Info about Sacred Gold:

Official game description:
A shadow of evil has fallen on the kingdom of Ancaria. It is a time for champions - a time to journey into the perilous world of SACRED. Battle blood-thirsty orcs & lumbering ogres... Destroy undead wizards & rotting mummies... Slay hellish demons & legendary dragons. With blazing magic & sharpened steel, prepare to embark on an epic quest of fantasy adventure & heroism.  
SACRED GOLD is the complete SACRED collection in one box, containing the full version of SACRED, winner of the 'Best Roleplaying Game 2004' award from PC GAMER, Sacred Plus and Sacred Underworld.  
**SACRED** - The new name in Action-RPGs. SACRED delivers a huge, elaborate world comprising 16 regions beset with heroic quests, battle-hardened warriors and horrific enemies. Ancaria consists of highly detailed landscapes, complete with villages and towns, and also features a day/night cycle with varying weather systems. Regions vary from forests and mountains to deserts, catacombs and ice-covered landmasses. More than three quarters of the world is open to the players from the very start - no unlocks needed.  
**SACRED Plus** - Incorporates all of the feedback from the player community since the first release of SACRED. This includes an optimized interface, and many completely new features: two new regions, two additional main quests, new item sets and weapons, and many new creature types which make adventuring in Ancaria even more dangerous.  
**SACRED Underworld** - Ancaria is facing a threat far greater than ever before. The now familiar world continues to evolve, with existing SACRED players able to import their old characters into the Underworld.  
*   Choose from eight heroic characters: Gladiator, Seraphim, Battlemage, Wood Elf, Vampiress, Daemon, and Dwarf.  
*   Hundreds of unique weapons, armors and set items - collect artifacts and forge all-powerful weapons!  
*   Learn Combat Arts, develop new skills, and customize devastating combo-attacks.  
*   A huge world open to explore from the outset.  
*   An epic RPG and enthralling storyline with over 30 main quests & 200 sub-quests and dynamic quests.

Release date: Jul 9, 2008

Categories: Action RPG, Character Customization, Open-World Exploration, Looter, Hack and Slash, Isometric Action-RPG, Fantasy

Feature scans:
- Proton/Linux: score 10; verdict: Works Well; summary: The game generally runs well on Linux with minimal tweaking required. Proton compatibility, especially with GE-Proton, is noted to be good. Some gameplay bugs are mentioned but are not specific to Linux.
- Steam Deck: score 40; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The game exhibits a mix of experiences across different platforms. While it requires some tinkering to run smoothly on Windows and Linux, it faces significant stability issues on newer operating systems like Windows 10. However, it seems to work well on the Steam Deck without additional configuration, providing a seamless experience in that context.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $2.00 - $5.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence shows that users find the game worth buying at a discounted price around $2.49. Multiple reviews mention the game being a good purchase on sale, suggesting that the community considers a fair price to be lower than the current base price. The repeated mention of sales and discounted prices indicates that users feel the game is best valued in a lower price range.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 147.0h
  - Story completion: 35.0h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides direct playtime metrics for 'Sacred Gold.' The first quote indicates a total playtime of 147 hours for game completion. The second quote mentions over 3000 hours of playtime, though it is noted that only a few of these hours were on Steam, suggesting a long-term engagement with the game. The third and fourth quotes both specify 35 hours to complete the main campaign, providing a consistent metric for story completion. There is no specific evidence provided for typical session length or endgame hours.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game initially presents a steep learning curve but becomes highly enjoyable and addictive once players overcome this hurdle, especially when playing cooperatively with friends.
  - Stance: Clicks after
  - Anchor: Cooperative play with friends
  - Time to anchor: 2h 0m
  - Friction: Poor explanation of game systems; Initial learning curve
  - Unlock drivers: Learning the game mechanics; Playing with friends
  - Conditions: Cooperative play; Exploring the game world with friends
- Player Archetypes:
  - Nostalgic ARPG Fan (sale)
    - Motivation: Nostalgia and enjoyment of classic ARPG gameplay.
    - Playstyle: Prefers classic ARPG mechanics and gameplay, often comparing new experiences to beloved older games.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: ARPG fan; old-school player
    - Reference games: Diablo; Diablo 2; Titan Quest
  - Hack and Slash Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of hack and slash gameplay and the thrill of looting and combat.
    - Playstyle: Focuses on combat and looting, enjoying the repetitive yet satisfying nature of hack and slash games.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: hack and slash fan; ARPG enthusiast
    - Reference games: Diablo 2; Titan Quest
  - Tech-Savvy Tinkerer (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of configuring and optimizing games to run on modern systems.
    - Playstyle: Enjoys the technical aspects of gaming, including troubleshooting and optimizing game performance.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: tech-savvy; tinkerer
    - Reference games: Diablo 2


