Sacred is a combat heavy affair, with a greater emphasis on spilling blood and guts than pouring over stats and figures. Developed by Ascaron using a 2D/3D hybrid engine, the game promises to open up a huge play area for some old-school action. Sacred is set in the Kingdom of Ancaria, which comprises 16 graphically distinct regions. These include the central region, with its meadows and castles; the pioneer lands to the south (a sort of Wild West environment where settlers skirmish with Orcs) that lead onto the barren wastelands; the forbidding forests and mountains of the north and the magic heavy marshlands to the east.

One unique aspect of Sacred’s gameplay is the implementation of rideable horses. Oddly, mounts are an extreme rarity in the fantasy role-playing genre, but they make perfect sense in this title, given the large amount of open terrain that you must routinely cross. Horses can be bought and sold in most cities at the shops of specialist traders. Small towns usually sell only basic horseflesh, while more urban settings offer larger selections and higher quality animals. All characters can handle the low-level ones, but you must spend points on a riding skill to use the mightier steeds. Right-clicking your stallion allows you to climb on, while performing the same action on the ground causes you to dismount. Since you don’t get any extra inventory space in the form of saddlebags or packs, the main advantage of riding versus walking through the landscape is speed. You can employ your basic attack from the saddle, but no combos or special attacks, so characters that rely heavily on these proficiencies might find themselves riding only in specific situations.