Reminder that it's also digital only

I was never able to really get into Soul Sacrifice when I played it around this time last year, which probably had something to do with Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate still getting plenty of attention from me at that point in time. However, lots of people liked it and it sold pretty well in Japan and the west?, so a sequel did?n't seem unlikely.

After being announced this past fall, the digital only Soul Sacrifice Delta makes its way onto the PS Vita today. You read that right; Delta is only available on the PlayStation Network store for $35.99. The trailer looks pretty crazy and has me wondering that I missed out on a lot by not giving the game its due last year??, so I'll probably check out this pseudo-sequel. New stuff to play on the Vita is always good, right?

The post Here’s a trailer to remind you Soul Sacrifice Delta launched today appeared first on Destructoid.

Will be playable at Tokyo Game Show

Soul Sacrifice Delta is coming to PlayStation Vita in Japan in March 2014, Keiji Inafune announced at the Sony Computer Entertainment Japan pr?ess conference today.

The title features a myriad of additional elements, including new monsters, items, magic, and a third neutral faction. Soul Sacrifice Delta will be playable at Tokyo Game Show.

The post Soul Sacrifice Delta anounce??d for Vita, coming March 2014 appeared first on Destructoid.

Quite a bit of content on offer

Despite less than stellar system sales, the PlayStation Vita does have a fair amount of gems, not the least among them them being Soul Sacrifice. Live on the PlayStation Network store is a key for eight new quests to run through, an??d a new map to explore in Caverns of Goliath. You'll also get two new boss characters to conquer, the dark knight Dullahan, and the gluttonous Behemoth.

Just remember to update your game to 1.10 before trying to access the new content. The ?1.10 update will also add some social integration features, specifically Twitter and Facebook updates, as well as an AR mini-game for those of you that have your AR cards.

So any of you lot already playing the content? Excited at the possibility for more, or are you ready to put Soul Sacrifice to rest?

Free Soul Sacrifice DLC launches this week [PlayStation Blog Europe]

The post PSA: Free Soul Sacrifice DLC now available appeared first on Destructoid.

Never gonna give you up

PlayStation Vita owners know a lot about compromise. One has to wait an excruciatingly long time between remarkable, must-have releases, but when those releases come, many wou?ld agree the wait was worth it. It's fitting then, that the latest must-have is all about ??compromise. 

Soul Sacrifice asks the player exactly how much they're willing to give up in exchange for raw power -- a question the PS Vita itself embodies so well. My own history with the Vita has indeed seen me surrender much of my patience and goodwill ... but the rewards, such as they are, make up?? for it.&?nbsp;

True to itself, Soul Sacrifice is one such reward. 

Soul Sacrifice (PS Vita)
Developer: Marvelous AQL, SCE Japan Studio
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Japan
Released: April 30, 2013 (US), May 3, 2013 (EU)
MSRP: $39.99

Soul Sacrifice begins in less than pleasant cir??cumstances. The world has effectively ended, those left alive in the resultant apocalypse are imprisoned, waiting their turn to be fed to the powerful sorcerer Magusar. As one such prisoner, you have only one chance to escape the dinner bell -- read a sentient journal of one of Magusar's fellow sorcerers, and relive the ?past to learn a way to defeat him. 

The journal, as well as providing commentary and company, serves as a hub from which players can select missions, create a character, and equip new gear. The general structure is very similar to Monster Hunter or Ragnarok Odyssey -- you sele??ct missions, complete them, unlock more, and gain power along the way. Missions almost always involve entering a map and killing a certain number of monsters, though there are occasional collection quests to break up the slaughter. 

Although each mission is supposed to tell the story of a specific mystery sorcerer, players are free to create a male or female character and choose various facial features, hair styles, and costumes. The character can be changed at any time, allowing one to swap body parts and even genders on a whim. Up to six weapons -- known as "offerings" -- can be equipped on the character sheet page, and as the game progresses, sigils can be worn to boost various stats. Elsewhere in the book, a number of missions in various flavors can be undertaken -- including a series of side-chapters, timed s??pecial challenge stages, and a whole list of non-story battles. 

Battles are generally simple affairs, though there's a slight tactical bent to proceedings. Equipped weapons can be summoned by pressing a corresponding button, and then used for a limited time until they drain. The strength and du?ration of each weapon varies depending on the offering, and each one can only be summoned a certain number? of times per mission. If the weapon is summoned one too many times, it will break and be lost. However, hidden items in each map can replenish their uses, and they become fully restocked at the end of every stage. 