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Nostalgic childhood memories (weight 0.21): Many players have fond memories of the game from their childhood, making it a defining and favorite game for them.
- Unique and humorous features (weight 0.2): The game is known for its unique aspects, humor, and interesting plot, making it enjoyable and engaging.
- Varied and well-designed side quests (weight 0.17): The game offers a rich variety of side quests, including fetch/kill quests and Easter eggs, adding depth to the gameplay.
- Large and detailed open world (weight 0.17): The game features a massive and expansive open world with various locations to explore, offering players a large-scale adventure.
- Positive overall impression (weight 0.14): Players generally describe the game as good, fun, and enjoyable, highlighting its quality as a role-playing game.
- Top game of its time (weight 0.13): The game is praised as one of the best in its genre and time, often referred to as a classic and a gem.
- Extensive character customization (weight 0.09): The game features a superb character customization system, allowing for extensive character progression and customization options.
- Freedom and exploration (weight 0.09): Players appreciate the vast scale and freedom the game offers, allowing for complete freedom of action and exploration.
- Variety of monsters and dungeons (weight 0.07): The game features a variety of monsters and dungeons, adding to the diversity and challenge of the gameplay.
- Deep RPG mechanics (weight 0.07): The game offers deep RPG mechanics, including character building and itemization, providing a rich and complex gameplay experience.
- Multiple unique classes (weight 0.07): Players can choose from eight diverse and unique classes, each with its own specific characteristics and advantages.
- Distinctive characters (weight 0.07): The game features multiple characters with unique characteristics, each with distinctive advantages and drawbacks.

Common complaints:
- Performance and stability issues (weight 0.23): The game suffers from various performance issues, including unstable performance, poor optimization, and frequent freezes. These problems significantly impact the gameplay experience.
- Outdated and uncomfortable interface (weight 0.13): The game's interface is considered archaic and uncomfortable, with confusing and unhelpful user interface elements. The controls and overall interface design feel outdated.
- Presence of bugs (weight 0.1): There are various bugs present in the game, ranging from minor issues to more significant problems that can block quests or cause crashes.
- Repetitive gameplay mechanics (weight 0.09): Combat and quests in the game are often described as repetitive and simple. The hack 'n slash nature of the game can lead to a monotonous experience, with short bursts recommended for better enjoyment.
- Resolution limitations (weight 0.08): The game has resolution limitations, with some users reporting that it only supports 720p resolution or a hardcoded resolution of 1024x768. This lack of resolution settings can be problematic for some players.
- Compatibility issues (weight 0.06): The game has compatibility issues with modern operating systems like Windows 10 and Windows 11. This can make it difficult or impossible to run the game on newer hardware.
- Limited language support (weight 0.05): The game has limited language support, with some languages like German and Spanish requiring manual installation or mods. This can be inconvenient for non-English speaking players.
- Expansion criticism (weight 0.05): The Underworld expansion is criticized for being tedious and poorly designed, with dense groups of enemies and labyrinthine levels. It is often seen as worse thought out than the base game.
- Weak or boring story (weight 0.05): The plot of the game is often criticized as being banal or boring, with some players feeling that there is no real story to engage with.
- Dated graphics (weight 0.05): The graphics in the game are considered outdated and old-school, which may not appeal to players accustomed to more modern visuals.

