Sweet Sins

Developer: Platonic Games | Publisher: Platonic Games | Release Date: 2015 | Genre: Action / Arcade  | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Google Play | Size: 41 MB | Requires: Android 2.3 and up | Version: 2.0 | Price: Free (With Micro-Transactions)

Wrath, Envy, Pride, Lust, Gluttony, Sloth and Greed. We all know the seven deadly sins, but until I played Sweet Sins I didn’t know they were actually seven adorable sisters who are busting out of the Abyss. At least that is the case if Platonic Games are to be believed thanks to this addictive, Unity made endless runner. Bursting from the bottom of the screen like a bat out of hell, your goal is to make up as high as you can, but standing in your way are hordes of enemies as well as some nasty obstacles.

The first thing that caught my eye about Sweet Sins was definitely the visual style. The developers describe it as “kawaii” which means cute and I certainly can’t argue with that. The design of the girls reflect their names, so Gluttony is shown chomping on a giant candy cane while Sloth is fast asleep in the arms of a giant bunny propelling her upward. Even the enemies, who consists of gargoyles, demons, fire elementals and Succubi look more adorable than threatening. As your character reaches new heights the backgrounds also change to show a Blood Volcano, Frozen Abyss, Storm Peaks and other areas inspired by the Divine Comedy. The subject matter might sound rather grim, but in reality the bright, colorful visuals and charming designs give the game a very lighthearted look. The visuals are complemented nicely by the audio, which is done by Rubén Rincón I believe. The tunes are a great match for the action and I never had the urge to turn anything down. Check out the website for the composer to hear more of his work.

As the game is an endless runner you only have to worry about dodging obstacles while collecting as much loot as possible along the way. Your character is constantly moving upwards and you have to swipe left or right to avoid anything getting in their way. Swiping upwards causes the character to attack, which is effective for dealing with enemies or walls, but won’t work against spikes and fire. In addition to collecting stars, which is used to unlock or upgrade skills you’ll also find runes, powerups and piñatas if you are lucky. Runes function as the “premium currency” in the game and can be used to purchase a variety of things, including a “save me” which gives you a second chance after your character bites the dust. Powerups include lightning storms, star magnets and angel wings, which can be increased in potency by spending stars to upgrade them. Finally there are the piñatas which can be bashed open between runs in order to reveal stars, runes and if you are very lucky, eggs that hatch into adorable pets called Meemos. There are a bunch of Meemos to collect and you can choose which one to take on a run with you. They also generate coins or runes for you every 24 hours making them even more useful.

Since Sweet Sins features in-app purchases you can speed up the process of unlocking and upgrading skills by buying stars and runes. However, this isn’t really necessary and I managed to complete every single challenge in the game and make it into the top ten online leaderboards without spending a penny. It is definitely worth spending the modest amount required to remove the adverts, which are not that obtrusive to be honest, simply to support the developers and encourage them to release more high quality titles. Stars and runes can be earned simply through playing the game and because it is so addictive it doesn’t feel like a grind. You can also watch video adverts for other games in order to earn more runes or to use a “save me” if you really want to.

Challenging yourself and your friends to reach new heights is a lot of fun, but the game also features fifty different challenges that are given to you three at a time. These range from killing a certain amount of enemies or making it to a certain height without using a save me to collecting a certain amount of pets and reaching a specified score. These challenges, along with the online rankings provide the game with a lot of replay value and hopefully the developers will continue to add a few more to the mix. The controls are simple, intuitive and very responsive, so although the game continually speeds up it isn’t cumbersome to play. From the middle of the screen it only takes one swipe left or right to reach the edges, but the screen also wraps around and making effective use of this is essential for reaching the best heights. As you collect stars a “fever” bar is filled up and once full you enter “Limbo” mode which consist of a few seconds where there are no enemies or obstacles onscreen, only stars and treats. Eventually you are able to unlock up to three slots for items and these can provide you with a start dash, final dash or even energy shield to protect you against a single hit. The skills can also be upgraded, so the shield might reload faster or the final dash propel you higher after spending some stars improving them.

Thanks to the adorable visuals, catchy audio and addictive gameplay there isn’t much that I can fault about Sweet Sins. Even the implementation of in-app purchases are more than fair and it is possible to have hours of fun without spending anything. If you are a fan of the genre don’t miss out on Sweet Sins and even if you are not check it out as you have nothing to lose.