DISCLAIMERS:
- the reviewer has not finished the game with 100% completion
- the game was played on the Wii U through the Virtual Console service using the version of the game intended for United States audiences
Seven years after its initial release in Japan on the N64, gamers in the West finally got the opportunity to buy a version of the game made for them on the Wii Virtual Console in 2007. Developed by Treasure, there’s no surprise it is a short action game. This review will judge the 2015 Virtual Console release for Wii U on its own merits.
As is the case with all of Treasure’s well-known games, at least, gameplay is the priority. The game is an on-rails shooter. Players will primarily aim and shoot at enemies, bonuses, and obstacles. At the same time the player will strafe left and right and jump. This allows the player dodge enemies and approach them to use the sword attack when close enough. Players balance these three concepts as typically great Treasure level design scrolls past them. Because you have to aim while either moving around or pressing some other buttons, or even both at the same time, its not surprising the N64 controller wasn’t the best for this game. Fortunately the controls are customizable to be much more appropriate for a Wii U controller.
As an arcade-style game, Sin and Punishment is unsurprisingly short. Outside of the challenge of beating the game for the first time, only trying harder difficulties and trying to get the highest score possible remain. Thankfully the game is extremely well designed so the player shouldn’t have any qualms with playing it repeatedly.
The sound in Sin and Punishment is exactly what one would expect outside of the English voice acting in a game originally only released in Japan. The game is too short for anything to make a lasting impression but it at least doesn’t harm the game in any way.
Technically Sin and Punishment is probably one of the more impressive N64 games, likely due to the combination of it being extremely short and releasing in the year 2000. The game is pretty much fully voice acted, there is a large variety of assets used of above average quality for the N64, and it all runs well enough too. There is really nothing to complain about here.
The story in Sin and Punishment doesn’t really make sense. Even if it did the game is too short for it to matter and the player is already occupied with dealing with a constant barrage of obstacles headed their way.
In terms of value Sin and Punishment is a bit difficult to judge. For a single playthrough the $12 asking price is quite high. At the same time the game easily earns multiple playthroughs, though for most players probably not enough to justify $12 dollars. Either you dedicate yourself to the game or you deal with the fact that the game was not a particularly good deal. Alternatively you could look up how much money and effort it would take to play the game on original hardware and decide that this is a significantly more convenient option.
Overall the reviewer would give this game an 8.0 out of 10.
