Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption Xbox One X Review

Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption is without mercy. Instead of getting stronger you get weaker, taking on deadly enemies to rid the world of sin. It's a challenging and sometimes infuriating gauntlet that requires you to think twice about your actions.

Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption has you taking control of Adam, a soldier who has committed monstrous crimes and is now seeking redemption by taking out deadly enemies based on the seven deadly sins. The story is short and to the point, offering insight into how these enemies became the people in Adam's path. The visual images provided are wonderfully drawn and complement the narrative that's being spoken.

Adam himself is mostly a hollow husk who the player controls. He doesn't speak for most of the adventure and remains silent throughout. This isn't much of an issue as the developer's clearly focused more on the boss fights and they're amazing.

With the exception of the tutorial enemies, the entire game is made of boss fights. Unlike most games where the player gets more powerful, here the protagonist gets weaker during the adventure. Adam must give up a part of himself before he can challenge the boss of that level, permanently lowering his health, stamina, damage, or items for the rest of the journey. You can tackle enemies in whatever order you choose and can recover lost abilities, but this will revive the boss of that level. After defeating a boss a small bonus is provided but by the end Adam will be stripped of most of his power.

Each of the bosses is unique, with specific ways of how to defeat them within their own arena. Each of the stages is wonderfully designed to complement the boss's backstory and combat style. The bosses themselves have been intricately designed so they reflect the sin they represent. 

The bosses are challenging and require absolute dedication to defeat. So much so that most of the achievements require Adam to die in some specific way. Each boss has particular weaknesses and tells that the player much is aware of. Through trial and error eventually, you learn the pattern and realize the best way to attack. Charging in without a plan will lead to a quick death.

There are some vexing things that bosses can do. They can act randomly which can lead to frustration, especially the bosses that must perform a specific attack before they can be damaged.  Some bosses will track your moments mid-attack, making it impossible to sidestep attacks. There's also no recovery animation and bosses can hit you while you're on the floor, leading to a domino effect of damage.

Adam is able to handle any situation and is equipped with armor, 2 swords, health packs, javelins that can stun enemies, a flame buff, and flaming pots that do damage over time. Items are replenished after each boss, offering somewhat of a safety net. Controls are basic and easy to grasp, allowing for minor customization. But nothing stood out as problematic for either Adam's weapons or controlling him.

Dodging serves as your best friend since it provides a moment of invulnerability to avoid unblockable attacks. Adam can also parry to counterattack but this requires precise timing. Everything is governed by a stamina meter that if drained will prevent Adam from performing any action. This can lead to frustrating moments where Adam is left helpless with no means to defend yourself but these moments add to the intensity of each fight.

The 6-hour adventure is a challenging gauntlet and ends with a formidable foe. Once done you can fight all the bosses again in a gauntlet called Nightmare. Here you get to keep your entire equipment but must face each boss back to back. The game does also offer a New Game Plus option with unlockable weapons to change up the boss fights.

Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption is not for everyone. It's an intensely challenging game where death is certain and success is determined by your own will to win. The bosses can feel overpowered and infuriating at times but it makes victory that more satisfying. Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption doesn't show any sympathy, those seeking a challenging experience will find one here.

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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