The Sacred series has been very hit-or-miss over the years. The previous entries have been met with a lot of mixed responses. Does Sacred 3 add to that list, or finally get some love? Well… not quite.
Admittedly I’ve never indulged in the series, but I have watched my fair share of gameplay for Sacred 2: Fallen Angel. Sacred 3 is a very different game. Taking a leaf out of Diablo 3’s book, Sacred 3 is a RPG/hack ‘n’ slash dungeon crawl through over 50 areas set in the Sacred universe. The lack of exploration really hurt my enjoyment of the game, but that is only a minor issue in comparison to the big problem:
This game is a dungeon crawler with no loot.
No. Loot.
I hear your anger, your frustration. The lack of loot makes the upgrade and leveling system feel extremely bland. There’s a very small amount of actual customization available to the player. Every level you unlock a new skill or upgrade for a skill, and that’s pretty much it. Sometimes the weapons you collect – your only customizable aspect – level up, sometimes they don’t; it all feels pretty random. The way you collect these weapons is ridiculous too – they randomly drop after beating a level. I got two weapons from the first three areas, but I’ve read of people not finding any until much later on. Your armour also levels up, but that seems to be random too. The systems they’ve implemented make the game very simple, killing any appeal from the hardcore fanbase who like maximum customization. That said, this game is perfect for newbies to the genre. I played the game in local co-op with a friend who isn’t much of a gamer. After an hour she had a full understanding of her character and seemed to be enjoying herself.
You can also collect various spirits of different characters that add buffs to your weapon, each with a cost. For example, the Battlemage adds a chance to hit enemies with an electric shock that jumps from enemy to enemy, with a 20% reduction to how much energy can be healed. These spirits can also be levelled up, but that hasn’t happened to me yet… and probably won’t for another 20 areas thanks to how ridiculous the leveling system is for items.
I played the game as several characters, including the dlc character Malakhim the Assassin, who seemed to be some kind of dark angel race. Despite looking absolutely ridiculous, he was relatively powerful and a very fast attacker. One of his unlockable skills allows the player to do their basic attack at lightning speed whilst doing double damage, while another allowed me to do a huge blast attack that honestly felt underpowered. Perhaps it would get better as I upgrade it more, but I didn’t reach a high enough level to check. You’re only allowed to equip two attack skills at any time, each with their own energy bar. You also have a skill that can only be activated in co-op that buffs you and your teammates.
The game can be played locally in two-player and four player online, which actually makes the game a lot more enjoyable. I have a theory that almost any game can be fun with a friend and Sacred 3 adds to the evidence for that. Even the areas that usually feel like a grind can be fun with one more person. I could happily play through this entire game in co-op with a friend or two but playing solo would be extremely dull.
The playable characters themselves are a very mixed bunch. Personally I only liked a handful of their designs, but all the fun playstyles I saw were tied to characters who didn’t look appealing. I did however really like the Paladin and the fact that this class was female – it’s a refreshing change to see a female character in an RPG take on a powerful role, let alone a well-designed female character.
Visually the game looks quite nice for a game set at an isometric view. A lot of developers would usually take this kind of viewpoint as an excuse to be a little lazy with textures, but that’s not the case here. Environments look vibrant and colourful, enemies are well designed (although a certain race of enemy is pretty bland) and the whole experience is visually pleasing. The soundtrack is what lets the game down though.
Each area’s music is generic fantasy that really doesn’t get stuck in my head. Admittedly there’s no much else they could’ve done for the soundtrack, but it’s all so boring. Combined with dull voice acting for playable characters and the annoying, out of place ditzy teen girl who somehow was put in charge of guiding the players through each area, I can’t help but cringe at what I’m hearing occasionally. I understand that the Sacred games are meant to have some level of humour but the majority of time the game just isn’t funny. Some of the equipable spirits have funny moments, but that isn’t very common – especially if you equip the heavily sexist Battlemage.
I can’t fault Sacred 3’s controls though. They’re simple to get to grips with, easy to pick up, and don’t require much thought or learning. That’s what makes this game so easy for people to just jump into.
Sacred 3 isn’t a bad game, it just has the wrong audience. Long-time fans of the series don’t want a simple game, they want something hardcore that they can really get their teeth into. At heart it’s still a fun, lighthearted dungeon crawler. Just don’t expect to be gripped if you’re playing it alone.
Sacred 3 was reviewed with a copy of the game on PS3 provided by the lovely folks over at Deep Silver.
