Sin and Punishment: Star Successor has a hectic boxart…which is fitting.

Sin and Punishment: Star Successor is the sequel to 2000’s Nintendo 64, Japanese-only release, Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Earth. The first game would have been the perfect title to bring to United States since all of its dialogue was already in English, but it never happened…not on the N64 at least. The game did become a bit of a cult classic in the west due to word of mouth and N64 Japanese-English converters, and it eventually saw a Virtual Console release on Wii, in October, 2007.

Treasure knows how to fill up a screen very well.

This game, like most Treasure efforts, is very high on action. You pick up and start blasting dozens of foes right from the start, in an on-rails setup that allows you to move your character around. Unlike a typical first person perspective on-rails shooter, where you follow a direct path without any chosen movement of your character, the action is all in 3rd person, with a constant, dynamic camera system that sweeps around every stage’s intense battle.

There’s more than just shooting, involved. Melee attacks are useful at times.

The gameplay is not limited to just aiming your cursor at the screen, as you’ll have to manuever your character around to avoid enemy fire, dash towards items, and perform melee attacks. If you’ve ever played Ikaruga (one of Treasure’s past shooters), you’ll understand the feel of this game being a mixture between over-the-top perspective shooters and on-rails ones. My best comparisson however to how this game feels is Star Fox 64.

Expect a good variety in level design and nice graphics too.

Sin and Punishment’s techno soundtrack is very fitting and goes well with the bright, explosive graphics. I found the music and blasting effects varied and never grew tired of the audio…unless I died too many times in one part. From a polygonal perspective, some of the models aren’t the best on Wii, but the overal visuals are refreshing thanks to so much action going on screen and the variety in level design. There’s a good variety in control setups too, including the GameCube controller, Classic Controller/Pro, Wii Zapper, and Nunchuck and Wii Remote setup. I prefer the Nunchuck and Wii Remote and especially so if you’re playing a co-operative game. Playing with 2 players in Sin and Punishment: Star Successor is a lot of fun, but unfortunately you don’t get any physical control over player 2’s character…in fact, despite there being two main characters in the game, there’s only ever Isa or Kachi on screen, going through the levels.

Isa and Kachi are the two heroes whose story you follow, though even in 2 player mode, only one appears on screen at a time.

The game has a suitable plot which takes place many years after its predecessor. However, your main reason for puchasing this game shouldn’t be for the story, but for the intense gameplay. Though you will find some interesting moments that make sense of the Nebulox, the alternate dimensions theme, and even something that connects the game to the original Sin and Punishment, it’s first and foremost, an awesome action shooter.

Prepare to feel accomplished after defeating this game’s bosses.

It is a fairly short ride, but it’s offset by the difficulty. There are different levels of challenge, ranging from slightly easier to way harder, so if this is your first forray into a Treasure game, feel no shame in trying Eas mode, first. In fact, some bosses may even test your patience on Easy, but stick to it because you’ll feel great when you’re done with such a chaotic, big battle. Star Successor is a pretty overall rewarding title to play, since there are online leaderboards to motivate you to improve your scores per level. The replay value is good and it’s an overall fun game for the Wii owner that wants a challenge. Sin and Punishment: Star Successor is one of the most action packed games you’ll probably play this year and shouldn’t be missed if you’re a fan of the genre. It might not be a game for everyone, but for those that pick it up and welcome the challenge, you’ll have a blast.

Score: 9/10