#just very fun watching her obliterate enemies because she's 30+ levels above them

[fishareglorious]

Just realized you could farm insight material at the chapter stages..., my main team all apparently need this one bird so I have to grind this stage multiple times...

[thebluephilosopher-blog]

Sacrifice

This game was original going to be the first game I reviewed however it took more time to finish this project. So how shall I start this? This game is so well done on every front. When I first saw this game I was curious. It looked different from the traditional strategy combat game. I was not disappointed. From start to finish this game is all it's own. They work with the graphical confines and models they use exceptionally well. Now it is older and doesn't have the same level of graphics today's games have to offer, but if graphics are all that matter to you then why do you care about anything past current gen games?

The basic premise starts with a flashback as the world is falling apart. Eldred the main character is a wizard fleeing from his previous world for some undisclosed reason. As you enter the world there are 5 gods and you get to pick who you wish to serve. And that's where we start.

Plot: At the beginning of the game there is a cryptic prophecy about one of the 5 gods betraying the others and killing the others. Some of them greet this with seriousness, others with skepticism. But all are put on edge and are watchful of the others. As the game progresses you choose who you are allied with. The plot changes depending on which paths you take. However, with each choice you make it effects your outcome, spells and summons. Some missions will win you favor of other gods, some will earn you their ire. Tick off a god one to many times and they will banish you from their missions. Throughout the game you get clues about your hero's past. Seems he tried to summon a demon out of desperation and it caused his world to fall apart. As time progresses you get clues that something is off, before the demon outright confronts him and thanks him for leading him to a new world to destroy. This triggers outright conflict between the gods and leads to the gods falling one by one. And by the way, it is possible to finish the game and your god to die, so you never really know whats going to happen. Which gives you tons of incentive to play the game over again and see what happened in the other timelines.

Sound: The voice acting in this game is SUPERB. They have many well known voice actors and some well known actors too. Tim Curry is no exception with his own performance. The units voices are also well done and have personality. Now a little bonus here is that in multiplayer you can play as any of the other wizards that appear in the game. The fun part is that when you cast or summon your main character speaks parts of the incantation. Well guess what, they did that for ALL the other wizards. You can hear them all talk in the spell language as their own voice actor, not a generic voice. That's really going the extra mile. As for the music, its pretty good, but they don't have many tracks. So while the music and change of music is nice, you will eventually get tired of the few tracks as you wage long wars on other sorcerers.

Gameplay: This game uses one thing I have never seen used for a strategy war game in the same way. Souls. Souls are used to summon monsters to your army. They are used to protect your alter or fight in battle with you. If your alter falls you are thrown out of the physical plane and lose. But here is the catch, there are only so many souls in the game. No, I'm not talking the resources run out. I'm saying that there might only be 30 total souls in one level. You start out with souls and there are ways to get more. However you can steal the souls of the enemy by summoning little soul genies. They take them back to your alter and convert them permanently to your side. You can only re collect souls that have been converted. So if you own all 30 souls then your opponent cannot summon anything. But he can steal your dead creatures souls too. And that's where the unique aspect comes from. You really gain an understanding of the meaning "Losing the battle but winning the war." If you just throw your units into the fray, whoever is left standing can collect the losers souls. So its much better to wage lots of small battles to whittle away at the enemy souls. Cause sometimes you are fighting 2 or even 3 other wizards with their own soul counts. The spells are also unique to each god and creative. The other half of the game is Mana. Your alter starts off generating it, but unless you summon Manahoar's (which serve as mana channels) you will have to sit on a mana fountain or at base. You can build structures on the mana founts to block others from getting the mana and increasing your maximum amount. And there are some spells that are game changers. Like summoning a reaper that one hit kills the nearest living things. Or convert an enemy unit permanently to your side. It can change the game. There are even some spells that can PERMANENTLY destroy souls. Meaning nobody can use them anymore. This game is very underdog friendly, but it also lets you snowball hard.

World: The world lore is SO rich. There are tons of little bits of the story you can find out by talking to NPC's, through the game or as optional quests in all 5 of the different story branches. Also the world really feels like its structured. Creatures living from in each of the worlds carry a similar theme or feel. And yet each has its own sort of history. For example Persephony rules over the Gnomes, diminutive little inventors. Charnel has slain some of them and twisted them into little long ranged fiends. Pyro even convinced gnomes to join his side to build all his machines. The Wizards also have their own lore. Some being refugees from other worlds. Other are inhabitants. Some are summoned horrors. There is a lot of heart and soul put into this game, and it really shows it. The developers even left an open forum for fans to interact with characters from the game on their website for a time.

Characters: I will start with the god's because they are the most interesting.

