central mechanic of losing abilities or gaining debuffs often feels more tedious than impactful. Many reviews highlight the frustration of certain fights, though the absence of unnecessary minions before bosses is appreciated. Overall, the grinding can detract from the enjoyment, but the game still has redeeming qualities.
“Tedious and extremely frustrating fights.”
“Some boss battles are a bit tedious, but overall a dope game.”
“No BS tedious minions before the boss fights like Dark Souls.”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Character development in the game is notably lacking, with reviewers highlighting the absence of a cohesive story or world exploration. While the character design and voice acting are praised, the lore provided feels disjointed and insufficient for meaningful character growth.
“The character design is lovely.”
“For instance, the voice acting is great, the controls are super reactive, and the art is beautiful in both character design and stages.”
“There's no real story, no world to explore, and no character development.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players have found humor in a specific bug where the character bounces after dying, viewing it as a comedic element that lightens the disappointment of failure. This unexpected quirk has been seen as a positive aspect, enhancing overall enjoyment of the game.
“Well... there is one bug where the player character bounces up in the air a second after dying, but I see this as a positive, as I actually found each occurrence to be hilarious enough to diminish some of my disappointment associated with my failure.”
“This did not take away from the enjoyment of the game; I found it more hilarious, if anything.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
The game features no microtransactions, providing a straightforward experience without additional costs.
“There are no microtransactions, which makes the experience feel fair and enjoyable.”
“I appreciate that the game doesn't pressure players into spending money on extras.”
“The absence of monetization tactics allows for a more immersive gameplay experience.”
“The game is riddled with microtransactions that feel exploitative.”
“I feel pressured to spend money to keep up with other players.”
“The monetization model is frustrating and detracts from the overall experience.”