Sacred 3

Sacred 3 is a 2014 hack and slash brawler, part of the Sacred video game 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.

Sacred 3
Developer(s)	Keen Games
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

Another side-scrolling action brawler called Sacred Citadel, acting as a prequel to the Sacred 3 story, was 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 were 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

Reception

Aggregate scores

Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	(PS3) 55.11%[4] (PC) 58.77%[5] (X360) 51.00%[6]
Metacritic	(PS3) 56/100[7] (PC) 57/100[8] (X360) 51/100[9]

Review scores

Publication	Score
Destructoid	5/10[10]
Eurogamer	5/10[11]
GameSpot	4/10[12]
GamesRadar+	[13]
GamesTM	6/10[14]
GameTrailers	5/10[15]
IGN	6.5/10[16]
Official Xbox Magazine (US)	5/10[17]
Hardcore Gamer	3/5[18]
The Escapist	3/5[19]

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