Once a weapon's in play, enemies are attacked by simply hitting the weapon's bound button over and over again. Timing your attacks to coincide with enemy moves can counter said enemies for a one-hit kill, and there??'s a dodge roll to avoid taking damage. A large part of your success in battle is getting used to the various types of weaponry and how they behave.Weapons taking the form of a giant arm are slow and powerful, some weapons can be launched like mortars or thrown like missiles, and others are used as group ??or self-healing spells. Further, weapons corresponding to certain elements will do more damage to vulnerable enemy types, and working out which weapons to use, as well as sorting the good ones from the bad, is a big part of the action. 

In the world of Soul Sacrifice, monsters are formed from living creatures that were transformed through a nefarious? pact, and when a creature has been defeated, it turns back into its original form. Orcs, for example, become dying cats, while a Goblin will transform into a pack of dying rats.

As the former beasts lay dying, players ar??e given the option to save or sacrifice them, and the choice directly effects characte?r development -- saving creatures can boost one's defense, while sacrificing them raises attack power. Victims can be spared or killed in any combination, and as players level up in any given direction, they'll gain access to unique sigils that boost their given path. Players can save more lives to become Divine sorcerers, end them to become Dark, or dish out justice evenly to remain on a Neutral path.

Along the way, players will be defeating boss monsters that once were human sorcerers, and choosing to kill or spare them will result in even bigger boosts. Furthermore, sparing these characters will unlock them as ally characters. Non-story missions can be played with two AI-controlled allies, and they too are subject to the player's mercy -- should an ally fall in battle, players may choose to save them and keep them in the fight, or sacrifice them for a one-shot powerful magic attack that deci?mates the entire area. 

Players are graded on their performance at the end of each mission, and gaining higher clear ranks will result in better offering rewards. Avoiding damage, clearing stages quickly, using strong elements against monsters, and sacrificing large amounts of monsters all contribute to the ranking, and it has to be said that the sacrificial routes are favored more. Again, this is all p??art of the game's idea of balance -- if you're not prepared to risk someone or something, it's harder to come out on top??. 

The game loves to reinforce the idea that every action has a consequence. Choosing to spare and sacrifice fel?low sorcerers can unlock new mission paths, and may even make your allies abandon? you if they disagree with an action. When sacrificing monsters, one can regain weapon uses, but sparing them replenishes some health. If you want to be a defensive character, you'll do so at a direct cost to your offensive power, while a player focused solely on attack strength will be highly vulnerable to enemy blows. Neutrality may be a wise option, but one could end up becoming a master of nothing. 

Strangely, however, Soul Sacrifice contradicts its own message by being very lenient in the consequence department. By talking regularly to the Journal, players acquire Lacrima -- a tear-like liquid taken from the book's eyes. Using this liquid, players can rewrite history and ostensibly undo anything. A sacrificed sorcerer can be resurrected, levels in the Divine or Dark path can be rebalanced, and lost weapons may be recovered. Lacrima is acquired in such high volumes that one never runs out, either, meaning that sacrifice, ironically, is temporary and easily undone. It's a shame there couldn't at least be some reward for keeping sacrifices as they are, bu?t sadly it becomes a swift no-brainer to splash on some Lacrima and get your toys back. 

Though it may undermine its premise, one sacrifice that can never be reversed is the amount of time a player can so easily sink into the thing. Even though I've been playing Soul Sacrifice for review purposes, the more than thirty hours I've invested in the game have been given up gladly. It's a time sink of addictive proportions, and I've found it difficult to stop playing as I find more weapons, farm duplicates of those weapons to upgrade them, and explore the vast, overwhelming amount of content on offer. That, and trying to unlock new costumes to see what bizar?re and twisted raiments appear next. 

As enslaving as Soul Sacrifice is, however, it lends itself a bit too well to repetition. There are tons of missions, but after a while, they all g??et to be a bit samey. I've fought reskinned versions of orcs and goblins to the point of nausea, and there's a regurgitated handful of bosses that keep popping up. Of course, new weapons are always appearing, and the combat is s??atisfying enough in its high-impact, cathartic button-mashing to make up for it, but one can certainly grow tired of fighting the same old mutant felines. 

If one thing truly lets combat down, however, it's the way in which it registers ally attacks. Friendly fire is by far the most excruciating part of battle, as while attacks from one's partners deal no damage, they act exactly like blows from an enemy -- constantly ?knocking you to the floor and breaking your combos. Melee weapons don't seem to have this problem, but rolling attacks and mortar-like projectiles will send the player flying if they're anywhere near the impact area. It's such a common occurrence that I found myself killing off any character with an abundance of projectiles or boulder-like transformation powers, as their performance on the battlefield ?was as harmful to my enjoyment as the enemy. 

AI-controlled allies are, in general, an ordeal. If they lack the ability to self-heal, they're borderline worthless, as they'll die quickly and cannot be relied upon to stand still for your own group heals even w??hen commanded to. One can expect to spend a lot of time babysitting them if they want to keep them, and you can bet the enemies won't just stand around and let your rescue animations complete. Saving allies also requires you give up a portion of your own life bar, which only doubles the frustration. 

