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Sacred (computer game)
Encyclopedia
Sacred is an action role-playing game
for Microsoft Windows
released in 2004
. It takes place on the magical continent of Ancaria, with characters of various races (dark elf
, wood elf
, vampire
ss, etc.) each with their own missions. More than 1.8 million copies of the game were sold worldwide. In 2008
Linux Game Publishing
announced that they would port the game to the Linux
operating system.
Sacred was developed by Studio II Software and Ascaron Entertainment
and published in 2004 by Encore in the USA release.
types :
The Daemon and Dwarf were additional characters added in the expansion Sacred Underworld
and included in Sacred Gold.
Each character begins in a different part of Ancaria (the continent that Sacred takes place within), and with a different starting quest
. For example, the Gladiator starts in a colosseum
, enslaved
by his master, while the Seraphim starts in a church. The Dark Elf starts on a cliff with a Wood Elf companion. Throughout the game, the characters all receive different sub-quests.
Each character class is also restricted to a certain set of items, and has a different set of skill
s. To increase these skill levels, characters must find runes which correspond to those skills, a rather novel system in contrast to the more mainstream model of skill points. Some character classes have identical skills, but the runes from one class cannot be used to advance skills in another class. Runes may be traded.
There are also several potion types, such as the typical health
heal, but there are other types, like Potions of Undead
death, which stops Undead from reviving once you kill them, and "Potions of Concentration", which regenerate your combo attacks so you can use them faster. There are no mana-heal potions in Sacred, because mana is not a feature of the game. Also, monsters occasionally drop a rune that increases a certain skill for a certain character, if used.
If the player owns a horse several different types of saddles can be bought to be used on it. These saddles increase the speed, defense, and damage done by the horse. Only 1 horse may be owned at a time, and the horse can be damaged and killed.
The names of items are in five different colors, which represent different quality classes of equipment:
Sometimes, a monster drops a set item. Much like in Diablo II
these set items will become much more powerful when gathered together and are very useful and sought-after in multiplayer games. However, this is not to say that unique items are inferior to set items. Unique items are usually individually better than set items.
Some items also can be imbued with better stats. If you take an item with a number of "slots," indicated by small boxes in the inventory screen, you will be able to imbue it by taking it to a blacksmith
and then using either jewellery, a rune, skeleton skull or one of the blacksmith's techniques on it up to as many times as there are slots in it. Once imbued you can remove 1 rune or piece of jewellery from it, but all other items in the slots are lost when you do this. Though you can't use a rune or jewellery which isn't of your class, you can socket it in an item to gain the benefit of its magical and possible stat-raising properties.
To use a skill, you have to drag it to one of your available skill slots.
There are also several "combo masters" spread throughout Ancaria, which can combine up to four separate skills into a combo, which you can use in the game. The combo masters can also trade runes you cannot use or don't need for a rune of your choice. You can trade 2 runes for 1 random rune or 3 runes for a random rune of your class. If you give him four runes of any character class and pay him 2000 gold pieces, he will give you a rune of your choice from within your character class.
of Ancaria (wind
, fire
, earth
, water
, void
), and use them to defeat the monster. Each hero has different objectives along the way, but eventually, they all lead up to this one final quest.
In both the east and the west there are large forests, blocking the way and stopping further travel.
In the game there is an option to buy horse
s, which can be used for faster travel and to battle opponents, but will not affect your ability to traverse difficult terrain in most situations.
called it "Diablo for masochists", while IGN
called it "A diamond in the rough".
Action role-playing game
Action role-playing games form a loosely defined sub-genre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat...
for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
released in 2004
2004 in video gaming
-Events:*January 20 — Wireds Vaporware Awards gives its first "Lifetime Achievement Award" to recurring winner Duke Nukem Forever.*March 4 — Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Peter Molyneux into the AIAS Hall of Fame*March 22-26 — Game...
. It takes place on the magical continent of Ancaria, with characters of various races (dark elf
Dark Elves in fiction
Elves, a word from Germanic mythology, are frequently featured in Fantasy fiction. In modern fiction, particularly because of the influence from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, elves are modeled mostly after his original description: tall, human-like creatures of otherworldly beauty, with...
