Sacred (video game)

Lore & Background

Sacred was originally started by developer Ikarion as an adaptation of the role-playing game The Dark Eye. After Ikarion went defunct, Ascaron bought it out and continued the project with an original story, renaming it Sacred. The game takes place on the continent of Ancaria, where players choose from six character types: Gladiator, Dark Elf, Wood Elf, Vampiress, Battle-Mage, and Seraphim. Two expansion packs were released in 2004 and 2005. The Dwarf was added in the original Sacred Underworld expansion (2005), while the Daemon was added in the later Sacred Underworld 2.0 or the Sacred Gold compilation. In 2008, Linux Game Publishing announced a port to the Linux operating system, which was released in 2009.

The plot involves a great Sakkara demon conjured by the necromancer Shaddar, which is now loose in Ancaria. Heroes must find the five elements of Caesarian (wind, fire, earth, water, spirit) to defeat the monster. Along the way, they encounter Prince Valor, betrayal by Baron DeMordre, and ultimately confront Shaddar. Each character begins in a different part of Ancaria with a unique starting quest, and all receive different sub-quests throughout the game.

Sacred features a novel skill system where characters increase skill levels by finding runes corresponding to those skills, rather than using skill points. Items come in five color-coded quality classes (white, blue, yellow, brown, green), and set items become more powerful when gathered together. Players can imbue items with slots at a blacksmith using jewelry, runes, skeleton skulls, or blacksmith techniques.

Reader's Guide

Sacred was a significant title in the action role-playing genre, often compared to Diablo II. It garnered average to good reviews, with 1up calling it 'Diablo for masochists' and IGN calling it 'A diamond in the rough.' The editors of PC Gamer US presented Sacred with their 'Best Roleplaying Game 2004' award. Commercially, it was an immediate hit in the German market, opening as the top-selling full-price computer game of February 2004. By August 2004, it had sold over 100,000 units in the United States and 400,000 units in Europe. The game sold above 1 million units across all markets by June 2005, and by 2009 had sold over 2 million units worldwide. Sacred was a rare crossover hit for Germany, with significant sales outside German-speaking countries, including 300,000 units in the United States and 250,000 in Spain by 2006. Its legacy includes spawning a franchise with sequels Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, Sacred Citadel, and Sacred 3, and it remains notable for its rune-based skill system and extensive item variety.

Did You Know?

• Sacred was originally started by developer Ikarion as an adaptation of The Dark Eye before Ascaron bought it and created an original story.
• The game features a skill system where players find runes to increase skill levels, rather than using skill points.