My one other major irritation comes in the form of flying creatures, especially those few winged bosses. Although several weapons offer ranged attacks, they are generally too slow and unwieldy t?o hit some of the faster moving creatures, who happily fly out of range. One particular boss, the Elven Queen, has a nasty habit of backstepping long distances, causing attacks to miss and forcing players to chase her around the map -- a frequent pain, considering a wasted weapon really does mean something in this game. These occurrences don't make for particularly tough battles, but they are nonetheless cause for some under-the-breath cursing. 

Even with these annoyances, however, Soul Sacrifice refuses to let its brilliance be drowned out. The otherwise simplistic nature of the combat is bolstered immensely by the little touches of tac??tics and balance that make this game what it is. 

If you yourself happen to fall in battle, you can command your own allies to rescue or sacrifice you. If you'r?e saved, you get up and keep fighting, but if you're sacrificed, you get to remain on the battlefield as a passive-aggressive influence, given a limited ability to raise your friends' attack p??ower and decrease the enemy defenses by poking them on the touch screen. It's a nice touch that, once again, uses the sacrifice premise quite cleverly. 

Another cool use of the premise involves the use of Black Rites. These are special, last-ditch attacks that require?? you give up your own body parts in order to perform a devastatingly powerful attack. Best used against powerful bosses, and only when the chips are down, these spells will deal immense damage at a high cost.

For example, one attack summons a squad of eyeballs that shoot a petrifying laser, but the player has to tear out his or her own eye to use? it. For the rest of the battle, and all subsequent missions, vision will be restricted to an obscured tunnel -- an issue that can only be fixed with an application of Lacrima once the initial fight is over. Once again, the easy reset renders a lot of the risk moot, but it can still be a weighty decision, especially if one performs the rite too early in a lengthy fight. 

The game can be taken online or played locally in a team of four, allowing for some jolly cooperation. Multiplayer fights play out exactly like a solo fight, with the addition of some fun little chat commands that can be brought up with a pleasantly convenient flick of a touch-screen pop-up.Going online to show off one's acquired moves and costumes is a good laugh in and of itself, and the potential to sacrifice your own friends for personal power is likely to prove a most engrossing aspect of the co-op experience. Unlike similar games, Soul Sacrifice's multiplayer doesn't feel like the main focus, with solo play proving the robust draw, but its inclusion only helps round out the package.&nbs?p;

While not the most visually impressive game on the PS Vita, we're looking at a title that's far from ugly. This is helped most by the wickedly twisted character designs, especially in some of the boss monsters, all of which are truly hideous, and even pitiful, to behold. The game has a pleasant little soundtrack of suitable, atmospheric music, and a strong -- albeit limited -- vocal cast that lends a British flavor that seems to be increasing in many Japanese localizations??. 

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 o?f them all.

The post Review: Soul Sacrifice appeared first on Destructoid.

It'll likely be for the Vita if plans move forward

Speaking to IGN, Soul Sacrifice designer Keiji Inafune shared his interest in working on a sequel to the upcoming PlayStation Vita game, which shouldn't come up as much of a surprise. The same could be said of countless other t??itles, but thankfully, he's gone a step further than most would be willing to say publicly so early in production.

"I'm interested in making other console games for PlayStation, not just for the Vita," said Inafune. "Soul Sacrifice is something I specifically designed for Vita using [the] hardware's specific features. To drive Vita sales even more, I have an idea for a Soul Sacrifice sequel. I'm actually approachi?ng [Sony Computer Entertainment] regarding th??is project."

How's that working out? "Let's sa?y the talks are ongoing and I'd love to make it happen??." Although Soul Sacrifice isn't available yet in the West, it seems people are digging the demo, including our own Chris Carter. Might be too early to start thinking about a potential follow-up, but that'??s the way these things te??nd to go.

A Soul Sacrifice Sequel For Vita? '??Talks Are Ongoing' [IGN]

The post Talks are ongoing for Soul Sacrifi??ce sequel, says Inafune appeared first on Destructoid.

At least 10 bosses are free

When Soul Sacrifice, Keiji Inafune's latest creation hits, it'll have downloadable content. The good news is, at least 10 bosses will be offered up as free DLC, with more paid episodes to come.

It's a clever scheme indeed, getting you hooked on free stuff to entice you into the paid ar?ena, bu??t still -- free DLC is free!

Between Monster Hunter, Soul Sacrifice, and God Eater 2, you should be good to go this year when it comes to hunting action games. All I need now is the Phantasy Star Online 2 Vita release!

Soul Sacrifice will have 10+ free DLC bosses [Siliconera]

The post Soul Sacrifice free and paid DLC confirmed appeared first on Destructoid.

