What do you get when you mix a bullet hell shmup — or shoot ’em up, for all you shooter noobs out there — with a kind-of-cheesy narrative of a story involving 5 sisters who are out to win an angel’s heart? You get this lighthearted shooter from developer Alfa System Co., Ltd. (of “Castle Shikigami” fame) and publisher Chorus Worldwide Games.
In SR: SUF, the premise of the game is that these five skilled sisters seek to win angel Yashin’s love, even if it means defeating each other in the process. And along with there being a colorful cast of characters to choose from (plus an additional character, Ode, that’s available as DLC), the game’s few gameplay mechanics to shake things up a little bit. Each of the sisters have unique personalities, shooting patterns, and summoned ‘familiars’ that aid them in battle. Like, take Sonay for example — she’s the oldest sister and I guess you can say she’s the main protagonist. Her shots fire in a straight line, and her familiar will devour the enemies like a wild rabid dog. As each sister plays differently, it’s fun to experiment with each one so you can determine which one suits your style the best.
If I were to pick a favorite part of SR: SUF though, that would be the TBS system, which stands for ‘Tension Bonus System’ and was first introduced in aforementioned “Castle Shikigami}”. In a nutshell, TBS is basically a high risk/high reward feature. And what that means is, the closer you get to enemies and avoid their shrapnel, the more you can increase your damage and maximize your scoring. Of course that’s waaaaaaay easier said than done, given the amount of enemy fire that can fill up the screen.
Overall, SR: SUF is a decent game that had me clamoring for more. I’ll admit that I wasn’t a fan of the stage hazards concept, but to counter that, the game has multiple difficulty modes and a rather beefy options mode to help add some extra replayability (besides just being able to play 6 characters in total). On top of all that, there’s also a very enjoyable practice mode, support for vertical displays, and you can skip the story dialogue to dive straight into the action. And then of course let’s not forget the very cool TBS system that I’m still gushing over, and the boss battles themselves are intense and actually pretty addicting,
Do I think SR: SUF is the best shooter out there? Well, no. But do I think it packs a punch and brings enough boom for the budget? Absolutely.
Platform: Xbox One
Publisher: Chorus Worldwide Games
Developer: Alfa System Co., Ltd.
ESRB: Ages 13+ and up
Price: $13.99
Sisters Royale: Sisters Under Fire Official Website:
https://chorusworldwide.com/sisters-royale-five-sisters-under-fire/
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |   |
| Cutesy look for a shooter; love it when bullets fill the screen. | |
| Sound | |
| Average noise for the eardrums. | |
| Gameplay | |
| What you'd expect out of a shmup, but with extras. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Still an enjoyable title nonetheless, with plenty of replayability to boot. Nice job. | |
