Sacred 3

Sacred 3

Developer(s) Keen Games[1]
Publisher(s) Deep Silver
Series Sacred
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release date(s)
  • NA August 5, 2014
  • EU August 1, 2014
Genre(s) Hack and slash, Brawler
Mode(s) Single-player, Multiplayer

Sacred 3 is a hack and slash brawler named as the third full game in the Sacred video game series, despite notable differences in both gameplay and design. Deep Silver, which acquired the license to Sacred 3 from former development studio Ascaron Entertainment, announced at Gamescom that the earliest it could publish the game would be in early 2012.[2] The game was finally released on August 1, 2014, among negative reviews and cold reception by the fans of the previous games in the franchise, because of the change in genre and alleged shallow gameplay.

Another side-scrolling action brawler called Sacred Citadel acted as a prequel to the Sacred 3 story and released in 2013 to XBLA, PSN and Steam and developed by Southend Interactive.

Gameplay

There are a variety of classes to choose from but those from Sacred 2: Fallen Angel have not returned. They have been replaced by the Safiri Warrior and Ancarian Lancer. Some of the environments from the previous game made a return such as Castle Braverock.

Sacred 3 has four player co-op online and offline. Each ally has his or her own distinct set of active and passive skills. Everyone has a small number of abilities to equip at a time to keep the team from getting overpowered and may allow the combining of team powers to give the player additional ways to take down foes.

Plot

Seraphim – guardians of the legendary "Heart of Ancaria" and their sacred bond between its people had kept the land at peace for centuries, but they've since been forgotten. Lord Zane – ruler of the Ashen Empire – allied himself with Demons, striving to open the gates to the underworld. Bound together by the chains of this evil empire, a resistance of Heroes was forged.

Players will need to defeat the oppressive ruler of Ashen Empire, Zane Ashen, and keep him from obtaining a powerful artifact known as the Heart of Ancaria.

Development

Sacred 3 was developed by Keen Games, for the publisher Deep Silver. As of today (24th December 2014) Keen Games website (keengames.com) has zero references to Sacred 3 on any of their pages, including the Games page.

Shortly following the Gamescom announcement, Deep Silver called for fan feedback on desired features for Sacred 3 in its official community forums.[3]

In an interview Martin Wein stated "For the weakness of Sacred 2 I want to mention the Quality Assurance. As a target for Sacred 3 this will be a very important milestone to be taken care of. It's possible to deliver a bug free game." When asked about possible similarities or differences between the sequel and past installments, Wein stated "We want to keep the charm of the series and you will stumble upon one or another popular character of the prequels." [4]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings(PS3) 55.11% [5]
(PC) 58.77%[6]
(X360) 51.00%[7]
Metacritic(PS3) 56/100[8]
(PC) 57/100[9]
(X360) 51/100[10]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Destructoid5/10[11]
Eurogamer5/10[12]
GameSpot4/10[13]
GamesRadar[14]
GamesTM6/10[15]
GameTrailers5/10[16]
IGN6.5/10[17]
Official Xbox Magazine5/10[18]
Hardcore Gamer3/5[19]
The Escapist3/5[20]

Reviews for Sacred 3 have been negative. Josh Wirtanen of GeekParty praised the game's color palette, saying that its "golden hues make it seem like a completely different world than any we’re used to." [21] However, Push Square described the game as a "huge let down for fans of the series." [22] The Escapist's Jim Sterling had similar complaints, saying "Fans of the original Sacred games may well be let down, while fans of hack and slash action games have better options already." [23]

References

  1. ↑ "keen games | Open positions". Keengames.com. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
  2. ↑ Ridgeley, Sean (2010-08-19). "Deep Silver announces Risen 2, Sacred 3". Neoseeker. Retrieved 2011-03-16.
  3. ↑ "Sacred 3: Vorschläge von der Community sind im Trend" (in German). Spielradar.de. 2010-01-21. Retrieved 2011-03-16.
  4. ↑ "Interview with Deep Silvers' PR Manager Martin Wein". sacred3.org. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  5. ↑ http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox360/682469-sacred-3/index.html
  6. ↑ http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/681162-sacred-3/index.html
  7. ↑ http://www.gamerankings.com/ps3/682468-sacred-3/index.html
  8. ↑ http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/sacred-3
  9. ↑ http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/sacred-3
  10. ↑ http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/sacred-3
  11. ↑ "Review: Sacred 3". Destructoid. 2014-08-05. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  12. ↑ "Sacred 3 review". Eurogamer.net. 2014-08-05. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  13. ↑ "Sacred 3 review". Gamespot. 2014-08-05. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  14. ↑ "Sacred 3 review". GamesRader. 2014-08-05. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  15. ↑ "Sacred 3 review". GameTM. 2014-08-05. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  16. ↑ "Sacred 3 review". GameTrailer. 2014-08-05. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  17. ↑ "Sacred 3 review". IGN. 2014-08-05. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  18. ↑ "Sacred 3 Xbox 360: Nothing is sacred in Keen's action RPG revival". Official Xbox Magazine. 2014-08-05. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  19. ↑ "Review: Sacred 3". Hardcore Gamer. 2014-08-05. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  20. ↑ "Sacred 3 Review - Yawntlet". The Escapist. 2014-08-05. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  21. ↑ Josh Wirtanen (2014-08-09). "Sacred 3′s Color and Lighting Create a Perfectly Strange Vibe". GeekParty. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
  22. ↑ Alex Stinton (2014-08-01). "Review: Sacred 3 (PlayStation 3)". Push Square. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
  23. ↑ Jim Sterling (2014-08-01). "Sacred 3 Review - Yawntlet". The Escapist. Retrieved 2014-08-09.

External links