Sin and Punishment: Hoshi no Keishōsha

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sin and Punishment

Developer(s)	Treasure Co. Ltd
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Hideyuki Suganami
Platform(s)	Nintendo 64, iQue, Virtual Console
Release date	N64: ^JP November 21, 2000 iQue: ^CHN 2004 Virtual Console: ^JP September 20, 2007 ^PAL September 28, 2007 ^NA October 1, 2007
Genre(s)	Rail shooter
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	CERO: B OFLC: M PEGI: 12+ ESRB: T

Sin and Punishment (罪と罰～地球の継承者～, Tsumi to Batsu Hoshi no Keishōsha^?, lit. "Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Earth") is a rail shooter developed by Treasure Co. Ltd and published by Nintendo. The game was released for the Nintendo 64 in Japan in 2000, and on the iQue in China in 2004. Originally titled Glass Soldier (グラスソルジャー), as with Treasure's Radiant Silvergun, the game's limited print run and high import demand make it a rare and sought-after title today.

Despite an Asia-exclusive release, it features extensive voice acting in English with subtitles in Japanese. As a result, it became one of the most requested Wii Virtual Console titles in North America, with gaming site IGN declaring that there would be a "Very High" probability of its release after the initial announcement of the service.^[1]

Sin and Punishment was released on the Virtual Console in Japan on September 20, 2007, in PAL regions on September 28, 2007 and in North America on October 1, 2007.^[2] The PAL and North American releases feature further translation, with English menus in addition to the English voice acting and the Japanese subtitles, offset by a higher Wii Points price, 200 more points from the normal. Previously, the game had been fan-translated to English by a small website called Vanit Studios.

1 Gameplay
2 Plot
3 Development
4 Reception
5 Legacy
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Gameplay

The game is essentially a rail shooter. Forward progress through the levels is automatic; the player's job is to aim and fire at enemies, sidestep, roll, jump, or double-jump to avoid attacks and obstacles.

The player can switch between manual (red targeting reticle) and lock-on (purple targeting reticle) firing modes at any time. Lock-on mode "sticks" the reticle to enemies, but is less damaging than manually-aimed fire. The player can also attack using a powerful energy sword by tapping the fire button when enemies, or certain types of projectiles, are within close range. Projectiles struck in this manner are bounced back and can potentially inflict great damage on opponents. While the player attacks, a timer at the top of the screen counts down. When the timer hits 0, the player gradually loses more and more life until he or she either refills the timer or dies.

Multiplayer involves two players controlling one character cooperatively. The second player controls the targeting sight and shoots while the first player controls the character's movement.

[edit] Plot

The plot summary in this article or section is too long or detailed compared to the rest of the article.
Please edit the article to focus on discussing the work rather than merely reiterating the plot.

Backstory taken from a translation of the manual:

It's the dawn of a new century, mankind has succeeded in maintaining peace and has prospered like never before. However, from this newfound prosperity has come a population explosion. This increase in mouths to feed has caused a strain on the food supplies of the world. Shortages of food became critical in all regions of the world. Mankind needed a new food source, one that could breed even under the most abnormal conditions; and so scientists began creating a "New Species" of life. After some time, the scientists succeeded in creating this "New Species" of life, and Hokkaido (The north-most Japanese Island) was chosen as the huge nesting pasture. The humans who succeeded in obtaining the new source of food expected their new found prosperity to continue again.

However...

From the midst of the "New Species" came mutated beasts which suddenly began to devour their human hunters. The attacking hoards which formed a loose group henceforth became know as "Ruffians", they travelled south through the Japanese Islands and gained control over all of north-east Japan. In Tokyo the Ruffian began invading in front of the very eyes of the city's inhabitants, large-scale riots of confused citizens occurred frequently. This situation led to dispatch of an international peace organization called the "Armed Volunteers", but they began to use their military force to suppress the people of Japan.

As expected, the future of Japan has become again... bleak. And possibly so has the future of humanity. On the other hand, a mysterious rumour began to circulate among the people of Tokyo, where the battle for the survival of mankind is being lost day by day.

The rumour...

The arrival and appearance of an organization of citizens which call themselves the "Saviour Group"...

The "Saviour Group" were formed from a group of people who recovered from illness, injury & sorrow due to the miracles of a mysterious holy woman called "Achi". The "Savour Group" is a self-defense organization of Japanese citizens who support themselves by hunting Ruffian, they oppose the Armed Volunteers who they consider hypocritical masses.

Exhausted and wounded people began to gather to the holy woman Achi one after another, and ask for "salvation".

However, her "salvation" was not without a price. In compensation the healed must "fight" in the name of the holy woman. Many weak people became involved in many unnecessary disputes, and began following a path to despair...

