Soul Sacrifice Delta Review
Soul Sacrifice was released last year to the PS Vita and was well received by most. It was a unique game that was similar to Capcom's Monster Hunter series. Soul Sacrifice Delta comes out this year, although it's not a sequel. It's like a director's cut that adds and improves in some ways compared to the original game.
First off, Soul Sacrifice Delta starts off exactly the same as the original game. For returning players, you don't have to go through this as your save file can be transferred into this game. For all newcomers though, you will have to play from scratch and familiarize yourself with the game first before you can get access to the new levels added in Delta.
Soul Sacrifice Delta begins in not a nice way and is pretty gruesome. Players will be introduced to an evil demonic type character called Magusar. Magusar imprisons mortal men and usually kills them off in brutal fashion. Many have tried to slay him, but nothing has ever worked. That is until the player discovers a book named Librom who hold the secrets to Magusar's past.
Librom is a talking book and will be the player's guide for the entire game. He will give you tips on how to play the game, and also a little more insight into Magusar himself. The overall premise of the entire game is to get stronger and know more about Magusar. By doing lots of quests and reading more about Magusar, you will then be ready to fight the man himself. You can even choose to fight Magusar near the beginning of the game, but this is just suicide as you will never defeat him without leveling up first.
One of the best things I liked most about Soul Sacrifice Delta is that you are free to create the look for your character whenever you want. In most other games, you create your character at the start and you're unable to change their look any further. In this game however, I could create a female character and then change into a male character on the next mission. This is pretty cool if you're like me and like to change things often.
Speaking of changing, Soul Sacrifice Delta allows you to customize your character's abilities as many times as you want to as well. On average, your character usually has six abilities that you can choose to go into battle in each level. You're free to select a variety of different abilities to take down specific enemies. You can select abilities that can replenish your health, plus other ones for your attacks. It's best to vary your selection as some enemies are weak to some attacks than others. Not to mention the health ability is crucial for the harder bosses in the game.
Apart from the abilities you come in with, you can also collect armor and weapons in some levels. In one particular level, I grabbed some cool armor that made me turn into a rock-like creature. There was also another cool gadget I picked up that acted as a barrier. Some levels don't have much to give, but if you look around hard enough, you can find something that will help you out.
Another thing I liked about Soul Sacrifice Delta is that your computer A.I. partners are not incompetent. They actually do help you out defeating enemies and sometimes even give you some health if you're dying. This is unlike in some other games where the A.I. usually just stands there doing absolutely nothing.
Presentation wise, Soul Sacrifice Delta has some wonderfully designed enemies and huge bosses. The enemies are grotesque as can be, but this fits the theme of the game being set in a type of "Hell" environment. The bosses are grand in scale and it's an awesome sight when you encounter them. Just be prepared for a long fight when you meet them!
In terms of gameplay, there are times that Soul Sacrifice Delta can get repetitive. This is mainly due to the game's level design. The levels aren't really levels, they're more smaller fighting arenas. It's not as exciting as the levels that you can explore in the Monster Hunter series. Not to mention some of the boss fights are very long. It doesn't help that this game doesn't show a lifebar for the boss so you know how much damage you're doing to them. Guessing how much damage you're doing to a boss is not fun.
If you already played the original game, I don't think there's too much new content in Soul Sacrifice Delta to warrant you a second visit. Apart from a few new levels and quests, there isn't really that much else for you to spend your money again to play this game. Only real hardcore fans of the original game would consider buying Delta for the extra content. If you haven't played the original, there's loads of content for you to explore here in Delta though.
Overall, Soul Sacrifice Delta is a great action game and one of the best PS Vita exclusives you can get. If you are a fan of hack-n-slash games, you'll find loads of fun gameplay here. Just be warned that Soul Sacrifice Delta is not a full sequel from the original game. If you want something new, you should wait until a true sequel of the game is ever made.
Verdict: 7.0 out of 10