Persephone: What most would consider the "good" god. She is the god of life and also refers to herself in the royal "we" sense. She is very gentle and caring to those under her watch, however at the same time she can be equally ruthless with her enemies. I would say her philosophy is "I will rule you with honor and kindness, and my enemies shall taste my fury and justice." She is not above killing the other gods or other people. Its rare to see the "good" character also swing to be so evil as well. She also has an old beef with Charnel, but that's not surprising. She also develops aggression towards Pyro after he attacks her units and then later Stratos. There is also a war called the War of Purification that one of the characters even says "War of Persephone’s Tantrum might be more accurate..." So She has a history of being petty about things. Hence why I don't find her to be the true "Good" god.

Pyro: Now while his name indeed does imply he is aligned with the element of fire, that is not his focus. Where most people would make a pyromaniac, Pyro is pretty level headed not counting his temper. If I had to describe his primary aspect I would say progress and industry. He isn't blinded by petty morality or greed. He seeks to advance his kingdom and use technology to overcome physical weakness. Most of his creatures used to be normal but are now cyborg creations to eliminate any flaws Pyro saw in them. He sees most living things as tools and resources. He honestly seeks to make all his followers better and have the best kingdom. I would not call him evil but not good either. He also has a weird sort of "Pyro is not amused." sort of third person talk. He has a strong sense of long term vision, but somewhat lacking in short term vision and people skills.

Charnel: Easily what most would consider the most evil of the gods. However I'll give you my case on him in a second. He is god of death and suffering. He has a cruel sense of humor and aside from his need for pain, has an odd sort of charm about him. All his minions are either stitched together, dead or enjoy doing his bidding. Now in the beginning everyone accuses him of being the traitor who will betray and kill the other gods. Now here is where I make my case for him. If you side with Charnel, he even admits later that he is in fact not the traitor but pretended he might be because it would stir up conflict. He even says he doesn't want to kill any of the other gods (except maybe Persephone) because he enjoys the conflicts they have had over the years. Now I will say now that they even say in the game that the gods feed off of what they rule over and that the gods were created by the desires of the people living in this world, so it's not like they had a choice. So while Persephone thrives on life Charnel thrives on suffering, pain and death and it's where his existence comes from. So in a way, even if he is a reasonable guy, he needs strife, combat and violence to exist and be strong. Now I'm not excusing what he is doing, but its revealed with time that he is loyal to his servants to a point, is honest with them and he NEEDS to have some kind of war or conflict to exist being the god of Death. So I would not say is is evil, but he isn't a saint either. Heck even early on he begins preparing a demon army of his own to try and destroy the demon that seeks to obliterate their world. It's so rare to see a villain with such redeeming qualities. Look at it this way: Oceans are now considered evil because they drown people. So if there was a God of water, he sort of has to be associated with it. He could be the best guy ever and give orphans sea puppies and tuna soup every Thursday but he will still be involved with the ocean of drowning. Is he evil because he is sort of divinely obligated to be part of that? I would not say so. Those are determined by his actions outside of it. I would say that he is an amazing person because he tries to make up for his flaws. So I would say Charnel is definitely not the worst. Personally I would say Persephone is worst.

Stratos: God of air, and ruler of the frozen mountains. He is by far the more clever and cunning of all the gods and most civil of them all. Its hard not to fall for his charms. However the irony is that as the closest god to reason, he is a robe that's head is a balloon attached to a time bomb with a horn coming out of his back. It's almost like his existence is a paradox. Regardless of that, he rules with the same cold nature that a chess master has but with a little fondness. He has his eyes on the prize and even if he gives up 3 pawns, he is going to take your queen. His alliance's shifts around depending on who you are with, and whats going on but again I would not call him evil. He seeks to make the best decisions and values knowledge. If you follow him he even says how he doesn't believe in this "prophecy" but pretends to give it serious credit because he can play it to his advantage. Yet in another god's story he tried to broker a deal with the Demon destroying the world he didn't believe in while saying the prophesy was confirmed. Unlike Charnel its hard to really place him and his true intentions. But unlike Pyro he does help to fix the flaws of his subjects, and without taking them apart. Heck he even took in tons of Persephone's subjects that she did not care for.

James: James is an interesting one. Unlike the other gods he doesn't have a fancy name and tries not to concern himself in conflict unless unavoidable. He is the god of dirt and soil, but also has a strong standing for peace. It should also be mentioned that James is also a worm guy in overalls. He is a very simple down to earth guy. His people are also of simple nature, but durable and rocky. It should also be mentioned that Stratos takes a lot of jabs at James and his intelligence. It's not stated outright but it seems that Stratos dislikes James because of how simple minded he is. James is also the only god who does not invade another gods lands. He mostly just defends himself. Honestly I would say that Morality or Philosophy wise James is the real "Good" god, not Persephone. He believes in giving people free choice and letting them do as they want, within reason.

Sorcha: She serves Pyro as his mage and was crowned empress of his lands. However as the game goes on she sees the extreme acts that Pyro is willing to go to in the name of progress and power. This puts doubts in her about the future. Is she on the right side? Will all of these wrongs make a right? In a few missions she is even on the sidelines thinking or refusing to participate. Self reflection in characters in games is so rare so I love this. Will they just go along or will they resist. Very good character development.