, wood elf
Sacred
Holiness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy or sacred...
, vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
ss, etc.) each with their own missions. More than 1.8 million copies of the game were sold worldwide. In 2008
2008 in video gaming
Notable events of 2008 in video gaming. See also history of video games. The release dates listed in this article are the games' original release dates.-Events:...
Linux Game Publishing
Linux Game Publishing
Linux Game Publishing is a software company based in Nottingham in England. It ports, publishes and sells video games running on Linux operating systems. As well as porting games, LGP also sponsors the development of Grapple, a free software network library for games...
announced that they would port the game to the Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
operating system.
Sacred was developed by Studio II Software and Ascaron Entertainment
Ascaron
Ascaron Entertainment was a video game developer based in Germany. Founded as Ascon and later renamed in October 1996 due to the possible confusion with the Swiss company Ascom AG, the company produced titles primarily for the PC until it was made insolvent in 2009.-Background and history:Ascaron...
and published in 2004 by Encore in the USA release.
Characters
Upon beginning the game, players are given a choice to start with one of six different characterPlayer character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
types :
- GladiatorGladiatorA gladiator was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their legal and social standing and their lives by appearing in the...
: a strong, barbarian-like fighter - Dark ElfDark Elves in fictionElves, a word from Germanic mythology, are frequently featured in Fantasy fiction. In modern fiction, particularly because of the influence from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, elves are modeled mostly after his original description: tall, human-like creatures of otherworldly beauty, with...
: a cunning, trap and poison-using warrior - Wood Elf: a long range sniper
- VampireVampireVampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
ss: a knight-like fighter who can turn into a vampire - Battle-MageWizard (character class)The Wizard is a type of magical character class in certain role-playing games and computer role-playing games. Wizards are considered to be spellcasters who wield powerful spells, but are often physically weak as a trade-off. Wizards are commonly confused with similar offensive spellcasting...
: a mage who may also acquire weapon skills - Seraphim: an angel-like fighter with many blessings and light-oriented spells
The Daemon and Dwarf were additional characters added in the expansion Sacred Underworld
Sacred Underworld
Sacred Underworld is an expansion pack for the 2004 action role-playing game Sacred. It was developed for Windows by Studio II Software and Ascaron Entertainment, and released in 2005.-Characters:...
and included in Sacred Gold.
Each character begins in a different part of Ancaria (the continent that Sacred takes place within), and with a different starting quest
Quest
In mythology and literature, a quest, a journey towards a goal, serves as a plot device and as a symbol. Quests appear in the folklore of every nation and also figure prominently in non-national cultures. In literature, the objects of quests require great exertion on the part of the hero, and...
. For example, the Gladiator starts in a colosseum
Colosseum
The Colosseum, or the Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre , is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire...
, enslaved
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
by his master, while the Seraphim starts in a church. The Dark Elf starts on a cliff with a Wood Elf companion. Throughout the game, the characters all receive different sub-quests.
Each character class is also restricted to a certain set of items, and has a different set of skill
Skill
A skill is the learned capacity to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills...
s. To increase these skill levels, characters must find runes which correspond to those skills, a rather novel system in contrast to the more mainstream model of skill points. Some character classes have identical skills, but the runes from one class cannot be used to advance skills in another class. Runes may be traded.
Items
Sacred features a vast array of items that can be obtained from shops, various containers (chests, barrels, graves...), dead monsters or "magical hiding places" in many of the rocks and bushes throughout Ancaria, which are indicated by a yellow sparkle. Many of the items can be only equipped by one type of character, like wings, which can only be equipped by a Seraphim.There are also several potion types, such as the typical health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
heal, but there are other types, like Potions of Undead
Undead
Undead is a collective name for fictional, mythological, or legendary beings that are deceased and yet behave as if alive. Undead may be incorporeal, such as ghosts, or corporeal, such as vampires and zombies...
death, which stops Undead from reviving once you kill them, and "Potions of Concentration", which regenerate your combo attacks so you can use them faster. There are no mana-heal potions in Sacred, because mana is not a feature of the game. Also, monsters occasionally drop a rune that increases a certain skill for a certain character, if used.