Fire guy

It's almost like they're rubbing it into our faces. You don't have Vita game Soul Sacrifice yet (it's co??ming later this Spring), and here we are casting swirl?s of sacrificial live-action fire around our bodies in celebration. 

I've watched this new commercial for Keiji Inafune's upcoming action RPG a few times because it's so funny. During this last viewing I realized that that fire swirl guy is an uncooperative asshole. Where was he ??during the team attack? He just wanted to show off.

Oh, Ice and Fist? Cool. Whatever. ?Check this sh*t out! 

Uuuuaaaaaagggghhhhhaaaaaa!

The post This live-actio??n Soul Sacrifice commerci?al is so Japanese appeared first on Destructoid.

Soul Sacrifice dropping on April 30 for North America, May 1 for Europe

I have always enjoyed the orchestral work of composers such as Kow Otani and Motoi Sakuraba, because of their ability to express such a broad range of feelings through their music. They can make you feel like a hero, fig??hting an all-or-nothing battle one moment and the next, make you feel like a frighte?ned child, alone in an unknown land.

Now it seems that Yasunori Mitsuda, of Chrono Trigger and Xenegears fame, is bringing his skill and vision to the music of Soul Sacrifice; a??nd judging from this short clip of its battle theme, he really understands what makes this game unique and the music it deserves.

Mitsuda describes his thought process on creating the music for Soul Sacrifice:

"...The battle style in this game is different from traditional RPGs and action games where the battles are not instantaneous, but rather extensive and you fight for a longer period of time. Within those battles, you will face all sorts of situations where you can have the upper hand, or be at a disadvantage. So, in order to match these dramatic sequences, I concentrated on add?ing many different elements to each piece in order to create an exciting musical composition. Soul Sacrifice is the type of game that will challenge you in all aspects. With that in mind, I challenged myself during the composition of the musical scores as well..."

This may be the first time where I pick up a game's soundtrack before I even lay my hands on the actual game. But with the battle ??theme being this good, I'm more then happy to fork my well-earned dollars fo??r an amazing soundtrack.

The post Music for the Soul: Mitsuda’s grand battle theme revealed appeared first on Destructoid.

Japanese voice-over will cost extra

Keiji Inafune's Soul Sacrifice is coming out on April 30 for the PlayStation Vita in North America. Fans who pre-order the game will receive two unique costumes and three magic items, all of which will be exclusive to those that reserve Soul Sacrifice. Pre-ordering the game will also get you t??he Japanese voice-over pack, which will be available for purchase as a s?tandalone item for those that don't bother putting money down early.

So that's where we're at now in this industry, eh? Publishers are charging f?or voice-overs? An option in most games that, ??you know, is part of the goddamn package!

F*cking. Great.

Soul Sacrifice Out April?? 30th: Box Art, Pre-order Extras Revealed [PlayStation Blog]

The post Soul Sacrifice comes to the PS Vita on April 30 appeared first on Destructoid.

Bad news: Soul Sacrifice was delayed to Spring 2013. Good news: Here's a seven minute detailed look at how Soul Sacrifice ??controls. Bad news: It's all in Japanese so good luck understanding any of?? it. Good news: You can summon a cat.

The post TGS: Here’s seven minutes of Soul Sacrifice appeared first on Destructoid.

As odd as Soul Sacrifice may look conceptually (and I mean that as a compliment), it seemed inevitable that the game would get a North American release alongside the already confirmed Japanese ve?rsion. Well, now we've got official word from Sony Computer Entertainment America: it's happening.

The PlayStation Blog has got a quick overview of this PlayStation Vita title from Keiji Inafune for those of you who haven't been keeping up, in addition to a video with a similar focus. Really, though, how can you look at whatever that thing is up there and not want to find out more? The monster designs look so ... unpleasant.

The post Soul Sacrifice confi?rmed for PS Vita in North America appeared first on Destructoid.

A six page ad in the upcoming issue of Famitsu teases a new PlayStation Vita game called Soul Sacrifice. Japanese site Sinob gets an early look at the magazine and says that the ad's only image shows four characters up against a big monster, with keywords pointing to a story of magicians, "real fantasy shown in high spec," and "evolved battle" concepts. They also give a placeholder link for an upcoming webpage for the game.

Andriasang has more on the ad from an??other source. Apparently it shows another image of a hood??ed character with his hand extended to the reader, with some sort of red Z mark on it. More text says that this is an action game, and that it should "shake your soul." Ooh.

Seein??g as how an announcement is expected at a Tokyo event hosted by Sony Computer Entertainment early next month, this could be a first-party title. The ad doesn't state, but SCEI is listed in the ad's copyright. 

This sounds kind of Monster Hunter-y, but darker. Do we want that?

You'll find some not-so-great ad image scans in our gallery.

The post Vita game Soul Sacrifice teased in Famitsu ad appeared first on Destructoid.