The game begins with a group of rebels led by a woman named Michiko being surrounded. Michiko sounds weak, whispering "Achi...hurry....save us, Achi.." before she and the other rebels are quickly shot to death by Armed Volunteer forces. One of the armed men informs a commanding officer that the rebels had been dispatched, but there was no sign of the leaders. Elsewhere, Achi sees a vision of the slaughter of the rebel group, and informs her companion, Airan Jo, of this vision. Airan then becomes frustrated, saying that there is no use in stealing a Transport vehicle if there is no one around to pilot. Achi then tells her to be quiet, or they will wake Saki. Saki is shown sleeping in another corner. The viewpoint switches again to a woman, Kachua, sitting on a building roof. Talking telepathically to a mysterious young man, she says that using her as bait would work, and "Radan" would come. Meanwhile, swarms of Ruffians fill the skies of Japan, while Radan itself sits perched on a building. The scene returns to Airan and co. once again, who then says that she hopes that the Armed Volunteers will be too busy dealing with Ruffians to fight Saki, Achi and herself. Achi then, quietly says to her "not as 'expected', but as I predicted. Soon, it will all begin..."

The actual game begins in Saki's dream. Running through an orange field with a fiery sky, Saki guns down all Ruffians in sight. After destroying a large centipede-like Ruffian, he wakes up, Airan greeting him with a rather sarcastic "good morning" and throwing him a gun. "Come on! We've got work to do!", Achi then shouts. Outside, the group fights their way through several Armed Volunteer barricades. Eventually arriving at a station, the group takes the elevator up. More AV troops attack, and Saki endures these barrages to give Achi and Airan the chance to get a Transport. Suddenly, much to Saki's surprise, the Ruffian swarms begin their own attack. After reaching Shinjuku station and hotwiring an elevator, Saki soon encounters Kachua and Radan as he makes his way to the top of the building.

Reaching the top of the building, Achi and Airan board the Transport. Before Saki can climb aboard, however, Radan appears again and attacks. Kachua then runs in during the fight, shouting that she will not let Saki kill the Ruffian. Saki defies her, killing the beast. Upon witnessing Kachua's rage at the loss of her "research materials", Saki realises her function and shouts at her: "So -you're- the leader of these killers!". Kachua is advised once again by the mysterious telepath to ignore Saki. Claiming that Saki is "only human" and now is a perfect time to test the blood he gave her, Kachua then goes berserk, telepathically summoning and levitating troops and vehicles, and throwing them like toys at Saki. After Saki finally delivers a severe blow to Kachua, she falls off the building, crying out for "Brad". Suddenly, a large flood of blood washes over Tokyo, destroying everything and causing a strange vortex to form. "Okay, Saki, show me what you've got..." Achi says to herself as Saki falls in, and transforms into a giant Ruffian monster himself, much to Brad's surprise, causing him to realize that Saki also has Achi's blood. Saki is not the only one to be transformed, however, as a now transformed Kachua arises from the ocean of blood as well. After the transformed Saki kills the newly transformed Kachua, Airan flies in towards Saki to try and get a closer look. "Is that...Saki...?", she asks, while Achi insists that she cannot go near him currently, and that they will find a way to change him back. Saki destroys the Transport vehicle, but Achi teleports both herself and Airan them away at the last minute.

The psychic with whom Kachua was communicating with is revealed to be Brad, commander of the Armed Volunteers. Furious at the deaths of both Radan and Kachua, two women he loved and passed his blood to, he vows revenge against Achi and her followers. "Thinking of revenge..?" Leda, another sentient Ruffian, asks, then claims that Kachua is gone, and Brad should focus more on the living, like herself. In the depths of the ship, Achi and Airan appear. Achi claims this was the safest place right now. Upon overhearing an intercom transmission from Brad commanding the AV's to attack Saki, referred to as "the Beast", Airan is enraged and begins fighting her way through the ship to find Brad. Confronting him and killing Leda, Airan notices that Brad possesses bizarre powers. "Strange powers indeed, it seems that Achi has taught you nothing!" shouts Brad, who then explains that he was given a transfusion of Achi's own blood. Achi begins to talk about how he used her blood to "make friends". She then tears a section of the ship off using her telepathy, and sends it flying around the AV fleet while Airan takes them out, killing Brad and wiping out the remaining AV members.

Airan and Achi narrowly stop Saki being hit by a large missile shot by a dying AV weapon, and Airan is told that in order to return Saki to human form, she needs to do several things, the first of which is shooting him in the head to knock him out. She refuses, calling Achi a liar and a false savior. Suddenly Airan finds herself on a Ruffian-infested train with a crying child. As she fights her way to the front carriage, she realises that she has somehow been transported to New York ten years into the future (the year 2017), where Saki is still a Ruffian and the crying 5-year-old with her, Issa, is their own child. She encounters what appears to be Saki's human form (although it is presumably a vision created by Achi); the apparition begins to antagonise her about the choices she has made, and realising that it is not the real Saki, she shoots at it. This was Achi's intention from the start, as Airan's actions in the vision have resulted in her shooting the real Saki. Airan, angry at how Achi tricked her, reluctantly aids in cutting his chest open so she can communicate with his heart. She eventually asks Achi how she knew Brad, and what her final goals were. Achi, now seeming less like the savior she originally appeared to be, explains that her real enemies are "far away", and the whole thing is just training for her global war. Brad found out too early, and used his powers for his own gain instead. Achi's voice begins to sound more menacing and inorganic, and she forces Airan into Saki's chest with her telepathy. She wakes Saki up, who teleports. Achi is left levitating, saying "Do they really think they can escape me?"

