Sacred 3

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Sacred 3
Sacred 3 box art.jpg
Developer(s) Keen Games www.keengames.com
Publisher(s) Deep Silver
Series Sacred
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release
  • EU: 1 August 2014
  • NA: 5 August 2014
Genre(s) Hack and slash, brawler
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Sacred 3 is a hack and slash brawler, part of the Sacred 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. [1] The game was finally released on 1 August 2014. It was met with mixed to negative reception.

Contents

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 They have been replaced by the Safiri Warrior and Ancarian Lancer.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. Shortly following the Gamescom announcement, Deep Silver called for fan feedback on desired features for Sacred 3 in its official community forums. [2]

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." [3]

Reception

The game received "mixed" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. [9] The Escapist's Jim Sterling wrote that fans of the series could be disappointed and fans of the hack and slash genre would prefer other titles. [20]

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References

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