Smoke & Sacrifice is a survival role-playing game developed by Solar Sail Games Ltd, published by Curve Digital and released on May 31, 2018 on Steam and Nintendo Switch. It will be released later this year for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
History
Sachi, a woman who had just become a mother, was chosen to sacrifice her child in the ritual of the Sun Tree which is the one and only source of light in the world since the sun disappeared. As the years pass after the sacrifice of her child, Sachi is still convinced that her child is alive.
As the village comes under attack from mighty and monstrous creatures, Sachi takes refuge in the Sun Tree and finds himself in a strange underworld, filled with creatures and a strange fog. Sachi is sure that this place is home to her child and decides to explore it to find him.
Game and gameplay
Smoke & Sacrifice is therefore a role-playing game with a survival component. Suffice to say that you will spend a lot of time harvesting and crafting! The harvesting and making part is classic, the elements are harvested in many different ways, whether it is directly on the ground, by hitting on elements of the decor to knock down objects (a tree to collect wood or fruit for example), by killing enemies to harvest them, or even via objects thrown by enemies, such as pikes thrown at you by a sort of "porcupine" for example.
The preparation, meanwhile, is also simple, and effective. Once you have the necessary materials, just open the inventory, go to the object in question and presto, packed it's weighed!
The game therefore takes place mainly in "the other world", which a mysterious mist has invaded. To move forward, you will have to survive the latter, then explore the world to try to find your child. The world is quite large and offers many environments, ranging from forests, swamps and volcanic areas.
During the adventure, we meet many NPCs, with whom we can interact, discuss, collect quests, and even investigate them to learn more about your child.
Graphics, sound and optimization
On the graphics side, the artistic direction is very beautiful (for me). The latter has a little "Don't Starve" side in its graphics (another game that I find excellent!) The effects of colors and lights are well done and the feeling of "oppression" when you are in the game. complete black or in the mist is really very well transcribed.
As for the soundtrack, it is excellent. I did not notice a "striking" theme, but the musics are convincing and the sound effects are well found.
And finally, optimization. I played about ten hours on the Switch, mainly in nomadic mode, and the game never suffered from the slightest problem. Whether it's slowing down, falling IPS or whatever, the game is stable.
Conclusion
Smoke and Sacrifice is a really good little game. The story, although it seems basic at first, is very interesting. The game offers a bit of difficulty (without making it a hardcore game). The atmosphere is captivating and we have some mysteries on the side of the story which are very well found. As for the lifespan, allow about 25 hours to completely overcome it!
The game is released today on the following two platforms:
- Steam
- Nintendo Switch
