Soul Sacrifice

Soul Sacrifice

1.5 Hour Analysis

Title Screen

Loading Image on Game Load

 To start off, there is a couple of thing to mention about the game I played for this review. I was only able to play the Demo since it is not released in North America yet. BUT this is not ordinary demo, the save from this demo carries over to the full game. It is basically like the "60 minute full game" demo that Sony allows its Playstation Plus subscribers to do for select games. This means I got the full feel for the beginning of the game.

Quickly I must mention my resoning for playing the game. I am a little sad that Monster Hunter is not for the PS Vita, but this game is something better to me. The other reason I chose to review this game is because I have been looking for a beautiful mobile game that utilizes the new hardware power. As far as mobile games go... this game is beautiful.

Enough about that, on to the interface and gameplay. The core mechanic of the game is battle that is done against monsters of the Soul Sacrifice world. It feels relatively  unique. The controls appear simple on screen while some attacks have a second level of controls that appear when you enter the control for that ability.

Main Menu/Sorcerer's Journal/Librom

Inside of Librom

First Chapter in Librom

The main menu for the game is presented in the form of a book/journal that talks to you. Within the book are chapters that you relive as missions and they make you more powerful as you progress the story. This presentation for the main menu is very nice and intuitive. Simple choices on every page but enough pages that the depth many achievers may look for is there.

Assigning Abilities to Controls and Customization

The game is pretty linear so it is not necessarily a game for Explorers. There was no acting upon other players in what I played so it is not aimed at Killer type players. There is the option of playing co-op with other players so there is some Social aspects. Overall the game feels geared at Achievers. Every mission has a ranking and there are many object to unlock and improve. The quest system is pretty typical in what I played "Go kill this" seems to be the objectives in a nutshell. In this way the game feels similar to the Monster Hunter series.

The customization of your character impacts the quests you are given, which is nice since it becomes less of a fancy avatar and adds a little more depth with reason to choosing a class/character type.

Opening In-Game Cinematic

First Character You Meet In-Game Cinematic

Huge First Enemy In The Story

The game's universe is great an defined well. Thanks to the graphics and the intuitive presentation of the menu system, story, and the in-game cut-scenes all blend together and kept me in the "Magic Circle". The pacing and realism mixed with a mystical world also helped pull me into the game in a way all other mobile games have failed to do so far. This is what mobile RPG games on the PS Vita should feel like. The epic scale of some of the major enemies is also engrossing and makes the game feel relatively last in scale.

Sacrificing Skin

Choosing to Save or Sacrifice a Fallen Foe

A cool concept of the game that the designer used as a core inspiration, is the concept of sacrifice when choosing to gain an ability in battle. The only instance of an ability based on this concept I experienced so far is an ability that sacrifices the players skin for attack power, after which the defense of the player has dropped significantly. The more integrated way the concept is used is when going up to a defeated/fallen foe. You can chose to either strengthen your life by saving the enemy or strengthen your magic by sacrificing an enemy. This is instead of the traditional single leveling system. It makes the game feel more engaging and interactive when you have to make a choice every time an enemy is beaten. The choice is a little harder when it is a harder enemy since it will grant more experience to the side you chose than other minor enemies would.

Example of In-Mission GUI

When in a world fighting, the maps are relatively small. The GUI shows you everything you need to know. There is a map in the upper left, assigned abilities in the lower right, health/Level Gauges in the upper left, and a relatively smart camera that will aim your point of view at your targeted enemy.

I really enjoyed the game and its presentation. The interface is clean, simple, and designed for the 5inch screen it is displayed on. The story and world are immersing as well as beautiful. The concept of a game of Choices/Sacrifice is really intriguing and I will definitely be playing more of this game once it is released.

~Will N.

(All images are in-game screenshots of Soul Sacrifice on PlayStation Vita and property of their respective owners)