tl;dr: Pass on this, unless you want a very different but subpar take on the 2d Shmup.

This is a difficult game to review, because there are some very interesting ideas. However, those interesting ideas are not executed well.

In essence this game is a 2D side-scrolling shmup, with the best point of comparison being similar to Gradius or R-type.

The game is difficult like the classic titles in the series so I can't recommend this for newer players, as the game can be punishing in its patterns and how its power up system operates where you lose them on hit.

However there are some unfair enemy/hazard placements in the stages. Unlike R-type or Gradius, the weapons you have access to don't compensate for some of the difficulty presented. Sine Mora is little less punishing because you can take a couple of hits before the reset to the start of the stage, and can recover power ups, but you are not going to reach the power that you do in a Gradius or R-type. So you have to be ok with routing for comparatively under-armed ships compared to other games.

The number of hits you can take is attached to time. Functionally, this creates a more obtuse way of tracking how you're doing, and makes it more difficult to know if you can recover quickly enough to get to a checkpoint.

The presentation itself is fairly competent, as the art direction is pretty good. The enemies look great, and the scenery is pleasant. The pilots are star fox style animals, and that adds to the charm of this game.

The premise of the story is interesting, but the dialogue and presentation are lackluster. The voice acting itself is fine, but the script is too on the nose. The scenes between stages only serve to slow the story down given the low quality of the writing.

So basically this leave the game looking pretty with interesting ideas, but doesn't play particularly well and is difficult. This leaves basically only able to recommend the game to experienced shmup players who want to try something different and aren't afraid of the flaws I described. For everyone else there are other shmups that check off a lot of the boxes this game does better.