Review: Sacred 2

What you would normally expect to only grace your PCs with a gentle keyboard stroke wielding you nothing short of a massive fireball, has now washed up ashore to our home consoles with Sacred 2‘s recent release on both the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3. It is rather infrequent that a developer dares to strip this style game from it’s PC roots and set foot on a console, though Ascaron Entertainment took on that challenge. I was nothing less than pleased to have a go at Sacred 2. Those who will never own a “super computer” to really get to enjoy these types of games, this is your time to shine. A solid, well-put together experience has been constructed just for that type of gamer for a change.

Like all games of this nature, you will be prompted to create a character before you are deployed into the world. There are six different classes players can choose from: a Seraphim, Dryad, High Elf, an Inquisitor, Shadow Warrior and a Temple Guardian. Already here in just the character creation process, I lost a lot of excitement already when I was stripped of all creative prowess. You cannot select the gender of your character, each class has its own mandatory preset gender. The only creative tool you’re given to work with after you select your class is pretty much just a quick spray-on hair dye. You can’t alter any facial features or design a body structure. This hindered me quite a bit when I was first starting out, as the main draw in a game like this is to create my character unique to my liking, especially since I will be showing my character off online. Luckily, Sacred 2 makes up for it a bit with the variety of interchangeable armor sets and pieces, unique for each class. Before you are ready to get your hack or maybe even your slash on, you’ll also be asked to select one of the deities to lend you their powers. They each have their own benefits, some may provide recovery assistance during the heat of battle while others may wreak massive havoc in your favor. Now all that’s left is to choose to follow the path of Light or the path of Shadow and heave ho, onward we go.

To give the game a leg to stand on, it has a bit of a general story to propel you through the main quest. Though it is not overly complex and will probably not be your main concern, it’s more to give the game a bit of structure and a sense of purpose into the game’s background, which is a prequel to the original Sacred. A civil war is brewing between the races over the control of the T-Energy, a powerful blue-glowing pool of energy. Shall it be used for the sake of order or shall it fall to the fate of chaos?

As soon as you begin your journey on foot, (though once you complete the quest to obtain a mount, you won’t ever look back) you will probably find yourself toggling back and forth through the options and the menu screens to get a feel for what’s in store and how to strategically play with your character. That’s where I was left hanging in the wind naked on a clothesline. There are no tutorials! It will definitely take some time to get used to everything that is involved and expected of you if you wish to enjoy the game to its highest potential. Once you climb over the learning school bus though, both the leveling and combat arts system feel rather rewarding at every turn. There are heaps of intriguing new abilities to be learned.

Although this type of game is usually designed for the keyboard and mouse-inclined, the developers have been very generous with their layout of a control setup. Easy, simple, and blueberry pie are the best descriptions I can allow for this control scheme. The D-pad seems to automatically map your potions to it, protecting the up button for the use of your deity’s power, leaving your face buttons to map at your own will with the weapon or combat art of your desire. The scheme works very well, and while your magic is charging for a second blow to the enemy’s face, don’t wait — slice your foe in the knees with your cleaver. With the variety of weaponry and exciting choices of different magic to learn, selecting the right skills to map on the face buttons is nothing but strategy!

As for the camera system, players may find it to be rather frustrating. You can let it follow you, which will make you incredibly dizzy, or you can leave it static, which most players find to be more focused. The issue with this that comes up is when you want to zoom in to see your character better as you play, you are pitted with a very small radial view of what you will be able to see in front of your character. Enemies will come at you in masses and you will hardly be able to prepare for their rather untimely arrival unless you train your eyes to the mini-map. You will be playing this very zoomed out for the most part, with more of a top-view style focus on your character.

I must admit, the screenshots and assets to be found around the internet for this game, for some reason, do it quite an injustice. The textures are much sharper and aesthetically pleasing when you are playing on an HDTV screen. The world of Ancaria is mind-blowingly mammoth, as I can truthfully say that I have never ventured into a world as expansive as this before. I almost hate to admit it because I drop my ballot in the “justice for all consoles” bin, but after having had my chance to play both the Xbox 360 and the PS3 versions, the games are virtually replicas of each other — though the graphics on the PS3 version are slightly sharper and the textures feel slightly more detailed. I was able to recognize the difference only through the glare of a pair of scrutinizing eyes, however slight.

That being said, there is a ton of variety in the different areas you will visit, all being beautifully portrayed on screen. Every area will supply you with a ton of new quests, as there are hundreds upon hundreds of quests to keep both the hardcore and the harder-than-casual players at bay for hours on end. To be quite honest, there is not very much to the quests either. I can tell you right now that you’re looking at a quick conversation, a commitment to slay some evil, and a pleasant little reward — over and over again. But I cannot stress enough how addicting it can get if you are familiar with and enjoy this genre (Think: Diablo). The looting system in this game, something about it just has Sacred fans ablaze with greed and obsession, frothing at the mouth and shamelessly questing for countless hours.

Which brings me to another beautifully crafted feature of the game: the multiplayer. Up to four players can join forces online (two can even play on the same console!) which is where a lot of the fun is meant to be had. You will be sharing the loot while gaining the experience, and having someone along for the ride for your nightly questing feels invaluable. After getting the hang of the game and leveling up a bit to prove my worth, to join up and gain that sense of camaraderie amongst a group of fellow questers was just what the doctor ordered.

Once you take the time to learn the ropes, Sacred 2 promises to lead you on a journey that captivates the inner greed in all of us with its stimulating looting system. With a plethora of enemies to slay at the mighty request of many a friend in need, there is tons of gameplay in store for any level player to dive into. You’ve got your magic, you’ve got your katanas, and even a few guns, but best of all you finally have a solid hack and slash RPG experience on your console.

Doin It RIGHT:
- The most expansive, impressive world I’ve ever seen.
- A well-built and structured co-op experience.
- A multitude of quests adds up for an incredibly full experience.

Doin It RONG:
- Lack of tutorials in-game makes it quite daunting to learn the ins and outs of the game.
- Camera can be frustrating at times.
- Your character’s voice lacks emotion and is borderline annoying.