Sacred 2: Fallen Angel

We take a trip to the mystical world of Ancaria with an in-depth look at why Sacred 2: Fallen Angel isn't just another Diablo clone!

Playing devil's advocate

With the release of Diablo III in limbo, all that dungeon crawlers everywhere can do is pray for a hack 'n' slash fix. Consider your prayers answered, as Sacred 2: Fallen Angel is slated to anoint consoles this November with its own take on classic role-playing. An enormous, gorgeously-detailed world packed with dozens upon dozens of quests and enemies to slay give the game body; however, it's an assortment of powerful combat arts, unique characters, and wild mounts that make Sacred 2 so spirited.

The High Elf gets dressed for gardening in her yard.

The High Elf gets dressed for gardening in her yard.

Set in the fractured world of Ancaria, you play as one of six characters--Seraphim, Inquisitor, Shadow Warrior, High Elf, Temple Guardian, and Dryad. The heaven-sent Seraphim and dastardly Inquisitor follow Light and Dark campaigns respectively, but you're welcome to choose your path playing as any of the other four characters. Your quests and skills, as well as the story, naturally differ depending on the campaign you pursue.

Regardless of your alignment, there's always a reason to shed evil blood and battle is easy thanks to a wide range of devastating combat arts. Each character comes with an array of specialized abilities that are fully customizable using a variety of modifiers. When you level up, applying a modifier allows you to either strengthen the effect of a combat art or tweak it in some way. For instance, you might increase the potency of a lightning-based attack to cause more damage or add an area effect to increase the range of damage. Since every combat art specific to each character is available from the start of the game, customization defines the experience.

Modified combats arts enable this Shadow Warrior to infiltrate an orc camp.

Modified combats arts enable this Shadow Warrior to infiltrate an orc camp.

Tailoring combat arts is important when dispatching foes, but even more essential when showing off your stuff in multiplayer. A maximum of four players can hook up via PlayStation Network to journey together or even compete in some of the five included multiplayer modes. Unlocking character-specific mounts, such as the Seraphim's ferocious tiger, couldn't hurt in giving you an edge when venturing online. Alternately, the game will also support local cooperative play using a single screen.

Our only concern lies in the interface and controls. A text-based inventory and multiple layers of face button hot keys make controlling the action a bit more complicated than we'd like, though an automatic equip system and combat arts modifier mechanic attempts to address these complexities. However, Once you learn how to orchestrate the action, it's almost sacrilegious how satisfying it is.

Seraphim put everything out there when battling the toughest foes.

Seraphim put everything out there when battling the toughest foes.