Resurrected, But At What Cost? | Sacred 3 Review

It is always a good feeling to have a long-loved franchise come back after a long hiatus. All the anticipation and longing for games long gone quickly dissipate and we quickly dive into the new experience with heightened expectations. However, this time around and considering this specific situation, things are different from you may have remembered.

Sacred 2 was, and still is, a cult favorite among PC and console users. While it didn’t win audiences over immediately, it took some time for gamers to discover the game. Momentum built, and while it wasn’t quick enough to save developer Ascaron, it was enough to get the attention of the publishers. Fast forward to today, and we have a new developer Keen Games and Deep Silver who come together to bring a new Sacred game to the masses. Unfortunately, the game we got seems to have disconnected from its fans and this game is not the sequel fans were looking for.

Unfortunately, most of the changes come from Keen Games’ streamlining changes. While you can easily see that the franchise could use some updating, the streamlining was so radical that many of the things that fans loved about the second game got lost in translation to the third.

First and foremost was Sacred 2’s character customization options. In Sacred 2, you had the ability to choose up to seven different classes all feeling quite different. You could also customize your companions, choose color schemes and even change out your weapons. However, in Sacred 3, all those customization options have been removed and you choose from one of four pre-set characters. All of these characters are similar and play the same exact way.

Sacred 2 features a large network of areas to discover in a semi-open world layout. Each area has multiple paths to explore with several side missions found along the way. In Sacred 3, these areas have been removed and replaced with a mix of battle arenas and very linear levels. These levels can take anywhere from 5 to 45 minutes which stands in stark contrast to what was found in the previous game. In addition, towns and city centers where you used to be able to buy goods has been replaced with a menu system. While it is true that these new mechanics streamline the game, it removes much of what gives a game like this; soul.

Sacred 2 featured a vast crafting and loot system. You’d always find new weapons, armor or items that helped you on your quest. Sacred 3 stripped this system out which will really disappoint fans of the second game. Part of the fun of these types of game is finding that piece of loot that completes a set or getting something that makes your questing easier. Instead, we are left with a sterile and largely unsatisfying system that focuses on combat rather than substance.

However, there are some improvements that help to make Sacred 3 better than its predecessors. For example, the new battle system is quick and responsive. Fighting feels good and looks even better. If you played Sacred 2, you’d know that battling was clunky so getting a faster-paced system was great. However, there isn’t a lot of variety in the combat itself. There are no combos or depth to this system so your standard attacks stay the same throughout the game. The finishing moves are flashy and look great, but they follow the same rules as the standard attacks. Once you see the finishers, you’ll be seeing the same ones for the rest of the game.

Sacred 3 does feature a new co-op system that has been the focal point of the new game. The system works well and you can easily bring in friends in a drop-in, drop-out type system. However, the final execution of this mode feels unfinished. The mode puts the players against each other with a score-chase model, but this focus takes away from the joint desire to finish the level as efficiently as possible. Instead, players are encouraged to find every enemy to get that edge over your friends which ultimately feels distracting. Co-op games are best when experiencing the story on an equal playing field. This competitive element just doesn’t scratch that itch.

Players will be happy to know that Sacred 3 looks great. It features a varied color palate that takes advantage of using many different colors. It is very easy for games to slip into a monochromatic palate where everything is some mix of grey. However, Sacred 3 bucks that trend and stays vibrantly colorful even through the darkest sections. This really helps the game present well while preserving the art style.

In addition to the excellent art direction, the game does feature a fair amount of content to get through. There are lots of campaign missions to go on with plenty of combat arenas in-between to allow you to level up or get those extra coins to level up your character or your weapons. As long as you don’t mind the linearity of the design, this adventure will have plenty of length to it.

In the end, Sacred 3 is a mixed bag at best. Instead of making a game that did the other two games justice, Keen Games took the series in another direction. Whenever you do that, you run the risk of disappointing fans and in this case, that is exactly what this game accomplishes. While it isn’t a bad game, it doesn’t do anything that would make fans happy or provide a gratifying experience to newcomers of the franchise. While it was a noble effort to bring back a franchise long gone, this iteration just doesn’t bring anything for the fans to latch on to.

This review is based on a review copy of the PlayStation 3 version of Sacred 3 developed by Keen Games, published by Deep Silver