Soul Sacrifice Review Thread

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MagicWithEarvin

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Metascore - 77

Edge - 6/10
It’s a brave game that dares to weaken players in one way as it empowers them in another. Comcept may be wrong in thinking Monster Hunter would be better if it was just about hunting monsters, but Soul Sacrifice is courageous and thematically bold enough to distinguish itself from the clones that have followed in the wake of Capcom’s phenomenon. As with Inafune’s recurring criticisms of Japan, however, it proves repetition isn’t always the best way to make a point.
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Polygon - 6.5/10

It takes a sizable commitment to uncover the dark, captivating mythology of Soul Sacrifice underneath its grind-heavy beginnings. Whether unlocking the mysteries of its story or plumbing the depths of its magic systems, the experience is weighed down by a reliance on dull combat mechanics. Its complex, interlocking systems and the draw of cooperative multiplayer can't save Soul Sacrifice from its greatest sin: tedious gameplay.
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Eurogamer - 7/10
I really wanted to love Soul Sacrifice rather than just like it, but as much as it tries to differentiate itself thematically from its main competitor, the comparisons with Monster Hunter are more or less unavoidable. While Capcom's colossal safari is a master-class in intelligent enemy design and rewarding, consistently challenging combat, Soul Sacrifice throws caution to the wind by giving the player a vast array of options. The result is that it feels mechanically chaotic rather than refined.

Even so, the evocative setting and tangible narrative help propel you on a journey where taming every Archfiend and building an unstoppable collection of spells quickly becomes the driving force. It's just a shame that behind all the mythical monsters and magical flourishes there isn't an equally accomplished gameplay system that actively encourages you to learn and exploit the nuances of your prey. A worthwhile stopgap, then, but the wait for the Vita's defining magic moment continues.
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GameTrailers - 7.6/10
Rather than a solitary, world-wandering experience like Dark Souls, Soul Sacrifice is a uniquely-flavored action adventure game with a dark atmosphere and deep battle system making up for some of the its shortcomings. Its rewards are only accessible to those who have the patience to learn the game's intricacies and overcome the initial hurdle. However, considering the starved lineup for the struggling handheld, it could be worth your time to sacrifice a few souls.
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IGN - 7.7/10
Action RPGs like Soul Sacrifice are often mocked for their repetitious nature, and a lot of that criticism is deserved. But while it falls prey to the same pitfalls as many of its contemporaries (Is it really that hard to have a greater variety of maps and enemies?), Soul Sacrifice does so much so well that its action bears a good deal of repeating. Whether you're playing for minutes or hours at a time, it's an addictive and rewarding experience.
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Destructoid - 8/10
Soul Sacrifice, true to its driving idea, is a game of compromises. There's a staggering wealth of content, but it can be tiring in its repetition. Battles are frantic and fun, but can be exhaustingly annoying if you choose the wrong friends. Very much like the game's Lacrima system, however, many of the sacrifices one must make to enjoy the game are negligible in the long run, and there's nothing that should stop one having a damn good laugh and getting utterly hooked on an adventure that really can be played until the Vita's batteries run dry.

And one's battery life may indeed be the greatest sacrifice of them all.
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OPM UK - 8/10
Soul Sacrifice’s barmy vibe occasionally gets in the way, but the combat and customisation are good enough for you to soon put that aside. It’s a brilliantly well-structured handheld game, both offline and on, and despite the lack of a traditional hub world it never sacrifices depth for the sake of portability. Familiar ideas are wound up with fresh ones, resulting in one of the strongest games of its kind to hit the system so far.
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RPGFan - 8.5/10
What else is there to say? Soul Sacrifice is what you'd get if you smashed Phantom Dust and Monster Hunter together and added a meaningful plot, and it does what it sets out to do with aplomb. Things can occasionally feel a bit repetitive as you find yourself fighting a different version of the same archfiend (boss enemy) in two different missions in two different locations, but these are relatively small hiccups in light of the huge amount of stuff there is to do in this game and how lavishly-produced all of it really is. If you own a Vita, there's no reason not to check out the demo of Soul Sacrifice — your progress carries over to the full version, and there's a whole lot of game to enjoy here.
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Anfony O said:
Shame. I hope this doesn't deter people from experiencing a great game
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Middle of the road reviews aren't bad, they're... average.

Seems like MP is a big component of the game though (that is mostly missing from these reviews because well, they got early copies), so if you don't want/care for that you'd probably be best served elsewhere.
 
Just gonna go ahead and say that none of these reviews (even the positive ones), give multiplayer/Avalon the amount of space it deserves. Despite having a substantial single player mode (it's excellent), the main focus is absolutely the MP. A huge chunk of the bosses don't even show up in the story mode.
 
I'll pass. I loved the presentation and music in the demo, but I thought the gameplay was pretty average and could get waaaay too repetitive.

Luckily at the moment I've got plenty of other games to keep me more than busy. Now I can focus all my attention on Dark Arisen for a while.
 
RyougaSaotome said:
Just gonna go ahead and say that none of these reviews (even the positive ones), give multiplayer/Avalon the amount of space it deserves. Despite having a substantial single player mode (it's excellent), the main focus is absolutely the MP. A huge chunk of the bosses don't even show up in the story mode.
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We didn't score it because MP wasn't working, AFAIK.
 
Polygon said:

The limitation on the number of times a spell can be cast adds a thin layer of strategy, but beyond that, combat is often jamming on buttons in a mind-numbing grind.
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Anyone feel differently?

That would be a deal breaker...is there no hard mode or something for tougher battles that require more thought?.. or
 
Skyzard said:
Polygon said:



Anyone feel differently?

