At the heart of Sin & Punishment is an undying dedication to emergence. Over time, the game demands more control over the player’s movement and the ability to aim properly has to adapt in response. It throws enemies, levels, bosses, and plenty of balls of energy at the player that take well advantage of this design. Everything falls into place, culminating to produce an experience like no other.
Naturally, Star Successor is an experience like one other, and it isn't nearly as emergent. But it feels deliberate, acknowledging that an attempt to recreate that beautiful curve of d-pad/joystick action would miss the novelty of it, given most people playing would’ve long since experienced the N64 game. Not to say this sequel brings nothing new to the table, far from it in every fashion. The player is now granted full control over movement in the Y axis, seemingly the next logical step after the point of control the original left off on. Star Successor lets far more loose creatively, coming off as a collection of insane, tightly designed levels, being less concerned with how it’s experienced as a whole. An increase in difficulty was clearly intended though, which is where this iteration’s closer focus on bullet hell comes in. This factor is not a main appeal, which is obvious given how much of it can be dodged through. Like any game with interesting gameplay, it pushes a lot of different scenarios gone about in ways unique from each other. This was present in the original through what I mentioned previously, but the scenarios feel much grander and bolder in the successor, independent of controls. It’s shown best through the bosses, one fight’ll be unhooking train carts across three lanes to impact the tailing enemy, another’ll be shooting at two platforms to move them upward while keeping them balanced to lead the boss into lava. Though that’s a small sample, it should clue you in on the range of crazed situations the game sets up.
To be a sequel is to be compared to what preceded, and Star Successor does its best to iterate on the formula left behind while ironing out some nuisances (timer) of the first game. To be a sequel is also to contrast itself from what preceded, and Star Successor succeeds in this regard as well, offering up plenty more newness mechanically, aesthetically, and in the content itself that makes it quite distinct from the original. Playable on its own, but it’s only enhanced by being aware of what came before. A gem of a successor. A true star of a sequel.
Naturally, Star Successor is an experience like one other, and it isn't nearly as emergent. But it feels deliberate, acknowledging that an attempt to recreate that beautiful curve of d-pad/joystick action would miss the novelty of it, given most people playing would’ve long since experienced the N64 game. Not to say this sequel brings nothing new to the table, far from it in every fashion. The player is now granted full control over movement in the Y axis, seemingly the next logical step after the point of control the original left off on. Star Successor lets far more loose creatively, coming off as a collection of insane, tightly designed levels, being less concerned with how it’s experienced as a whole. An increase in difficulty was clearly intended though, which is where this iteration’s closer focus on bullet hell comes in. This factor is not a main appeal, which is obvious given how much of it can be dodged through. Like any game with interesting gameplay, it pushes a lot of different scenarios gone about in ways unique from each other. This was present in the original through what I mentioned previously, but the scenarios feel much grander and bolder in the successor, independent of controls. It’s shown best through the bosses, one fight’ll be unhooking train carts across three lanes to impact the tailing enemy, another’ll be shooting at two platforms to move them upward while keeping them balanced to lead the boss into lava. Though that’s a small sample, it should clue you in on the range of crazed situations the game sets up.
To be a sequel is to be compared to what preceded, and Star Successor does its best to iterate on the formula left behind while ironing out some nuisances (timer) of the first game. To be a sequel is also to contrast itself from what preceded, and Star Successor succeeds in this regard as well, offering up plenty more newness mechanically, aesthetically, and in the content itself that makes it quite distinct from the original. Playable on its own, but it’s only enhanced by being aware of what came before. A gem of a successor. A true star of a sequel.