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Introduction and Gameplay

From games such as MDK, and Earthworm Jim comes the next PC title from Shiny Entertainment, the real-time strategy title like no other. Imagine if you will, a third person RPG/Action/Adventure game similar in fashion to Drakan, mixed in with a 3d RTS such Myth, and you can kind of get a glimpse of the unique style of gameplay found in Sacrifice. In most RTS games, you are a commander of a legion of troops, safely tucked away in some encampment far behind friendly lines, and you control troops somehow magically, while looking down at them from a satellite like view. You are never in danger, never fear death, and you have no direct control or influence over the battlefield. You simply interact with the environment via your troops or minions.

Sacrifice takes a much more personal twist on combat. The character you play is a wizard, a familiar of the gods if you will. He is charged by the gods with a task to fulfill in order to right some wrong that has been committed in their lands, or to somehow further their frequently nefarious plans. As a wizard, you are quite weak physically speaking, however you have a vast repertoire of magical spells at your disposal that can be employed to gain the upper hand on your opponents. Spells use the standard magical fuel known as mana. Every time you cast a spell, you loose some of your mana. In order to regain mana, you must travel back to your altar, you link to your god, and there your mana will slowly recharge. Scattered throughout the terrain are formations known as mana fountains; rifts in the earth that exude this raw magical essence. By creating a structure known as a manalith, you can prevent your enemies from using that particular mana rift. By creating creatures known as manahoars, you can be remotely attached to your manaliths, and even when you are away from your manaliths, your mana can be recharged by these creatures.

Movement is generally like a standard 3rd person RPG or action game. You move the character left, right, forward and backwards using the all too familiar a-d-w-s key configuration. The mouse however does not control the viewpoint, instead, it controls a cursor that you can use to select units, cast spells, and move the camera position around. This is the blending of the RTS and 3rd person action/RPG game. While you can move your individual character around, and the camera stays fixed upon him, you also must interact with and command troops. By holding down the right mouse button, it opens up a branching menu that you can use to issue orders or complete given tasks. On the left hand side of the screen, there is a bar that shows which units are selected, and also any special abilities that they may have. Directly beneath it is your library of spells, and in the upper right hand corner is the mana and health status indicator.