That would be a deal breaker...is there no hard mode or something for tougher battles that require more thought?.. or
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Well, the demo already had a pretty difficult boss. Cerberus. You can try it for yourself.

I'd just like to add that I have only managed to beat cerb with a good team of people.
 
Fezan said:
badly was the wrong word to use more like underrated
soul sacrifice will settle at 75mc
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It's all good. And yeah, I agree that that seems about a good number based on what we've seen so far.

Ratrat said:
In Japan it would be 100% heh. I still think its a misunderstood franchise that hasn't got the credit it deserved.
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Yeah. A lot of it over there seems to be about having friends to locally play with to help with the easing process, too.
 
I think it's within expectations, it's a very particular game for very particular people as far as I know. Same with Monster Hunter

Monster Hunter Trii (note: not talking about Ultimate) for me just fucking kills it. A lot of reviewers didnt feel the same way and I understand that
 
Skyzard said:
Polygon said:



Anyone feel differently?

That would be a deal breaker...is there no hard mode or something for tougher battles that require more thought?.. or
Click to expand...

I dunno, but in the Cerberus fight for the demo, if you tried to just run in and jam on buttons you would get absolutely destroyed.
 
Skyzard said:
Polygon said:

Anyone feel differently?

That would be a deal breaker...is there no hard mode or something for tougher battles that require more thought?.. or
Click to expand...

That's a bunch of BS, honestly. There's strategy involved in the spells and connecting certain elements to exploit weaknesses. You can't just often "jam buttons" here.
 
Skyzard said:
Anyone feel differently?

That would be a deal breaker...is there no hard mode or something for tougher battles that require more thought?.. or
Click to expand...
I don't know how long the reviewer played it, but there is certainly no room for button mashing past 3/4 stars.
 
It should be a requirement that reviews log how many hours they put into games and at what stages. I mean some people in the SS demo thread have logged over 50 hours on the demo alone. I would hazard they would be better sources of information about the games mechanics than reviewers.
 
Skyzard said:
Polygon said:



Anyone feel differently?

That would be a deal breaker...is there no hard mode or something for tougher battles that require more thought?.. or
Click to expand...

It's nonsense. There's a lot of depth and the battles can get very tough, especially if you don't play smart. As is the case usually nowadays I just can't seem to agree with reviews in general. Button mashing is the easiest way to get your ass kicked in this game. Team play, material/inventory management, understanding the weaknesses of the boss (both the element weakness and weak points in the body), combining attacks for greater damage, countering attacks, pros and cons of sacrificing, pros and cons of black rites, fusing magic, sigils etc etc. You don't have anything to worry about toughness or depth of the game
 
^ +

bobbytkc said:
Well, the demo already had a pretty difficult boss. Cerberus. You can try it for yourself.

I'd just like to add that I have only managed to beat cerb with a good team of people.
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Arelaz said:
I dunno, but in the Cerberus fight for the demo, if you tried to just run in and jam on buttons you would get absolutely destroyed.
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earvcunanan said:
That's a bunch of BS, honestly. There's strategy involved in the spells and connecting certain elements to exploit weaknesses. You can't just often "jam buttons" here.
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Jonnyram said:
I don't know how long the reviewer played it, but there is certainly no room for button mashing past 3/4 stars.
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Ok thanks guys, I only played a few levels of the demo but I was getting a similar feeling. I understand they were basically tutorial levels though, simpler enemies perhaps - hopefully with more progression it will be different. Will carry on playing.

Seems strange Polygon would think that then, enough to make it their main negative in the conclusion too. Hopefully it's not just the boss fights that are tough.
 
DrFurbs said:
It should be a requirement that reviews log how many hours they put into games and at what stages. I mean some people in the SS demo thread have logged over 50 hours on the demo alone. I would hazard they would be better sources of information about the games mechanics than reviewers.
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I dunno man. Do you trust people who have played the full game or the people who've only played a small portion of it?
 
This is why I completely ignore professional game reviews. I couldnt give a shit about the scores but half of these read like trolling and most the criticisms especially about gameplay don't make sense.

When you look at the Soul Sac thread here on GAF and discussion on other websites the consensus for this game has been almost unanimously positive. When people are playing the demo alone for 10 hours+ you know its good, even seen some guy with over 50 hours.
 
DrFurbs said:
It should be a requirement that reviews log how many hours they put into games and at what stages. I mean some people in the SS demo thread have logged over 50 hours on the demo alone. I would hazard they would be better sources of information about the games mechanics than reviewers.
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I would agree, especially on RPGs.

Our reviewer said he'd only put 14 hours in, and the multiplayer was offline hence we couldn't score it.
 
Eh, those scores seem pretty fair to me. It definitely isn't going to be to everyone's taste. Can't agree with the 'button-mashing' comment though, you aren't going to get far if you play like that. I know, because I tried.
 
The fact that some of these reviews bring up Cerberus as like, the pinnacle of fun fights, is kind of funny to me. It also reveals how little most folks probably played into the game.

The story mode, while great, is essentially a tutorial/training ground to get you ready to go do the Avalon quests. Past 3/4 stars, mashing gets you killed extremely quickly. Hell, most monsters end up hurting you just by being close (Slime/Kraken).

It doesn't even matter what the score is in my opinion. There could be 9s, but not speaking in depth about the MP experience is akin to reviewing Monster Hunter as a single player game. It's pretty silly.
 
I kind of expected this but I'm not bothered by those scores, honestly my opinion rarely seems to align with those of reviewers any more.
 
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