- JP release: 21st November 2000
- NA release: N/A
- EU release: N/A
- EU Virtual Console release: 28th September 2007
- NA Virtual Console Release: 1st October 2007
- Developer: Treasure, Nintendo
- Publisher: Nintendo
- N64 Magazine Score: 89%
With the success of Star Fox 64, it’s surprising that nobody really tried to capture what it does: a 3D shoot-’em-up in dramatic levels. It wasn’t until now that a similar game cropped up, from beloved developer Treasure and Nintendo themselves. The great thing is, Sin & Punishment doesn’t feel like it’s trying to be like Star Fox 64, it’s just its own thing that has some loose gameplay similarities: you move along a level automatically, while also having to dodge incoming attacks in a 3D space.
Sin & Punishment, though, it’s far more like the arcade origins of the genre, with an even greater focus on hit combos and high scores. There’s a story I don’t quite understand regarding alien blood triggering some kind of invasion and disaster, with some surprisingly touching moments in the story (which, even though the game was exclusive in Japan, is entirely in English), and it all leads to some wonderful levels, from navigating a ruined city, making your way through a forest in a section that feels more like a 2D platformer, or speeding around a naval fleet on a chunk of metal being controlled by a mysterious girl.
The game is quite short, with a focus on completing the game for high scores, which to perform well you’ll need to play on harder difficulties and not die. This is easier said than done, as you’ll need to juggle aiming, dodging, and using the melee attack to send projectiles back. You can also play individual levels, which are oddly lacking their own leaderboards. Sin & Punishment is short, but a ton of fun.
Fun
It’s far from the first game to make us curse out loud. But Sin and Punishment is so hard, so brutally unforgiving, that three N64 swear jars have already burst apart thanks to the sheer amount of 10p pieces we’ve had to stuff inside them. However, no matter how red our tear-stained faces, or how calloused our hands after repeatedly punching the joypad in frustration, we haven’t stopped playing. Because in Sin and Punishment, Treasure have brought us a game as utterly compulsive as it is frenetic, blisteringly-pace and downright gobsmacking.
Mark Green, N64 Magazine #51
Remake or remaster?
A remastered collection of this and the Wii game would be very welcome.
Official ways to get the game.
There is no way to buy a new copy of Sin & Punishment, the only official way to play is to rent it via the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pak.
Re-releases
2004: iQue Player
2007: Wii Virtual Console
2015: Wii U Virtual Console
2021: Nintendo Switch Online (Subscription Only)
Europe
Japan
North America
N64 Games by Date
1997: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
1998: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
1999: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2000: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
This game is far, far better then Lylat Wars, and it’s not even close.
If you have an N64 controller for your Switch, and you haven’t tried this game yet, fix that now! It’s a blast, and I’m not the biggest fan of on-rails shooters.
The Wii sequel is somehow even better! That’s another game that deserves to be remastered.
Let’s not get too crazy. I personally enjoyed Lylat Wars more, it feels more like a complete package. But there’s no other game quite like S&P.
There’s so few good rail shooters out there, let’s not start putting them against each other.
Any new rail shooter should be celebrated, it’s easily one of the most underrated video game genres. Sin & Punishment just happens to be one of the best!
Amazing game. One of Treasure’s very best.
God I miss Treasure. Probably the most video game ass video game company ever.
I was so excited for Sin & Punishment after reading all the previews in NOM – it was gutting when it only released in Japan. I did consider importing it but I was only like 13 at the time so it seemed unaffordable really.
It came out on the Wii VC when I had just started my first year of uni so I didn’t get around to playing it for a while but it’s definitely one of the best N64 games.
Sin and Punishment is a really fun game, absolutely worth checking out. I played it just last year!
Marvelous game, and a defining Virtual Console game for Wii. I’d never seen or heard anything like it in a Nintendo game, even in 2007.