Sacred 2: Fallen Angel – Out Now

[Marine Mike]

NEW SCREENSHOTS!!!

Sacred 2: Fallen Angel

The Ascaron presentation at the 2008 Leipzig Games Convention began with a confirmation that the action role-playing game Sacred 2: Fallen Angel is finished and should soon be shipping for the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. Following this piece of good news we jumped straight into an overview of the PC version, where we were shown some of the different regions in the game. There will be around 22 square miles in total to explore, including woodlands, forest, swamps, human settlements, a volcanic island, jungle, and desert. There are also a reported 200-plus subterranean dungeons in the game, with no loading screens between areas aboveground or belowground. Sacred 2's entire world is unlocked from the beginning, with the exception of areas where you might be killed if you're lacking in skills, so you should be able to jump straight in and explore at your leisure from the get-go.

Mounts will join in the fight without restricting your ability to perform special attacks.

In addition to some of the terrain, we saw some examples of region-specific animals, including some nasty-looking giant spiders that were indigenous to a rain-drenched jungle area. Expect to see panthers, jaguars, and other creatures lurking in the jungle. We were told that there will be 80 basic enemy types throughout the game, as well as variations for some of them. Each region will also have a special boss that will need to be defeated using a specific technique. When you vanquish those enemies you will be rewarded with extra items, such as heavy armour.

While you can traverse the large open world on foot, you'll also be able to do it on horseback. You'll gain access to special mounts for each character during the game. You'll be able to trample enemies and jump over obstacles on horseback, though you'll be limited to simple melee attacks. Special mounts, on the other hand, allow you to pull off special combos similar to those that you're able to perform on foot. The mounts can also join in the fight themselves, increasing your overall attack.

You'll be able to play through a full adventure single-handedly, but fighting alongside a friend might make things easier. Sacred 2's persistent online feature means that cooperative team members can drop in and out at will. We were told that the two storylines (one for good characters and one for bad) should take between 35 and 45 hours each to complete. With an apparent 600-odd side quests, the total time to find every last item and achievement in the game could take more than 100 hours.

We were also shown Sacred 2 for the Xbox 360, which, we were told, is almost the same as the PC version. Both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions will support a native resolution of 1080p full HD, which should keep HDTV owners happy. The development team has gotten around the limitations of controllers: Major functions such as attacks have been mapped to the face buttons, healing potions have been mapped to the directional pad, and shifting to a different set of functions can be done with the triggers. An analogue stick will move your character like the point-and-click method does on the PC.

There are 80 different enemy types in the game, including these nasty critters.

Playing locally or online with friends will earn your character experience, but it won't affect your progress in the game. If you're hosting a cooperative session, you'll be able to continue your journey after your friends have quit. On the flip side, your friends will be able to continue their single-player game from where they left off before joining you on a quest. While no details were given on PlayStation Network support, up to four players will be able to play simultaneously over Xbox Live.

Sacred 2: Fallen Angel is coming out later this year on the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. With a massive open world and a plethora of characters, missions, side quests, and regions to choose from, it looks like the experience will keep RPG fans occupied for many hours.

Sacred 2's Character Classes: Part 1

We take a look at three of the six classes: the Seraphim, Dryad and High-Elf.
April 17, 2009 - Diablo-esque loot-driven games have seemingly taken a backseat lately, with glitzy first-person action-RPGs seemingly taking over. But the sub-genre seems destined for a comeback as Blizzard readies yet another frenetic dungeon crawl, and developer Ascaron Entertainment is striving to be at the isometric forefront with Sacred 2: Fallen Angel.

Those who have played the first Sacred will feel right at home with the mechanics of the latest installment: click the mouse-buttons till the enemies fall, and feverishly quaff those healing potions to keep yourself going. This time, however, the series offers much more customizability with the six classes offered. Each of them (Dryad, High Elf Inquisitor, Seraphim, Shadow Warrior, Temple Guardian) have a unique personality, attacks, spells and specialties as well as a special mount. Unlike popular MMOs, the special mounts aren't only for eye-candy and travel, and they have their own combat perks. Each character can be diversified by specializing in one of three Aspects.

Since much of the main quest is based on themes of light and dark, for this first part we'll take a look at the three classes more associated with the light: Seraphim, Dryad and High Elf.

Seraphim: As the name suggests, the Seraphim has its origins in the divine. As the protectors of Ancaria chosen by the gods, the player can help to maintain justice and peace throughout the land. Consistent with her nimble physique, the class excels at agile, tactical combat--but won't be able to soak up the hits as a Shadow Warrior. In addition to her melee arsenal, she also has ranged spells and shuriken blades at her disposal.

Unique to the Seraphim are the tiger mounts, which are obtainable through quests. The mounts available are: the Evasion Sabertooth Tiger, which increases your chance to evade; the Celestial Magic Sabertooth Tiger, the Exalted Warrior Sabertooth Tiger and the Revered Technology Sabertooth Tiger, which reduce the regeneration time of the respective Aspects.

Dryad: Similar to Elves, Dryads feel at home living off nature, venturing out only to protect the wellbeing of their kind--unless the promises and prospects of power corrupt them. As adept hunters, they can deftly take down opponents from afar with their ranged attacks. They can also make use of Voodoo magic to rain down curses upon enemies, as well as use Nature Spells to heal or aid themselves in battle.

To complement the Dryad's ranged attacks, the class can make use of Monitor Lizard mounts exclusive to their class. In addition to the three Aspect mounts (Capricious Hunter Monitor, Cabalistic Voodoo Monitor, Nature Weaver Monitor), players can also get a Resistance Monitor Lizard, which provides a resistance bonus as well as defense and hitpoint bonuses.

High Elf: Graceful, tall and majestic, the High Elves are masters of sorcery, capable of hurling lethal Fireballs and Incendiary Showers upon their foes. Those who specialize in Mystic Stormite also have a suite of defensive-oriented nature spells, and can manipulate storm clouds to do their bidding. For those that like getting up close and personal, the Delphic Arcania Aspect provides offensive and defensive perks for melee combat.

Similar to the Dryads, the High Elves' special mount can grant a resistance bonus to the rider, while the three Aspect mounts reduce regeneration times for their respective Aspect abilities.


Stay tuned for part 2 as we continue to cover the diverse classes in Sacred 2!