Sisters Royale: Five Sisters Under Fire | Switch Review

Here we go again with a new game that falls into one of my favorite categories: SHMUPS. How would you feel if I informed you of a vertical shooter that also told the story of five sisters battling one another to seek the love of man they all desire? With that being, said I would like to introduce to you Sisters Royale: Five Sisters Under Fire from the developer Alfa System. A game that also blends a strange yet unique brand of storytelling, with the action of a vertical shmup. I had an interesting hands-on experience, and I’m here to give you my thoughts on why this could be a game for you. 

Such a Strange Love Affair

Sisters Royale: Five Sisters Under Fire is one of the strangest games I have played in quite some time. A game that seems to blur the lines between a visual novel and a vertical shmup. While this seems like an odd mash-up, the game’s developers have pulled off something quite bizarre. When the game first begins you choose one of the five sisters, and from there continue into a story that I would probably not recommend for children under the age of 13.

Each one of the sisters is trying to vanquish her other sisters to remove them from their path towards winning the love of an angelic being. There are quite a few heavy handed adult references in this game that could make younger players feel slightly uncomfortable. While none of them are outright risque, they can be off-putting for some players. I, for one, enjoyed the slightly bizarre story. 

The meat of the game is a solid vertical shooter that is quite a fun experience. When you pick one of the different characters keep in mind that they all have different firing patterns, which is similar to other shmups. You also have a bomb attack that can clear all the enemies and bullets from the screen. I also enjoyed that each one of the characters has their own themes for their individual areas. Also there is a wide variety of enemy types, as well as fun and unique boss fights. There are so many times playing through this game that I had to buckle down and focus just due to the amount of items on the screen. So I give the game credit for keeping me on the edge of my seat.

Newbies Welcome

Sisters Royale doesn’t necessarily add anything new to the genre. Yet it does provide an interesting role. Sisters Royale, like with most shmups, you only have one life but can take multiple hits. The game does also have unlimited continues. The reason I like this is for newcomers to the genre, I would recommend giving this game a whirl due to being very accessible and easy to pick up. The levels are also not very long and if you are somewhat competent at pattern recognition, you will find your groove quite quickly. 

I also like the art aesthetic for the game. With very bright colors and a sense of style, the game seems to be pulling from different Japanese anime. I feel there was a lot of love put into  Sisters Royale from their team. The soundtrack for the game also has a great blend of driving music, with some lulls that help bring your heart rate and tension down. I love games like this that don’t just slam your eardrums with annoying music that make the game irritating. 

The Big Bad

I will say that the game does have some drawbacks. The levels are somewhat short, and though a great entry in the genre for beginners, there are moments this game becomes an absolute bullet hell. For those unfamiliar with the term, it basically just means a constant unbelievable amount of shots coming at you on the screen. The biggest flaw for me is the bizarre story with quite a few absolutely strange lines of text. There are people out there that will love the strange storytelling, and for me in the right setting I like it as well. Yet Sisters Royale is a vertical shmup and it seems just out of place. 

Final Shots

Overall, I believe that Sister Royale: Sisters Under Fire is a great entry-level vertical shmup for anyone looking to get into this type of gameplay. If you can overlook the hilariously strange story, it is a solid game with good controls. It provides enough challenge to be fair to newcomers and veterans to the genre as well. For those who also love strange stories and even more bizarre quotes to read, this is definitely a game that you should consider diving into guns blazing.

To hear me talk more about Sisters Royale: Five Sisters Under Fire, be sure to check out Episode 280 of The Gaming Outsider Podcast.

This review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy of Sisters Royale: Five Sisters Under Fire provided by Brown Betty for coverage purposes. It is also available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.