Ambassator Buta: Also one of Pyro's mages but unlike Sorcha he follows a different path. Everyone in the game comments on the fact he is very dumb and short sighted. He even apparently tried to court Sorcha for a time with his advances resisted. Skilled in magic but low in intelligence and firm in his loyalty to Pyro makes him the perfect flunky. He has no qualms with violence or ruthless tactics. He is completely nonredeemable and self absorbed character. Contrasting this with Sorcha shows a wide diversity of personality's. Sorcha shows self reflection and Buta shows a flat static character.

Acheron: He is one of Charnel's necromancers and differs from all the other characters. Its explained that he isn't cruel, he just has no soul or heart. Thus he has no concept of compassion. Other than that he is your typical demonic spell caster. But it's rare to see a character that has no soul and alien perceptions.

Seerixx: Now you may have seen naga creatures before, but her interesting past is that she used to be part of Persephone's wizard. Its speculated that it might have been Persephone's strictness or if she was just cruel at heart that drove her to change sides to Charnel. Sort of a Grinch vibe. But personally the only difference between Charnel and Persephone is the fact that Charnel is the god of death, thus he sort of has to engage in it. Where as Persephone is rather quick to dish out "justice" (aka killing) for the god of life. I think the undertone that they were not all that different and perhaps Seerixx picked the same job for the side that was more honest about its intentions is superb subtle storytelling.

Abraxus: Now Abraxus isn't that complicated a character. She is a very effective magician for Stratos leading his forces. Fighting her is hard as she has very swooping tactics. Unlike Buta she is clever and follows orders, where as Buta just follows orders. Secret meetings, moving forces unseen and dealing with the rebellions in her land are just a few things she has to deal with.

Shakti: There isnt much to say about her. Like the main character she arrived just recently and not much is known of her. Other than she is also the last survivor. Persephone picked her up early on and despite Charnels deals, she remained blindly loyal to her new patron. However as a novice, she has a grim future ahead dealing with all of Persephone's enemies.

Monsters: The monsters in this game are so amazing. The limited models they had for this game shows, but instead of just saying "Oh this is a red archer, he is bad and shoots poison. And this is the purple archer, his arrows slow people." They went the extra mile to make them stand apart, look, feel and play very different. So much heart and soul went into this and you can really feel it. Well, except for Persephone's. Those are by far the most 'insert fairy tale creature here' which is why I didn't bother to do many of them. But I would challenge you to find a game with as many diverse monsters with interesting lore from this era. There are so many I am going to post them with their info separately.

Final Thoughts: So we have learned a lot about this game, it's lore and story. There are a few more details I will tell, but I promise not to spoil everything. There is one element of this game I did not talk long about. Its finality. See its possible for units, mages, even gods can PERMANENTLY DIE. And some of them do. Depending on who you choose in this game it WILL effect how it ends. Some people will die, some people will live, and other are not known if they survived. Now it is mentioned that while the gods may be killed, they will return. Because they are gods, the will and desires of the inhabitants can give birth to them. Some of the gods would return, however they would not be the same. You might get a new god, Markus the god of machines, or Gloria the goddess of magic. Or something along those lines. However it is explained that the amount of time and desire for a god to be created again would take many hundreds of years. So while A god would die, and they might be reborn in a new form, it would not be the same. So whoever is the last deity standing gets to basically rule and change the world as they see fit, unchallenged and for long enough to be a big deal. That's a great aspect of making your choices both have consequences but also making you feel like it really is a game changer. There are 5 endings, one for each god, 9 if you count the endgame choice. But more than that the Gods have personality and are not your cut and paste stereotypes. The god of death is not "Muhahahah I'm so Eeevil!" I mean he is sort of, but I went over it, it's not completely his fault. He may pretend to be the traitor god, but ironically he is the one gods that is actually confirmed not to be the one. We have the god of life who despite her facade of being all pure and for justice, is super petty, terrible at leading an is a fascist god that won't tolerate what she deems "Wrong." I'd have to say Pyro is the most evil, simply because he cares nothing of people and only of results and progress, so his favor is fickle. Stratos, while being somewhat manipulative, actually gave some creatures a better life, and without cybernetics. So while he may not care for individuals he seems to care about the whole of his people. James is arguably the best god morally because he believes in peace and letting people have freewill and make their own decisions. So yeah, it's philosophy and personality is all over the place and its a real journey to find it all out. I really wish modern games had even half the soul that this game does. I have seen so many throw away games lately and wish that good games like this didn't die out. But like this game teaches "Nothing lasts forever." Until next time.

Brought to you by: Ross Scott. If you do not know who he is he got popular by his Freeman's mind series on YouTube where he narrates the mute hero. Eventually it led to a series called "the game dungeon." Now I doubt anyone knows this but this guy is the one who inspired me to start blogging and sharing my work. So check him out, he is hilarious, but also the catalyst that made this happen. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ6KZTTnkE-s2XFJJmoTAkw