RPGDX > Traditional RPGs

Sacraments

Posted by	Nephilim
Status	Finished
Last update	08-05-2004
Links	Website; Download;

Description:

Chloris's Call entry.

Per the contest rules, I'm supposed to describe how change is involved in the storyline, but I don't want to engage in spoilers - it really should be obvious as the plot unfolds. I suppose the best way to say it without giving too much away would be to say that the plot explores the two-sided nature of change: destruction and creation. It's about changes of heart, changes of perspective, and changes of mind, and about how change is sometimes difficult to enact, but sometimes all too easy.

You can view the developer's log and the postmortem at the web site.

Sacraments won 1st place in the Chloris' Call.

Reviews

Review by Terry on 11-05-2004

The fact that in the end Sacraments was the only entrant, and therefore wins by default, shouldn't take from the fact that it's still a wonderful RPG. Had other entrys been competed, it wouldn't have surprised me to find that this game would still have been the winning entry. The game's a pleasure for the eyes, a lot of fun to play, and manages to do quite a few fundamental things in a rather unique way. (e.g. Nagavating the battle engine with just the left and right keys, store style level up system).

Well worth a download.

Review by Rainer Deyke on 16-05-2004

Sacraments has the potential of becoming a great game. However, in its current incarnation it is held back by deep flaws.

The best part of Sacraments is the story, which is very good. The dialogue is well written and the characters have depth. The graphics are also pretty good, although I have seen better.

Now on to the bad parts. The keyboard layout is very counter-intuitive. Walking uses keys other than the arrow keys, and pressing escape automatically quits the game with no option to cancel or to save. I once lost an hour of progress due to instinctively pressing escape to back out of a menu. The game can only be saved at designated save spots, which are separated by 30 minutes or so of gameplay. There appears to be no way to find out what an item does without buying it, so making a rational decision about equipment purchases is impossible. Making rational decisions about character advancement is also difficult, since the effect of character stats is not documented. Building up hit points is tedious. Combat is very frequent and tedious. I actually got into the habit of reading a book while pounding the keyboard with one finger when fighting the boreworms. Magic seems underpowered, although that could be due to my underdeveloped magic using character.

Update: Many of the problems with this game have been addressed in the most recent release, so I am increasing the rating from 6 to 8.

Review by Chofritz on 18-05-2004

First of all. Rainer Deyke, try reading the readme.txt file before playing, could have helped you a bit. I'd like to quote it:

"Once you begin playing a game, you may configure these keys to be whatever is convenient for you using the "Options" menu."

That should solve your problem with the keyboard. I agree though that pressing escape should not end the game without asking first.

"Many of the menus have additional help associated with the options. If you press the menu button when selecting an item or a spell, for instance, you will get a description of that item or spell."

By pressing the menu button you can get a good idea of what the stats are for and you can also get an idea of how good an item is before buying it.

I must say I really enjoyed this game. I played it through twice actually. The story is very good and the dialog well written. I think the game graphics are really good considering they were mad during this month. I like the combat lay-out though I think it could have used some battle background to spice it up, but I understand that you have to leave something out when time is limited.

The thing that needs to be improved is gameplay since it's a bit unbalanced. I pumped up my characters evade and soon no regular attack would ever hit them. I also think the normal attack is a bit too weak and the special attacks a bit too strong. The cost of the stats are a bit out of balance too. I could've had more than 50000 HP but I limited myself to 500.

Well I don't know what to say. I've played the game for more than 10 hours and I really like it. Keep working on it, make it even more perfect.

Review by Fooolking on 03-06-2004

I really liked Sacraments; it was simplistic in concept and very easy to play, which allows players to get into the well woven storyline. Really, you only use the Spacebar and "M" button, which I think was a brilliant touch.

Some parts however, I felt artificially lengthened the game. I was playing on the Normal difficulty and got slightly annoyed at the Scorpions for example. Killing a group of three required a lot of hack and slash. It took me 10 minutes at one point to take five steps in the cavern area.

Some music would've also been nice. Though I don't take anything anyway because of the absence of music and sound. Seeing as this huge project was developed by one person. Knowing that makes me respect this game even more. But, I'd defiantly play this again if music and sound effects were introduced.

I think everyone should try this game. It plays great, there are some neat enemies to dispatch and the story is very addicting. Also it's rare to find a finished project on the indie scene, and this one defiantly stands out as a unique experience.

Review by kbomb987 on 10-06-2004

Just beat the game. Very nice, old school, and emotional story. The game froze a few times in the middle, but that was the only bug I found. I like the battle system in that you just keep pressing the arrow key to fight. However, there seems to be no real use for magic since it takes too long to scroll down the menus to pick a spell and it doesn't do enough damage. I just leveled up all the attack strength for my characters. The random encounters are a teensy bit too frequent, and it would be nice to be able to save at any point besides just a fountain, but I suppose the fountain just adds strategy.

I also liked the old school zelda influence at the waterfall. I won't spoil the plot, but you guys know what I mean. =)

Review by Lost_to_the_void on 01-07-2004

This game is very fun to play, great story and an explanation for every thing in it. I have found a flaw or two but theyre minor.

Review by BadMrBox on 30-10-2004

I liked this game. Very good story, good graphics. The fights wasn't so funny but the leveling up system save it. In the end, this is a game I'm not regretting to have played through.

Review by shanyetta on 16-11-2004

For being a home made gne this game rocks! The story is good and I have enjoyed playing it so far. Also, thanks for making a game that could be played on MAC OSX. :)
God Bless,
Shanyetta

Review by Windchill on 06-01-2005

This game is quite a sweet deal. Made by one developer in a month, it blew me away. I worked at an RPG engine that does half what his engine does for 4 months and still had nothing much to show. Quite impressive.
The story was well put together, although slightly stereotypical.
My one deduction was the fact that magic was pretty much useless.
Great work overall, it's too bad it was the only in the contest. It would have been nice to see the others trumped.