Introduction

The Diablo series popularized a genre that had, in fact, been around for quite a while. The “hack and slash” genre, as it has come to be called, relies on a consistent set of game mechanics that serve to quench the thirst of people who wish to fight their way through hordes of enemies, complete quests, and level up their character. As is inevitable under these circumstances, new games in this genre are always going to be compared to the big kid on the block. Some have managed to set themselves apart and really eat up a chunk of my gaming time. Sacred Plus joins the ranks of games like Darkstone and Nox as just such a game. Anyone who likes a good yarn in a medieval fantasy world will find something to like in Sacred.

While “plus” hasn’t developed the negative connotations in gaming that “extreme” has, it does mean something here. Sacred Plus is a re-release of the original Sacred along with the fist expansion, which adds new quests, monsters, and items to the already huge game world. This was actually a free add-on released over the internet, but it is convenient to have everything together, considering that the upgrade is a rather large download.

PRESENTATION AND PLOT

Like most clichéd RPG plot, Sacred starts out with menacing creatures attacking peaceful villagers (and cattle) and creatures taking said villagers hostage. There is actually much more to it than that, but not much is revealed at the outset. The intro shows a rogue wizard partaking in a ritual that summons a demon that is nearly unstoppable, let alone controllable. The overall plot develops around trying to stop these demons from taking over the world of Ancaria. Along the way players will encounter raiding orcs, political intrigues, deposed princes, and a bevy of optional side quests.

The quests (of which there are over 250) do an excellent job of revealing the game world to the player in manageable chunks. Unlike most “hack and slash” RPGs, Sacred does not contain what could be described as “levels”. Almost the entire game world is open from the start for exploration. Obviously, bringing a level 2 character into the uncharted desert may not be the best starting adventure, but the fact that players can do it further enhances the illusion of a living, breathing world. As I will describe later, there are several excellent methods the designers implemented to ensure that players never get lost or confused as to where to proceed next.

Further enhancing the game’s atmosphere are the details about Ancaria that players will discover during their adventure. Talking to NPCs will reveal side notes about the world the designers have created, and there are also books that can be discovered which further flesh things out. While the detail does not reach, say, Morrowind levels, it is certainly more complex than Diablo. In essence, Sacred has the soul of a traditional RPG in “hack and slash” clothing.