Sacred 2: Fallen Angel

"If you love Hack n’ Slash, you’ll probably like Sacred 2"

Sacred 2 (by Ascaron Studios) is a game that has no interest in “caterin' to the casuals,” and it's awfully apparent from the moment you put the disc inside your system. This game is rough around the edges, but its core gameplay is solid and the character customization quite deep. If you're a fan of the genre, this game is for you, but if you're not, you should probably think twice before you buy.


STORY: 4/10

Sacred 2 takes place in the world of Ancaria. You, the hero, are basically thrown into this world and are expected to save or destroy it. To be frank, there is no “story”. You're given a short cinematic that tells you T-Energy is leaking to the surface creating mutants, and that it's bad… and that's it. You won't see another cinematic until you beat the game; instead, you're given several walls of text and occasional voice acting.

Ancaria is about 22-square miles large and contains roughly 500 quests and 25 bosses (9 of which you'll fight by just completing the Campaign Quests; you have to find the others on your own). Quests will reward you with experience, gold and sometimes items, all of which will vary in amount or quality depending on your level.

Almost every quest falls into three categories: kill quests, gathering quests, and escort quests. The first two are straight-forward, but escort quests are often a pain as the NPCs you're escorting will either attack everything they see until something dies (usually them unless you intervene), or they'll run around wildly while dozens of enemies chase them. Fortunately, any potions you drink will also heal your escorts, but the game won't tell you that; you're just expected to figure that out on your own.

You won't be moved by Sacred 2's story. If you're looking for a climactic ending, look elsewhere. You'll probably get a good laugh out of quite a few quests, though; this game doesn't take itself seriously.


GAMEPLAY: 8/10

Sacred 2's gameplay contains all the pieces necessary for a great Hack n' Slash game: 6 character classes, a vast world to explore, hundreds of different enemies thrown your direction, a great combat system, an expansive list of loot and an extremely deep character development system. This game has everything except a tutorial to explain it to you, and that's going to be a big problem for those unfamiliar with the genre.

Sacred won't tell you what Attributes, Skills, Runes, Combat Arts and Relics are, or what they do, or how you should use them. You won't be told about Regeneration Times of Combat Arts and you won't be told how to equip a sword and shield at the same time (hint: you have to bind your sword and shield to the same button on the controller).

You'll probably spend 20 hours between a few characters before you truly get a hang of everything. Conveniently, this is also about the same amount of time it takes for the game to ramp up in excitement. Sacred gives you a lot to swallow, and it's going to be your job to figure it all out.

Once you do, you'll find the combat to be quite enjoyable. The pace of fights isn't as fast as Diablo 2, but it's not as slow as an MMO either. Combat consists mainly of Combat Art usage (they're your spells and abilities) and normal weapon attacks. Each Combat Art has a cooldown, so you'll find yourself rotating between Combat Arts and normal attacks often. It takes a while to get used to the flow of combat, but the experience is rewarding once you get into the groove.


PRESENTATION: 3/10

Sacred 2 is not polished by any measure. There are tons of bugs and glitches which are noticeable even in the Main Menu. Textures will pop in constantly. The camera is restrictive and zoomed-in. The framerate is not stable and will often sink noticeably in large fights. You'll get stuck on terrain occasionally. Larger towns take a while to load; if the game can't load it fast enough, it's going to stop you and make you wait until it's done. If you can think of a graphical or technical issue, you'll probably find it here.

In rare cases, you might even encounter game freezes or corrupt save files! (This will supposedly be fixed in an upcoming patch which should be released before June 2009) These issues might've been excusable on the PC, but they're not excusable here on consoles.

That said, when Sacred 2 is working properly, the graphics are rather breathtaking. It's obvious that Ascaron put a lot of effort in crafting the world of Ancaria. It's just a shame that it's almost never working properly.


OVERALL: 7/10

Sacred 2 doesn't like you. It doesn't want to tell you what it's about, it doesn't want to tell you about its character customization, and it certainly doesn't want you to see what it looks like when the stars align and the graphics are working properly. However, if you're a big fan of Hack n' Slash and are willing to forgive Sacred 2 for hating you, you will love this game. This game is made for the Hardcore Hack n' Slash audience and it has a charm and sense of humor that fans will pick up on.

If you're not sure of your Hack n' Slash fanaticism, you need not apply. You won't be able to experience was Sacred really is in a rental; it's too complex and takes too long to ramp up in excitement. However, if you have a lot of time to invest into Sacred, and the willingness to crack its code, you'll love it.

Sacred 2: Buy, or bye.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 05/26/09

Game Release: Sacred 2: Fallen Angel (US, 05/11/09)