GamesCom. Thursday, 6pm local time. In a few moments, we will be some of the first to see Sacred 3 in action. The long awaited, desired (and, in some cases, thought dead) sequel to the Sacred series of video games.

[b]There's no business like ... video games business[/b]
As arranged with Kerstin Brüggemeier (DeepSilver's German "Online Communication", and thus, more or less, our CM), we arrived punctual at the DeepSilver booth in the business area. In stark contrast to the general bigger-louder-more-colorful booths in the entertainment area, booths in the business area are all white, silent, closed doors. This is where business is made.
Inside, a lounge was waiting for us. At noon, delicious sandwiches were waiting for hungry businessmen, and cold drinks are available all day long. A relaxed and welcoming atmosphere, compared to the stressful and crowdy rest of the convention.
But we are not here to rest, we are here to get information. Aside from us (moderators from the German S1/2 forums), there were two more mods from the DeepSilver forums, as well as two people from the Sacred Legends community. And another old face who opened the door to the presentation room: Sebastion "Buddy" Fleer.

[b]Old friends[/b]
Buddy, who worked for Ascaron/Studio II, and was already responsible for Sacred 2, is now a producer for DeepSilver. The other two people in the room are Alex Toplansky, Creative Producer, and Prachya "Isaac" Prakhen, Senior Creative Producer. All three are working on Sacred Citadel and Sacred 3. Parakhen was a Creative Producer on Sacred2 as well.

Then the presentation starts, Sacred Citadel is shown. Since it's the same version that could also be played in the entertainment area, and we have done so thorougly, it's nothing new. It seems to be a nice way of spending time, but nothing we haven't seen before.
After that, it gets interesting. The big screen changes to a PS3 menu. Toplansky, who leads the presentation, explaines to us that the PS3 is the lead plattform. The reasons for this decision are mainly the difficulty of programming for the Cell processor, and the (nowadays) lackluster hardware. This way, by having the hardest plattform to develop for as lead, a better quality can be assured for other plattforms. However, we still have to see how this decision will influence the PC version concerning graphics and controls. They promised us that they are still working on the PC controls.

[b]Changes[/b]
While Toplansky is talking about the game, Parakhen and Buddy demonstrate it. The known characters for now are a mighty Safiri-Warrior, who also plays a pivotal role as a player character in Sacred Citadel, and the Ancarian Lancer. The camera is isometric, but at certain points of interest zooms in to highlight the background, or your next goal, etc. There seems to be no manual control as in Sacred 2, though.
Other things have changed, too. Ancaria is now home to many different cultures and races, such as the previously mentioned Safiri tribe. They are a conglomeration of pirates, seafarers, and merchants who revere the sun and gather their powers from it.
These different cultures lead to disputes between each other, but there is something to unite them: The Ashen Wars, lead by the Ashen empire against everybody else.
The world itself has changed in the 1000 years since Sacred 1/Underworld, too.  According to Toplansky, there will still be recognisable places (such as the ruins of Braverock castle) that will be visited throughout the game.
In the course of the level, Buddy and Parakhen slay through hordes of groups of smaller enemies, smart fiends that try to use their shield strategically (being only able to be damaged from behind), and Grimmoc shamans that buff everything that is out to kill you. Each fight has its own little strategic value, and button mashing often isn't the best option.
These fights also go to show how much emphasis Sacred 3 puts on coop. While one player distracts the groups of enemies, the other may run around them and attack their (weaker protected) back side. The battle system, as far as we cam tell, is more direct than before. Position is important, parts of the world can be used as traps to hurt enemies or to hide from projectiles/push an enemy group back into a choke point to fight them one by one. It is heavy on lots of flashy action, which is not a bad thing.
The level design is nice to look at and constructed to boost the replay value. Each mission has multiple paths how it can be solved. These paths, according to Toplansky, don't only differ in which way you're going, but also in enemies and loot. Some paths are filled with small hordes of enemies, while others may lead to a big boss fight or a fun-to-watch blender trap.

[b]Not all that glitters is Sacred[/b]
This already shows some very fundamental changes in what defines Sacred. There is no open world anymore. The "world" and the story are divided into small segments, which are completed in missions. The missions can be solved in different ways, but aside from this branching, the way is still somewhat straightforward.
Gone with the big, open world is also a noticable part of playing together; Only 4 people may be in the same game. Some missions require two or more players, and if you don't have enough friends, you will get AI companies to be able to still proceed. It is unknown if/how much you can control the AI, how many mission will require them, or how many AI companions you will get if you don't have a full game already.

Buddy and Parakhen continue slaying hordes of enemies. The lancer uses a spell to knock over the big grimmocs, after which the warrior unleashes a jump attack, landing with the blade of his mighty axe in the fallen grimmoc. All in all, it looks very satisfying.
The presentation already gives a good impression of Sacred 3's graphical capability. The animations are fluid, and the effects are nice to watch and fitting for a Hack'n'Slay. The level is designed with a special care for the fine details, and everything that can influence the battle has benn well designed.
It was not long before we reached the end of the presentation. Another indicator that the game will make time go by quite fast.
At the end of the mission, there is a breakdown of player success - most actions within the mission are rewarded with points, and each player can compare their achieved rank with that of their friends. Extra points are rewarded for coop actions.
Picked up loot can be evalueted, equipped or sold in the places called hubs, before/after every mission. It's not possible to do so while on a mission - the developers think that it would be too distracting from the essential, which is slaying lots of things with style. The same goes for Combat Arts - you cannot change them in missions, you can only pick two of your CAs beforehand. The reason for this strongly limited customization is, according to the producers, to keep the player from feeling overpowered.

[b]Conclusion[/b]
Sacred 3 looks nice, seems to be enjoyable to play, and will bring many gamers joy. But the legacy of its predecessors is mostly ignored and can only be seen in bits and pieces here and there. Most things that made a Sacred a Sacred game have changed for Sacred 3. It is still a Hack'n'Slay, but it will not fit the expectations of old fans. Too heavy is the lack of an open world, the limited multiplayer, the mutilated character skill customization, etc.

Sacred 3 deserves a fair chance. But it will have a hard time convincing people that it is indeed a Sacred game, rather than just a random game with the name and the story slapped on.

It is still up in the air how the opinions about the game will change in the course of the future. There are still some big questions (sometimes intentionally) left open: How will character development work, which will be the other available characters, how will the MP work regarding open and/or closed net, and, of course: Will there be a playable Seraphim character?