So it's been awhile since I have updated my blog, yea I know what you are thinking another failed blog.... well it's not the case just have been busy with other stuff :P. Ok so this week I am bringing you my review of Sacred 2: Fallen Angel.
So what happens when you merge a Diablo style hack n slash with an open world like World of Warcraft? If you guessed Sacred 2 you are right on the money because that is how this game feels starting out. When first starting the game you will be asked to create a character from a pool of 6 available classes 4 of which can choose either a light or dark path and two that must follow only one path. Here is the class breakdown:
Seraphim (Female/Light only) - This is the first class you are shown, basically following the back story they are responsible for the creation of Ancaria but were banished to live there by the creator. She is pretty much stuck to the good path so anyone out there wanting to play a dark angel please keep moving along.
Shadow Warrior (Male/Dark/Light) - The Shadow Warrior can for the most part serve as the parties tank, however for my review I played as a Shadow Warrior light path using some of his Astral Lord abilities which made him into a sort of Necromancer with medium tanking ability. I highly recommend this character to new players.
High Elf (Female/Dark/Light) - Serves the role of main magic user, and probably is the only one you could consider a full casting class in Sacred 2.
Dryad (Female/Dark/Light) - Archer/Nature magic user seems great for ranged combat.
Temple Guardian (Male?/Light/Dark) - Cyborg creatures that look like the Egytpian god Anubis. The seem to feel a role as both ranged combat and have a variety of tech abilities.
Inquisitor (Male/Dark) - Another class I got to play while reviewing the game servers as sort of a mage warrior hybrid with debuff spells.
So pretty good selection right? Well even after selecting your class you are given your choice of gods to choose from which grants you a special ability that is mapped to the top directional pad on the 360 controller, and more often than not comes in very handy.
The world of Sacred 2 looks amazing while the character models may not look next gen the world certainly does, grass and trees move in the breeze and even some spells affect the environment for example playing as the Inquisitor I cast Malestorm which causes all enemies to be hurled into each other it also makes the trees and grass move as if there was a violent wind blowing which I thought was pretty cool; however don't think you can just stroll through the world taking in all the sights because you will find yourself constantly hounded by enemies to the point is seems ridiculous and this is one of the faults I found with the game it seemed like there were no safe spots except for in the heart of a city with guards, some towns even have bad guys walking through them if you can believe that.
Keep running no where is safe in Ancaria!
The character in Sacred 2 while not looking next gen do provide some level of customization for your character to make him/her look they way you want, just an example my Inquisitor looks like he got his armor from Master Shredder so some level of customization is there; on the same note as that your weapons/armor can be socketed with various items you find in the world granting them different abilities ranging from damage enhancement to skill stat boosts. The one thing I did notice is that Sacred 2 has somewhat of a learning curve when it comes to getting spells and upgrading your abilities; when you level you are not automatically given spells or a choice to choose them spells/abilities are actually gained by finding them as loot/or buying them from a vendor, each rune you have of the same spell/ability that you use will increase your spell/ability level... this to me was a confusing system and it wasn't until my second run through that I figured out the system so if you are jumping into this right out of the box I recommend using the manual to get familiar with the world.
"I really like your helmet!"
The combat in Sacred 2 suffers from the same problem that other Hack n' Slash games have had since the beginning and that is extremely repetitive combat which as I said before is around every corner, now for me this is not bad but for others out there looking for different ways to approach a situation you might want to look elsewhere for truly deep combat.
Now for the highlight of Sacred 2 something I feel was done so right is the online Co-op. Following the foot steps of great games like Diablo 2 where the Co-op experience was one of the best in the Hack n' Slash genre Sacred 2 offers a similar experience but in a richer environment where each class can be so different from the guy sitting next to you playing as the same class that it is amazing. You can I believe bring a guest online but you will be sharing a screen for you couch co-opers out there however if someone joins your game they are free to wander as they please in your world which can support three other players if you are playing online.
All in all Sacred 2 is a good game for fans of Hack N' Slash or those just waiting on something to tide them over till Diablo III comes out, either way you are in for a treat in the world of Ancaria. I give Sacred 2 a 8.5/10
A crude map I know but the starting point for this is the Archaeologist camp at the north end of the Jungle region. If you follow the road south you should come to a bridge, don't cross instead travel east along the river and maneuver around the trees to make your way around the mountain, you should come across a t-energy energy field so you know you are going the right way, you should come to a crude wooden bridge cross it and explore around until you see a dungeon. (The outside looks like a ruin) Go inside and in the center of the room is a switch, activate it and you should see the text saying "Something Wonderful has opened". Right now you are probably saying "Where in the heck did it open up?" never fear I am here to help again.
For this one warp to the Tear Drop Hamlet and follow the road south towards the desert region, you should see on your map a huge field of t-energy pools that run north along the lake, make your way through them and proceed north (Don't worry there is only one way through the fields). After a while you should come to a series of bridges that go over the waterfall cross them after enjoying the view it's quite lovely :). The next landmark will be a Temple of the Gods from there head south and you should see a wooden bridge near the dead end go across it and you should see the dungeon called "Something Wonderful" not sure if this is a good reference but for us there was a Hydra outside of the dungeon but I think if you follow the map you can't miss it.
