Review: Sisters Royale: Five Sisters Under Fire (Xbox One)

by Jim Smale · July 14, 2020

The first new game in 12 years from Alfa System, the team that brought you.the Shoot ‘Em Up “Castle of Shikigami III” in the “Castle of Shikigami” series.

Pros:

Anime style graphics.
469.2mb Download size.
1000 Gamerscore.
Shmup gameplay.
Tutorial video tips.
Supports vertical (Tate) display.
Can rebind controls.
Autosaves regularly.
Local and online leaderboards.
Practice game mode.
Six characters each with their own unique summon and shot spread.
3 difficulties-easy, normal and hard.
Gimmick-The closer you get the more powerful the shot and more reward.
Boss and mini-boss fights.
Each character plays completely differently.
Combo counter.
Collect coins for more points.
Arcade presentation.
Attacks-normal shots, transform (a second attack which has a bigger range) and bombs that destroy all on-screen projectiles.
End of levels score.
Infinite continues.
End of game score breakdown and rank.
Can turn off story interactions.

Cons:

Basic tutorial.
Difficult.
If the score doesn’t bother you then you can clock the game in like a half-hour.
Replayability depends on how you get on with shmups.
Forgettable story.
No voice work in-game.
Hard to get to grips with new characters.
The gameplay just feels plain and plays like games I’ve played before.

7/10

Graphics - 7/10
6/10

Sound - 6/10
7/10

Accessibility - 7/10
6/10

Length - 6/10
7/10

Fun Factor - 7/10

6.6/10

Summary

In no way am I an expert in shmups, but I have been exposed to many shmups in the last few years. With Sisters Royale, I just found it very plain and kinda uninspiring. The gameplay was just simple and never gave me alternative ways of playing or adding any spice, it’s just a case of holding down shoot and dodge bullets. Obviously mix in transform shots and bombs, but even then it doesn’t change the flow of the game. I didn’t care for the story and with no voice work, I get the feeling the game doesn’t care that I don’t care. Boss battles are a challenge but again just shoot, no gimmicks no special wow moments it’s all just old mechanics I personally have seen many times over. Overall I am very disappointed with the game and aside from a few achievements, I will forget I even played it within a few weeks.