Ever wanted to play a Dark Souls game but don’t want to be bothered traversing the landscape? Did you ever feel how Dark Souls gets easier the higher your level is and wish that there was a game where the difficulty spikes the more you defeat bosses. Did u ever just wanted to get to the bosses right away and kill them. Then look no further because Sinner has got you covered.
I was able to test out the game exclusively at ESGS 2017. And boy was I glad that I did so. Sinner was everything Dark Souls was but so much simpler. Not simpler as in the gameplay and difficulty but simpler in the sense that you go straight ahead and have battles with big bosses.
Sinner is an indie game where you are this person, that got cast into Hell. You’re basically a sinner and that’s why in order for you to get cleansed from all the sins you did, you will have to go through the seven circles of hell. So basically you are fighting these bosses that follows a theme based on those seven circles. Bosses that emulate pride, gluttony and so on.
Just like Dark Souls, these bosses are intelligent and can block or attack as strategically as possible. They have patterns though as well so you can plan when to attack and when to dodge. But what sets it apart from Dark Souls that, you don’t have to travel far or search for that next boss. You’re just located in a sort of Boss Hub where you can touch on portal stones that will take you directly to the boss arena.
You might be thinking but that’s still basically like Dark Souls, why would I want to play that when I want a massive world to explore. Well sure, this is not for those who wants to be immersive with the game’s world or want to level up before facing the boss. This game has no leveling feature so don’t even think about preparing for a boss fight. What makes it more challenging though is that before you can fight a boss, you need to sacrifice a part of yourself. This could be anything from your HP, your armor, and even your items.
So by the end of the seventh boss, you’re probably weaker than you started the game. So instead of leveling up to level 99, you start the game at level 99 and downlevel up to level 1. It doesn’t specifically show any kinds of levels though but that’s what it looked like to me. And since you only have a limited number of items, you need to be careful and spend them wisely because you’ll never know when you could use that extra javelin to defeat a boss.
The sense of being weaker as the game progresses is reverse to what we have all known and grew up with. But the challenge that this game brings makes it stand apart from the other Dark Souls like games. I was even quite surprised that there was no incentive for defeating the bosses but just the bragging rights that you defeated a boss with such poor stats.
It seems like a short game because there’s only like 7 bosses in total but the game time can vary depending on how good you are at games like Dark Souls. I have to admit I was a bit embarrassed that I couldn’t even kill any of the bosses when I played it. I guess I was used to how I get so powerful in Dark Souls that a game like this has me in shambles.
The game is quick and fun but the amount of challenge it offers is very satisfying for those looking for the thrill of overcoming great odds. It’s like being Hercules without his super strength against titans. I don’t think this game is for everyone though but if you’re a fan of Dark Souls and want a quick challenge then this game is definitely for you. There is no set date as to when the game will release but expect to see it on Steam by 2018.
