More Metroidvania Than You Might Expect
SiNiSistar 2 is one of those games that polarizes people before they even click on the store page. For many players, the first screenshot is enough to dismiss it outright, and they never stop to ask the more interesting question: how much actual Metroidvania is hiding beneath its controversial presentation?
Metroidvanias are my favorite indie genre, especially dark fantasy titles like The Last Faith, ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights, Unworthy, and Blasphemous 1 & 2. While searching Steam for new games, I came across SiNiSistar 2. I knew nothing about its reputation, but I was immediately impressed by the quality of its pixel art, particularly the backgrounds. A little research quickly revealed the elephant in the room, as well as the rather short playtime of roughly four to five hours. Still, the grim setting and the design of the world map were intriguing enough that I decided to find out for myself.
My question was simple: Is SiNiSistar 2 nothing but provocation, or is there a real Metroidvania underneath? I bought the game, played the censored version, and approached it as I would any other game. The censored release tones down the more explicit content considerably, and what remains is easy enough to ignore if you're mainly interested in exploration and gameplay. That's important to mention because I normally don't play games from this particular niche at all.
To my surprise, SiNiSistar 2 succeeds in creating a genuinely enjoyable dark fantasy atmosphere. The remote farmhouse filled with grotesque pig-like monsters immediately reminded me of a pixel-art version of Resident Evil 4, and many of the other creature designs are more memorable than those in quite a few mainstream Metroidvanias.
The world map is well designed and enjoyable to explore. It's small because of the game's short length, although starting on Hard Mode can stretch the experience a little. Combat feels responsive, the level-up system provides a satisfying sense of progression, and despite its modest scope, the adventure remained engaging from beginning to end.
Then GOG surprised me with an email announcing that SiNiSistar 2 had arrived on the platform. I honestly couldn't believe it. Since I genuinely enjoyed the game for what it is - a strange but surprisingly solid Metroidvania - and because I think the developers have the potential to create even larger and more ambitious games in the future, I was happy to buy it a second time on GOG.
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