Gameplay feedback:
- Open world exploration (weight 0.3): The game features a large, open world with diverse biomes, dungeons, and hidden areas to explore, offering complete freedom of action.
- Diablo-like RPG gameplay (weight 0.22): The game is frequently compared to Diablo, featuring similar hack 'n' slash mechanics and a classic fantasy RPG setting.
- Unique character classes (weight 0.19): The game features unique character classes with different skills and abilities, allowing for varied gameplay experiences.
- Rich quest system (weight 0.18): There are numerous quests with different texts, events, and locations to explore, providing a rich and expansive open world.
- Engaging combat mechanics (weight 0.17): The combat system is solid and engaging, with a variety of enemies and combo-based abilities.
- Character customization and progression (weight 0.15): Extensive character customization, progression, and development systems are available, including skill management and leveling.
- Diverse enemy variety (weight 0.12): The game offers a wide range of enemies and a varied combat system, enhancing the gameplay experience.
- Multiplayer and co-op modes (weight 0.12): The game supports multiplayer cooperative play, including LAN gameplay and a co-op function for up to 16 players.
- Loot-driven combat (weight 0.09): The game features a rewarding loot system and loot-driven combat mechanics, encouraging item collection and set completion.
- Fantasy world setting (weight 0.09): The game is set in a medieval-fantasy world with various races, creatures, and a rich lore.
- Non-linear gameplay (weight 0.04): The game offers non-linear questing and exploration, allowing players to choose their own paths and play styles.
- High replayability (weight 0.04): The game provides endless replayability due to its diverse character classes, quests, and exploration options.
- Isometric view (weight 0.04): The game features an isometric view, typical of classic hack-and-slash RPGs.
- Multiple difficulty levels (weight 0.04): The game offers multiple difficulty levels, affecting the gameplay experience and replayability.
- Complex inventory management (weight 0.04): The game includes a complex inventory management system, adding depth to the gameplay.
- Day-night cycle (weight 0.04): The game includes a day-night cycle system, adding to the immersion and gameplay variety.

Performance notes:
- Compatibility issues with modern systems (weight 0.27): The game has difficulty running on modern systems, including Windows 10 and Windows 11, and often requires compatibility fixes.
- Manual configuration required (weight 0.23): The game requires manual configuration, patches, and specific settings to run properly on modern systems.
- Frequent game crashes (weight 0.15): The game experiences frequent crashes, including not loading, crashing on the first screen, and crashing after a few minutes.
- Loading screen freezes (weight 0.1): The game frequently freezes during the loading screen, preventing players from progressing.
- Resolution and graphical issues (weight 0.09): The game has limited resolution support and graphical glitches, affecting the visual experience.
- Mods recommended for better performance (weight 0.07): Reviewers recommend using mods like dgVoodoo and PureHD to improve performance on modern systems.
- Clunky and imprecise controls (weight 0.06): Players report that the game has clunky and imprecise controls, making it difficult to play.
- Optimized for widescreen (weight 0.04): The game is optimized for widescreen displays, supporting FullHD resolutions.

Recommendations:
- Classic hack 'n' slash recommendation (weight 0.08): The game is highly recommended for fans of classic hack-and-slash gameplay and those who enjoy old-school hack 'n' slash adventures.
- Diablo-like ARPG recommendation (weight 0.06): The game is recommended for fans of Diablo-like games and is considered one of the best in the ARPG genre.
- Try the game once (weight 0.06): Many players recommend trying the game at least once, especially with friends, and suggest playing the second game in the series.
- Desire for remaster (weight 0.06): Players express a strong desire for a remastered version of the game with updated graphics and physics.
- Russian language recommendations (weight 0.06): Several recommendations are in Russian, suggesting the game is well-received in that language community.
- Exploration and customization focus (weight 0.04): Recommended for those who enjoy expansive exploration and character customization.
- Mod recommendations (weight 0.04): Some players recommend using specific mods like SacredReborn and dgVoodoo 2 API for an enhanced experience.
- Recommended for RPG lovers (weight 0.03): The game is recommended for both RPG lovers and beginners.
- Highly recommended for retro gamers (weight 0.03): The game is highly recommended for retro gamers.
- Alternative to Diablo 2 (weight 0.02): The game is seen as a good alternative to Diablo 2.
- Nostalgic recommendation (weight 0.02): The game is recommended for nostalgic players.
- Best in the Sacred saga (weight 0.02): Considered the best game in the Sacred saga by some players.
- High replay value (weight 0.02): Some players indicate a very high replay value, stating they will never stop playing.
- Fan-made builds suggestion (weight 0.02): Players suggest downloading fan-made builds for a better gaming experience.
- Start with newer games (weight 0.02): Some recommend starting with a newer game in the series.
- Not a AAA game (weight 0.02): New players are advised not to expect a AAA game experience.
- Buy the GOG version (weight 0.02): Players recommend purchasing the GOG version of the game.
- Language and multiplayer issues (weight 0.02): The game is recommended but noted to have issues with language (not in English) and multiplayer.
- Time spent elsewhere (weight 0.02): Some suggest that time could be better spent on other activities instead of playing this game.
- Needs dedicated server (weight 0.02): There is a suggestion that the game needs a dedicated server.

