Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption

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

63%Game Brain Score

gameplay, story

optimization, replayability

63% User Score Based on 279 reviews

Critic Score 62%Based on 18 reviews

Platforms

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About

"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?

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption screenshot

63%

Audience ScoreBased on 279 reviews

gameplay24 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The game features a unique concept of sacrificing abilities before each boss fight, adding a strategic layer to the gameplay.
The art style and boss designs are visually appealing, creating an engaging atmosphere.
The combat mechanics are responsive and satisfying, reminiscent of the Souls-like genre.

The game is very short, with only a handful of bosses and limited content, leading to a lack of replayability.
Boss mechanics can feel unfair and frustrating, with some attacks being difficult to predict or avoid.
The camera and hitbox issues can lead to frustrating moments, detracting from the overall experience.

gameplay
101 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
65%
11%
Gameplay in this title is a mixed experience, with some players appreciating the unique boss mechanics and the challenge they present, while others criticize the clunky controls and frustrating mechanics that detract from the overall enjoyment. The game's focus on boss battles, combined with a sacrifice mechanic that debuffs players, offers a fresh take on the souls-like genre, but many feel it leads to an uneven difficulty curve and tedious gameplay. Overall, while the visuals and boss designs are praised, the execution of gameplay mechanics leaves much to be desired, making it a polarizing experience for players.
- “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, not surprisingly, is reminiscent of Dark Souls, so if you like that, you'll like this as well.”
- “The unique gameplay offers quite a bit of challenge depending on the order you tackle the bosses.”
- “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.”
- “The gameplay can be really frustrating at times like before you fight a boss you have to sacrifice one of your stats like your armor or the durability of your shield, it was such a pain in the ass.”
story
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
75%
5%
The game's story is generally considered weak and ambiguous, often relying on vague themes of darkness and the fall of gods, reminiscent of the Souls-like genre. While each boss has a unique backstory that is revealed through brief cinematics, many players feel that the narrative lacks depth and coherence, serving primarily as a backdrop for the gameplay rather than a driving force. Overall, the storytelling is seen as minimal and not particularly engaging, with some players appreciating the aesthetic but wishing for a more substantial narrative experience.
- “Every boss in this game represents a sin, with each of them having its 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 cancer of souls games where you have to make up your own story from dim pieces which developers give you.”
- “The story that does exist is a mess; I can't make heads or tails of the damn thing.”
graphics
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
45%
6%
The graphics of "Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption" are widely praised for their impressive art style and smooth animations, with many reviewers noting the game's beautiful visuals and unique environments. While the aesthetic is appealing and fits well within the dark fairytale theme, some players expressed frustration over limited graphical customization options and performance issues at higher settings. Overall, the game is recognized as a visually striking indie title that enhances the gameplay experience.
- “The art style of Sinner is surprisingly well-executed.”
- “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.”
- “While its art style is commendable, the game is hampered by a slow pace, frustrating camera issues, and unsatisfying boss fights.”
- “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
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
25%
19%
The music in the game is generally praised for its fitting and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the combat and boss encounters with epic scores and unique themes that resonate with the game's lore and visuals. While some reviewers find it not groundbreaking, many highlight specific tracks, such as the "lust theme" and the "sin of envy," as memorable and impactful, contributing significantly to the overall experience. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong aspect of the game, complementing its design and gameplay effectively.
- “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.”
- “I particularly enjoyed the bosses' 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.”
- “Having played over 200 hours in each Dark Souls game as well as Bloodborne, I feel that this game holds up in regard to its combat, boss design, music, and visuals.”
- “The music isn't anything special.”
- “This can be done by making the boss slightly faster, give it a few brand new attacks and making the music a little wilder.”
- “Even the music seems inspired by des; and this is another good thing!”
optimization
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews. While some players report smooth performance and no issues, others experience stuttering and performance drops, particularly on certain hardware configurations. Despite these concerns, many agree that the game maintains a visually appealing presentation.
- “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.”
- “In the technical part, I'm not too sure if it's my PC or the game has some problems, but it kept having stuttering the first time I fought a boss.”
- “Performance can be mediocre in some stages on a 1070 Ti at 1440p.”
- “I mean, it boils down to just an arena and single boss fights; there's no reason it should be this poorly optimized.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
29%
43%
The game offers high replayability due to its multiple endings, challenge modes, and unlockable content, making it worthwhile despite its short length. Players appreciate the opportunity for speed runs and strategic planning in subsequent playthroughs, enhancing the overall value for the price.
- “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.”
- “But at the same time, the challenge modes, weapon unlocks, and secrets give the game plenty of replayability.”
- “The replayability is extremely high for speed runs and makes me think about how I want to plan all the boss fights more carefully next time.”
- “The game is short, but it has some replayability and challenges.”
- “For such a small game and a small team of only 9 people, this has immense replay value.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its haunting quality, effectively capturing the essence of dark fantasy reminiscent of the Dark Souls series. Each boss fight features a unique ambiance that enhances the overall experience, complemented by fitting music and aesthetic design that immerses players in the game's world. Overall, the atmosphere is a standout element, contributing significantly to the game's mood and storytelling.
- “The atmosphere in the game is actually quite hauntingly good; it definitely captures the feel of a Dark Souls 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!).”
- “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.”
- “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, how?).”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game's stability is generally solid, 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, and slight balance issues, though these are infrequent and do not detract significantly from the experience.
- “Challenging boss fights, very good graphics, no glitches.”
- “An important plus of this game is the excellent implementation for PC, with no glitches and graphic problems like in Dark Souls III, for instance.”
- “Its main drawbacks are some rare but not rare enough to be ignored glitches and slight balance issues.”
- “It's got some minor glitches like getting stuck in walls, but it happens so rarely it's not a major issue.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some boss battles can be fun and engaging, many feel that the mechanic of losing abilities or gaining debuffs adds unnecessary tedium rather than urgency. Overall, the grinding can be frustrating, but it doesn't detract significantly from the game's enjoyment.
- “Tedious and extremely frustrating fights.”
- “Some boss battles are a bit tedious, but overall a dope game.”
- “This boss is sometimes fun and interesting, but the game's central mechanic of losing an ability or gaining a debuff upon killing bosses doesn't add much. There was never a time I actually bothered to worry about it, and all but 2 of these, while annoying, can be safely ignored, which generally just makes things slightly more tedious rather than adding a sense of urgency.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
While the character design and voice acting are praised for their quality, the overall character development is lacking, with no cohesive story or world-building to support it. Players feel that the snippets of lore provided are disjointed and fail to create a meaningful narrative experience.
- “The character design is lovely.”
- “The voice acting is great, the controls are super responsive, 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
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find humor in unexpected moments, such as a bug that causes the character to bounce after dying, which many view as a comedic highlight that alleviates frustration and enhances 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.”