If the player owns a horse several different types of saddles can be bought to be used on it. These saddles increase the speed, defense, and damage done by the horse. Only 1 horse may be owned at a time, and the horse can be damaged and killed.
The names of items are in five different colors, which represent different quality classes of equipment:
- white - basic item
- blue - magical item
- yellow - rare item
- brown/golden - unique item
- green - belongs to a set
Sometimes, a monster drops a set item. Much like in Diablo II
Diablo II
Diablo II is a dark fantasy/horror-themed hack and slash, with elements of the role playing game and dungeon crawl genres. It was released for Windows and Mac OS in 2000 by Blizzard Entertainment, and was developed by Blizzard North. It is a direct sequel to the 1996 hit PC game, Diablo.Diablo II...
these set items will become much more powerful when gathered together and are very useful and sought-after in multiplayer games. However, this is not to say that unique items are inferior to set items. Unique items are usually individually better than set items.
Some items also can be imbued with better stats. If you take an item with a number of "slots," indicated by small boxes in the inventory screen, you will be able to imbue it by taking it to a blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
and then using either jewellery, a rune, skeleton skull or one of the blacksmith's techniques on it up to as many times as there are slots in it. Once imbued you can remove 1 rune or piece of jewellery from it, but all other items in the slots are lost when you do this. Though you can't use a rune or jewellery which isn't of your class, you can socket it in an item to gain the benefit of its magical and possible stat-raising properties.
Skills
Every character in Sacred has a different set of skills that are available to them. The only way to obtain them is to find a rune of that particular skill and use it to make it available to use for you. Each character has between 11 and 22 different skills that can be unlocked and used. To increase your level in a skill, you must find another rune for that skill and use it.To use a skill, you have to drag it to one of your available skill slots.
There are also several "combo masters" spread throughout Ancaria, which can combine up to four separate skills into a combo, which you can use in the game. The combo masters can also trade runes you cannot use or don't need for a rune of your choice. You can trade 2 runes for 1 random rune or 3 runes for a random rune of your class. If you give him four runes of any character class and pay him 2000 gold pieces, he will give you a rune of your choice from within your character class.
Storyline
A great Sakkara demon was conjured into existence by the necromancer Shaddar. The conjuring went wrong, and the Sakkara demon is now loose in the world of Ancaria. The heroes must find the five elementsClassical element
Many philosophies and worldviews have a set of classical elements believed to reflect the simplest essential parts and principles of which anything consists or upon which the constitution and fundamental powers of anything are based. Most frequently, classical elements refer to ancient beliefs...
of Ancaria (wind
Wind
Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...
, fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
, earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, void
Void
-In science and engineering:*Void , the empty spaces between galaxy filaments*Lack of matter, or vacuum*Void, in boiling heat transfer, formed where there is a departure from nucleate boiling, causing a critical heat flux...
), and use them to defeat the monster. Each hero has different objectives along the way, but eventually, they all lead up to this one final quest.
Ancaria
The whole of Sacred takes place on the continent of Ancaria, where there are several towns and villages to be visited. Even when you begin the game more than 70% of Ancaria is already available to be traveled on. To the south of Ancaria, there is a vast desert and lava-ridden plains. In the north, there is a wall of mountains and an icy backdrop.In both the east and the west there are large forests, blocking the way and stopping further travel.
In the game there is an option to buy horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s, which can be used for faster travel and to battle opponents, but will not affect your ability to traverse difficult terrain in most situations.
Reception
Sacred garnered average to good reviews from the media. 1up1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
called it "Diablo for masochists", while IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
called it "A diamond in the rough".
Versions
- Sacred - the original game, was released in February 2004
- Sacred Plus - Free expansion pack, was released in October 2004. It adds 2 regions, monsters, quests, items
- Sacred UnderworldSacred UnderworldSacred Underworld is an expansion pack for the 2004 action role-playing game Sacred. It was developed for Windows by Studio II Software and Ascaron Entertainment, and released in 2005.-Characters:...
- Expansion pack, was released in April 2005. It adds 2 player characters (Daemon and Dwarf), 6 regions, 2 acts, new monsters and items - Sacred Gold - Released in August 2005, this version is the full release. It contains: Sacred (original), the Sacred Plus expansion, and the Sacred Underworld expansion