Other player notes:
- Language settings and display guides (weight 0.04): Players are sharing community resources and guides to help with language settings and switching to fullscreen mode, indicating a need for better in-game accessibility options or clearer instructions.

Emotions:
- Nostalgia (weight 0.39): Players express nostalgia due to childhood memories associated with the game, its classic RPG elements, and the enduring quality of its gameplay. Many recall playing it extensively during their school years, appreciating its fantasy world, German voice acting, and the personal history they share with the game.
- Frustration (weight 0.18): Frustration stems from technical issues such as game crashes, freezes, and compatibility problems with modern systems like Windows 10 and 11. Players also struggle with the Underworld expansion's difficulty, outdated graphics, and repetitive combat systems, making the game challenging to enjoy.
- Disappointment (weight 0.08): Disappointment arises from the game's inability to run on modern systems without significant effort, lack of language support, and outdated mechanics. Players also express dissatisfaction with the lack of multiplayer support and the game's dull combat and repetitive world design.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.07): Satisfaction comes from the game's performance and rewarding gameplay after initial configuration and grinding. Players appreciate the solid story, character building, and the ability to fix and enjoy the game on modern systems with fan patches.
- Excitement (weight 0.07): Excitement is generated by the game's massive open world, engaging enemies, and unique features. Players look forward to future releases and recommend the game for its immersive gameplay and diverse content.
- Joy (weight 0.05): Joy is derived from the overall enjoyment of the game, its fun and engaging gameplay mechanics, and positive multiplayer experiences. Players also express happiness in being able to play the game again and successfully getting it to work on modern systems.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.03): Enjoyment is found in the game's unique aspects, character customization, and classic dungeon crawling gameplay. Players find the game fun and engaging, appreciating its large world and different characters.
- Hope (weight 0.02): Hope is expressed through the desire for a high-definition remaster or a potential roguelike with Sacred characters. Players are optimistic about future improvements and re-releases.
- Amusement (weight 0.01): Amusement comes from the humorous tone of reviews and specific anecdotes about in-game experiences. Players find joy in describing character classes, quest mechanics, and humorous in-game moments.
- Gratitude (weight 0.01): Gratitude is shown towards modders for supporting and optimizing the game, and towards support teams for their help. Players appreciate the sharing of helpful information to enjoy the game.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.01): Enthusiasm is evident in high praise and recommendations for the game. Players highlight its amazing features and open world, heavily recommending it to fans of Diablo clones.
- Sadness (weight 0.01): Sadness is felt due to the lack of a remaster for Sacred Gold and the acknowledgment that the game may not appeal to modern players. Some players mention emotional reactions like crying after finishing the game.
- Love (weight 0.01): Love for the game is expressed through appreciation for its unique characters and memorable musical themes. Players have a deep affection for the game and its characters.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Anger is caused by game-breaking bugs and crashes, particularly on modern systems like Windows 11 64-bit. Players are frustrated with the game's inability to run smoothly.
- Appreciation (weight 0): Appreciation is shown for the game's unique atmosphere and the freedom it offers. Players value the distinct environment and gameplay freedom.
- Adventure (weight 0): Adventure is found in exploring the vast world of Ancaria. Players enjoy the thrill of discovering the game's expansive world.
- Admiration (weight 0): Admiration is expressed for the game's character builds, items, skills, storytelling, sound design, and graphics. Players appreciate the detailed and well-crafted aspects of the game.
- Anticipation (weight 0): Anticipation is felt for the re-release of the game. Players are eagerly looking forward to future releases and updates.
- Engagement (weight 0): Engagement comes from the game's creative narrative and engaging gameplay experience. Players are drawn into the game's story and mechanics.}