Airan wakes up on a beach, with Ruffians approaching. As she reaches for her Cannon Sword, Saki (now back to normal size, but in half-Ruffian form, like Kachua) picks it up instead, greeting her with a mildly sarcastic "Good morning!" (as she did in the intro) and promising to take care of the Ruffians. Realizing they're in Hokkaido, center of Ruffian activity, Saki begins dispatching the myriad of Ruffians before the two are able to take refuge in a small building. They huddle round a fire, eating what appears to be the remnants of a spider boss, as Saki notes that "at least [they] won't go hungry". Saki hears a noise outside, and goes to investigate. While he's gone, Achi appears behind Airan. Saki returns, realizing that Airan has disappeared, sets off to find her.

After battling through another Ruffian brigade (while being pursued by an invincible monster) Saki finds Achi, standing over Airan, with the Ruffians bowing before her. She explains her true motive - that this was all training, and Saki is her ultimate weapon against the "enemy", and that Saki must be strong enough to govern an entire planet. He refuses, and tries to shoot her but realises his Cannon Sword is ineffective against her. She laughs as he tosses his weapon away, but Saki then uses an energy punch, which knocks her backwards. A white explosion begins to come from where Achi fell. Achi says that she will replace the Earth, and transforms into a mirror image of the planet, firing at the true Earth. Saki, together with Airan, transforms into the gargantuan Ruffian beast, towering over the planet to defend against Achi, and eventually manages to stop her once and for all.

After that battle, they land together in the midst of an ocean. Airan looks out to the empty horizon, calling Japan a mess, and wondering what the two of them can do now. Saki, ever the optimist, tells her that as a child, he always dreamed of being a cop, and jokes about whether they would take him on in his half-ruffian form. Airan suggests going to America to seek medical help for his condition, but Saki refuses, saying that they would dissect him as an experiment.

Achi is seen floating in space, contemplating her next move. Brad is dead, Saki is too powerful, and she wouldn't stand a chance against the enemy by herself. She wonders if they know about Saki, and she realizes that his future child will have Achi's blood inside him. Back on Earth, Airan and Saki talk about the future, whether Saki would ever side with the Ruffians, and how to change him back. He claims he prefers it how it is right now, and he'd never do anything like that as long as she's with him. The two resolve to continue fighting against the Ruffians. She then mentions that she and Saki have another "mission", referring to their future child, as the game concludes.

[edit] Development

According to the credits, the game's original title was Glass Soldier. Production first commenced when Treasure felt they needed to produce an original IP to appeal to an older demographic, particularly in the US where they were fighting a long standing perception as a company that catered to children moreso than their competition at the time, Sony. They wanted to create a game with a darker, more adult theme that would appeal to gamers in the US.

Unfortunately, the title wasn't released until 2000, at which point the market for N64 games was badly weakened. Despite being developed with a North American release in mind, with an English-speaking voice cast, Treasure quietly removed Sin and Punishment from its roster of upcoming games. The title was finally released to the American public via the Wii console's Virtual Console download system for the price of 1200 wii points, or $12 USD. This version retains the Japanese subtitles with its English dialogue, but has translated menus and a few tutorials.

The title was directed by Hideyuki Suganami, who also served as one of the programmers. Atsutomo Nakagawa, who had previously had a small part in developing Radiant Silvergun stepped up as program lead, and Yasushi Suzuki, another minor player from the Radiant team took over as the lead character artist. This would be the last game Suganami would work on before departing the company for unknown reasons. He would remain on friendly terms with Treasure, however, returning on a freelance/contractual basis to work on Gunstar Super Heroes.

[edit] Reception

Sin and Punishment received generally positive from Western critics upon its release. Gaming site IGN gave the title 9.0 out of 10,^[3] while GameSpot ranked the original Nintendo 64 version a 7.1 out of 10.^[4] A more recent GameSpot review of the Virtual Console version raised the rating to 8.0 out of 10.^[5] Retro Gamer magazine also listed it as top in its list of top 25 "run 'n gun" games.

[edit] Legacy

The protagonist Saki Amamiya later appeared in the Wii video game Super Smash Bros. Brawl as one of the several Assist Trophies, which are items that summon characters from throughout Nintendo's history. When summoned, Saki will jump around while slashing and blasting opponents with his Cannon Sword.^[6]

According to an interview with Masato Maegawa, Treasure would be interested in working on a Sin and Punishment sequel for the Wii. The possible game would use features of the Wii Remote.^[7]