[Impressions on Sacred 3]

2. Assembling an entirely new team to make a Sacred game costs money and represents a rather big risk. Again the Sacred brand might have some brand recognition and fan loyalty behind it, but it's not a clear winner.

I absolutely agree, I don't deny this kind of mentality. It's just that it also falls under "sinister" category. Because stupid or greedy or opportunistic - they willingly branded a... completely different game... as Sacred. I don't know, what consequences they have thought of, but I believe it will end like I said a few posts above: "Cheap to make, easy to sell. No franchise, no problem." Then they can make whichever RPG they want.

[Impressions on Sacred 3]

I am convinced that Sacred 3's biggest problem is that it's called Sacred 3.

 

I mean, what probably happened was that Keen Games was developing what is probably their most ambitious project to date, an entirely new ARPG with a heavy emphasis on the "A"-part as well as co-op multiplayer. Then Deep Silver acquires the Sacred franchise and goes: "Hey, one of our studios is already developing an ARPG. If we get them to shoehorn in a Seraphim somehow we have that franchise sorted."

Then Keen Games new game get to have the Sacred brand hanging like a millstone around it's neck, while the Sacred fandom go "What the hell happened to our game?"

Typical suit logic at work here. I actually feel more sorry for Keen Games than I do for us. Well, I'm still bummed that Ascaron wen't bust, but that's a slightly different issue.

True, but as RockPaperShotgun review shows - it's not at all just title.

 

Of course, first of all the title is the fanrobber and hopekiller. A total ransack of the franchise. I doubt it was so peaceful, though. If an average gamer can play Sacred 2 and visit this forum, how can an industry worker, who develops an apparent sequel - not know ANYTHING about the game or fans? They were either FORCED to make this design... or these Keen games should go to mental asylum for life.

 

Then there is the bad humor. Even for a fancy-pants game, like BL2 or Wildstar, this is overkill. So while it could possibly deliver to an uninitiated gamer, any reasonable person would spit on the game, regardless of the title.

 

And finally - gameplay. It's not even that spectacular. I thought Diablo 3 is a total dumbdown, but this slasher is not even trying. It has nothing in it that could be called unique.

 

 

So if it was called "Inconceivable quest for belligerent epicness", it may have passed for 5/10 title among it's niche group of fans. Because it was be quirky, slashy and... well... nameless.

But with title comes responsibility. Not just for fans - for the franchise. You can't make Call of Duty 100500 - a turn-based strategy. Or Civilization 6 - a shooter. Maybe not the best comparison, but the difference between products is about the size of that.

The current released title is a terrible game which likely won't even find it's fan niche. Like I said - I don't know what have they had in mind for this game, but it's either sinister or clinically imbecile.

[Impressions on Sacred 3]

Я конечно извиняюсь, но называть серию Sacred как RPG это... вы серьезно? И какую же роль я отыгрывал все эти годы? Наверное роль хомячка, который из-за корявой защиты игры лишился лицензии.

I would assume that you understood what I said, and despite both of us being russian, I will retain courtesy to the forum to keep it English.

Sacred is ARPG, but still RPG. The intro of Sacred 2 may not have been overly explanatory, but at least it was... well, epic. To this day. Not to mention that it has shown characters and even a boss. It gave you an idea of what you are going to be.

The intro of S3 can hardly be called a trailer. Just some merged slideshow with narration done by such despicable voice that I don't even want to know why. It has raised more questions than given answers(why is Aria so sexist? Where is the underground punk barbershop that makes all the hairstyles? How many gods have Telari got laid if she has so many dinners planned? What the hell happened in the world without the perspective of an indie game?), has not shown any performance or introduced you to the game and basically jumped to the ragged exchange at that table, where you are told that... Yeah, you are Jean Grey'ed into the battle. And in the battle, there is nothing to help you start, but the crack-lines of Aria and extremely plain mechanics.

That is not RPG.

 

When I hear why I am called, what do I look like, where do I appear, who meets me, who do I fight, when I can see that first generic quest that asks me to punish big bad tutle egg stealer(or whatever it was called) - that is RPG. It may not be highest sort of RPG, but it is still somewhat immersive.

 

[Impressions on Sacred 3]

Well, if you consider ARPG to be "cheap old loot addict", then probably I should recommend you to buy the game, support the developers in one of the biggest crimes in the history of gaming and later weep over your money.

I won't criticize the gameplay, because I haven't tried it. I've quit and uninstalled during the tutorial. You can find gameplay reviews from the so-called "open-minded" gamers.
If I play the game, I want to be immersed in it. And while it's true that, despite all the greatnesses of Sacred 2 - it ended up "a game with everything, except for soul" - at least Sacred 2 had "everything". Sacred 3 has... nothing? Like, literally.
As one good member of this forum has said somewhere in this section - if the game offers no customization, no insight, no thought and planning - it's not worth being played. And I wholly agree. Sacred 3 has no stats, no loot, no skill customization. The only thing I've heard about it - are some weapon spirits. Probably something like weapon proc effect or something, with added puns as you play.

I've first started to feel disgust towards the game from the trailers. I hate swagging. This is literally the opposite of immersion, the opposite of RPG. Sacred 3's swagging can only be rivaled by Wildstar. But if only it was about swag...
The characters are so low - I'd say S1 succubus(or whatever she was) is a charmer.
Safiri warrior, and his description, literally begs to call him the N word. And not just for racist. I think even the most prudent and polite person would think of nothing else, but this word, after looking at the character and reading his history.
Almost the same about Khukri. Take asian person, label him as mongolian archer, put him as some cult mega-hero of ancient poems. Voila, you've got yourself a "fictional" character...
Ancarian "lady" is the baby of Windrunner and Xena. And I don't want to think how this baby came to be... But I am certain it had something to do with Disney Princess castle nursery...
Seraphim... are no longer sacred angelic beings. German(or correct me there) fantasy of Ascaron may have created stipping angels with something I can't say in english that passes for "belt". But at least it delivered, so long as the age rating was correct. Deep Silver's vision of Seraphim - is a spandex paladin with punk(or whatever it's called) hair. What's worse, they've publicly confirmed that seraphims have orgies as their normal activity.
Malakhim probably came to be as a character with no history, reason or goal. "Hey, let's impersonate a griefer, who'd grief on NPCs, instead of players? -Yeah, great idea, let's make him cool, opposite of Seraphim. That'd widen the target audience."

The intro, the comments during tutorial - it's just... I don't know. If you have bad taste in humor or are high/drugged - perhaps the game would deliver. I play to feel RPG, not to constantly have the 4th wall of my sanity cringe and twitch.

I have no idea how ANY kind of Sacred fan would play "Unsacred 3". Just... no idea. I mean, even if somehow the gameplay CAN be considered "fair", as far as slashers go(and I don't play that genre), the TITLE, the characters... It just won't let you play it as you would've wanted to.

I don't want to put my tinfoil hat on, but I think this game is a design by Deep Silver to bury the franchise. Cheap to make, easy to sell for the fanclub. No loss, no title. Because otherwise I see no reason for this game, or for this gameplay+title to exist. It just doesn't correlate. Hurts the brain.


So good luck with your choice, I hope it won't be difficult...