TL;DR play it if you don't mind clunkiness and/or you want to experience one of the most, IMO, influential games in the history of the ARPG genre. I've liked the game. Yes, it is a bit dated (and I play old games all the time so didn't mind it at all), but the gameplay rocks most of the time. Refer to the points below to decide if it is up your alley: - the game features open world, which actually works. You might expect snow in the North and hot climate in the South. Well, this is exactly how the world of Ancaria is like! - this open worldness brings non-linearity. Most of the time you will work on the side and not on the main quests - side quests are many. And i mean MANY. The issue I have with them is that they are mostly boring. Bring me 10 boar ears. Kill 10 goblins. Escort my drunk husband back here so that I can scold him. Your usual MMO stuff. - this brings me to the next point: the world exploration feels unrewarding most of time. Ancaria is literally MASSIVE. But when exploring you will mostly find either of 2 things: caves or villages/towns. Towns have side quests and my issue with them is described above. The caves are fun, but they are not Diablo 2-like caves (pardon for the comparison, but it is only most natural to compare Sacred to Diablo, since they are only 4 years apart). You will not find tons of elites. You WILL find chests, but chests in Sacred are beyond useless. They usually only contain gold, which quickly becomes obsolete and I didn't even bother hunting them after some time in the game. This means the exploration IS there, but it is poorly rewarded and you will have to find the fun stuff yourself. - the monster farming and combat, however, feel good. The game is deceptively simple, but, IMO, skills system, runes, sets and combos allow for some serious numbers crunching for those willing to do so - Underworld, which is a separate campaign, feels more like Diablo and less like Sacred. Too many enemies and no open world feeling
This game is a very decent atmospheric piece of art. TL;DR just play it: the price is good, it does not overstay its welcome, rather short, but full of suspense. Graphics: - very good vistas all over the place - nature fosters a feeling of loneliness (not in a bad way, rather prompting you to reflect and listen to your own thoughts) Music: - most splendid instrumental pieces - invokes a sense of mystery and is 100% to the point Gameplay: - it is not your regular point-and-click adventure game - it says "we won't hold your hand" and it doesn't lie - the puzzles, IMO, are sometimes challenging, but not in a way you think. The are not complex per se, but rather require you to search the area thoroughly - inventory and NPCs are, essentially, non-existent - in the beginning your understanding of what your character can and cannot do is murky. As you as you get the gist the puzzles will get much more streamlined - the approach of "what I would do IRL" works here almost flawlessly, kudos to the game designers! Story: - it is immersive, you will not notice the time passing while you play - honestly, I did not expect the way the idea of the game is presented at the very end - IMO, the ending could have been more... imaginative? I don't say it is bad in any way, it is just I've expected something to "unwrap" and it didn't. At least, there are no unanswered questions, I suppose, which mentally "joins" the story in a full circle. It is, of course, VERY subjective so try it out and see for yourself ;) My review: 5 stars. For what you pay you get SO much more. It is a truly immersive game, which makes you wonder what's next after every single puzzle. Bravo!
TL;DR a brilliant specimen. Buy & support! This game leaves a certain aftertaste. You know - like when you've just finished a really good book and are just sitting there pondering upon the experience. You WILL have that here, which already makes it a really good game. Now, diving into a bit more detail: Atmosphere: - now this is a part where the game really shines. The scenery, the sounds, the accents (oh, the ACCENTS! That was just splendid now was it thank you very much ;) ) evoke the feeling of Bewlay. I've been living in that village alongside Thomasina and I am going to miss the villagers. Graphics: - I like pixel graphics. Nothing to shy away from. Some people don't and it will be kind of hard to go past that of you are one of them. Just warning in advance :) Music: - Very atmospheric. I like how the developers have included these synth-wave/retro-wave compositions which (one could think) might sound completely out of place, but lo! they don't. How did they manage to pull it off - I don't know, but if it works - it works. The story: - This is why it is an ALMOST perfect rollercoaster. I have a minor beef with the story. I wouldn't spoil anything here so my point might sound a bit vague. You see, I have soe experience being a dungeon master playing different TTRPGs, including Call of Cthulhu, so I know, that creating and preserving a suspense is an immensely complicated endeavour. This game has a, well, certain point, when you begin understanding where this train is heading. Which means, that you might (or might not) want to ALTER the direction of the train at the nearest crossroads. This brings me to the second point. Usually, in the stories characters change. Their attitude change under the influence of people and circumstances. This is called character progression and it makes stories more engaging. Here, there IS character progression, but not to an extent you may expect. Long story short - there is only one set of tracks and no crossroads.
