Title: Soul Sacrifice Delta
Format: PS Vita
Release Date: May 13, 2014
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Marvelous Entertainment
Price: $39.99
ESRB Rating: M
Soul Sacrifice Delta is the ultimate rerelease of the original Soul Sacrifice for the Vita, which features a bevy of new features and overall improvements that make this the definitive edition of the game.
Story and Presentation:
SS Delta starts off the same way the original game did, you're locked in a cave made up of bones and flesh, and you're awaiting your fate that will come at the hands of Magusar. There you meet Librom, a mysterious book who knows Magusar's past. Through the book, you relive the past of Magusar's former partner, and this is how the game is experienced. You're being told a story through the book, and Librom also serves as your general hub for customizing your character, weapons and abilities. This decision to not have an over world is intriguing, but since you are a prisoner, it makes sense. While reliving the life of a sorcerer once tasked with hunting humans and animals, your primary goal is to sacrifice the evil souls running throughout the land to purify it. The narrative is definitely more different than a lot of games I've played, and it ends up being one of the more interesting plots I've experienced on the Vita. The original game looked great on the Vita, but you can obviously see a number of improvements to the game's overall visual composition. Environments and enemy models are sharper and crisper than before, which improves the overall bleak aesthetic of the game. I already thought the original game's style was unique, and the upgrades magnify each piece of the presentation. The soundtrack fits the bleak atmosphere perfectly, perfectly complimenting the gloomy tones the game exudes.
Core Gameplay:
Soul Sacrifice has always drawn a lot of comparisons to the Monster Hunter games, and for good reasons, there are a lot of similarities with the popular franchise. You complete each story mission through bite sized action packed chunks. This is great for a handheld title, since you can pick it up and play for hours, or you can play for 15 minutes and put it back down. Each level pits you against a set number of enemies, or one huge boss. The enemy designs were a big standout in the original game, and it's even more grotesque this time around. The combat relies on you selecting six Offerings into a palette of three, each of them giving you different spells and abilities for you to use. The combat is extremely deep, giving you a ton of opportunities to mix and match the selections you like the most. From ice swords and axes to huge hulk-like rock arms for huge damage, there are a number of different ways to dispatch your foes. Combining different abilities and offerings will become essential during the latter half of the game, it will get pretty tough, and you'll need to differentiate your strategies to prevail. Delta comes with a completely new faction, Grim, as well as Avalon and Sanctuarium, and allows players to switch freely between their affiliation. Another key addition is the ability to choose Fate when deciding a slain creature. In the previous game, you had only two choices, Save or Sacrifice. Sacrifice boosts your attack, while Save increases your HP. Fate on the other hand, lets the game decide for you. This will keep your character neutral, if thats the way you want to go, rather than focusing on Divine or Dark arms. Each of the three arms, Divine, Dark and Neutral come with their own benefits.
Final Thoughts:With the main campaign, the three Guilds and tons of Pacts to take part in, the game gives you hours of content to take in. This is a great package, even if you own the original game, the ability to transfer your save file over makes this a no brainer.
+Unique Storytelling +Action Packed Combat +Loads of Content S&S Rating: 8.5/10 @whatsPlay
