Sasha Darko’s Sacred Line II

Genre: Graphic Adventure Developer: Sasha Darko Publisher: Mega Cat Studios Players: 1 Released: 2022

Seven years after the release of the original Sacred Line, developer Sasha Darko returns with an ambitious project that continues the first game’s eerie narrative. Sacred Line II is not only a sequel but also a prequel, continuing a story rooted in horror and the supernatural. This time around, Mega Cat Studios is handling publishing duties exclusively, and gamers can now purchase both titles directly from their website.

Sacred Line II expands significantly on the original game, offering an experience that’s reportedly two to three times larger. It takes place in an alternate reality where the country of Yugoslavia still exists (I’m not sure why, but why not?). The story is centered on the character of Sarah, who faces a harrowing journey after being kidnapped by the Svete Namjere (“Holy Intentions”) cult. Sarah dies at the hands of cult members but is revived by a supernatural being and given the task of going back and eliminating her murderers. Players are treated to more extensive exploration options, a plethora of intricate puzzles, and engaging dice battles.

Sacred Line II does a better job of nailing that gritty, B-horror movie aesthetic. The 3D graphics, specifically optimized for CRT TVs, provide a retro style that really helps covey that old school horror look. The environments can sometimes look washed out, the result of cramming pre-rendered graphics into the Genesis’ limited color palette and resolution, but they do their job of enticing players into Sacred Line’s haunting atmosphere, which is the main draw. The visual details are nicely complemented by a soundtrack that builds tension and evokes feelings of dread and intrigue. My only gripes are the lack of environmental sounds that would have furthered the sense of immersion, and the fact that the audio compression hurts the quality, but what’s here is enough to creep you out.

The spooky atmosphere is tempered with some forgiving game design, a welcome inclusion in a type of game that already has you jumping at shadows. Having the crap scared out of you is great unless dying means that you have to redo a ton of play. Sacred Line II’s inclusion of checkpoints means that player deaths don’t lead to frustrating setbacks but instead encourage experimentation, as players can take risks without the fear of losing significant progress. The in-game encyclopedia is another thoughtful addition, providing context about characters and lore that enriches the player’s understanding of the narrative. This resource is particularly useful for newcomers who may not have played the first game and aren’t familiar with the overarching story. Well-made graphic adventures make up for their lack of constant action by emphasizing the game world itself, making it immersive and real. I was quite entertained reading the different entries and learning more about the nasty creatures trying to kill me and their demented world.

I said that Sacred Line II’s choice-based gameplay was forgiving, but it can sometimes be far too generous. I really like the whole mechanic of selecting actions and navigating the different outcomes, but there isn’t a lot of weight behind many of the decisions, and it’s possible to play through the game relatively quickly. The problem is that without a real threat, the gameplay loses some of its tension. Even the malevolent creature pursuing Sarah doesn’t achieve the level of fear that it should. Thankfully, Sacred Line II has multiple endings. Player choices throughout the game lead to different outcomes, providing an incentive to go back and try a different route or option. I like this feature a lot and am happy that Darko brought it back, as it’s a huge boost since the game isn’t that long. I don’t think Sacred Line II was meant to be a long, drawn-out affair but instead played in quick sessions. Many graphic adventures only have one possible outcome, leaving little reason to go back and play again. With multiple endings, Sacred Line II has a little more shelf life to it than most in the genre.

As a side note to the difficulty, I have some issues with the dice mechanic again. Darko deserves props for sticking to his guns and trying to expand on the mechanic, and I understand that the dice are supposed to offer a different type of combat style and engage players in strategic decision-making, sort of like what you’d find in tabletop RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons. Honestly though, I just don’t think it works. The game relies on players using the honor system and genuinely playing according to their dice rolls (it’s kind of a problem to have to even use real dice to play a video game), but it’s much easier to just select the correct option and continue on. Sure, you’re cheating yourself if you do it, but I just don’t see anyone using an actual die to play this game. Perhaps for the next sequel, Darko can implement a digital die that rolls onscreen. That would solve the issue while retaining the mechanic’s purpose. It’s a big request, I know, but after seeing digital tabletop platforms like Roll20 use it, I can see it working quite well in a video game. Board games on the Genesis like Clue and Monopoly use it, and something similar would make the dice rolling a lot smoother while playing.

One last thing to mention is the game’s compatibility limitations. As with Mega Cat Studio’s release of the first Sacred Line, this game is designed exclusively for TMSS consoles and certain Retron systems, meaning players with Mega Drive 1 or Genesis Model 1 may face issues. Pressing the reset button after powering on the console should launch the game with no problems or you can use a Game Genie to start without the need to press reset. If you get the “Licensed by Sega” message on startup then you’re good to go. I’m not sure why this happens, but I attribute it to the often-bumpy process that comes with creating aftermarket games for older consoles. For the record, I used an Analogue Mega SG and didn’t have problems.

In the end, I’d say that Sacred Line II is a great addition to the Genesis library. There are some glaring typos in the text that shouldn’t have made the final version, and the game still stumbles a bit with the low-risk decisions and its dice-based combat, but the overall package manages to combine a rich narrative and impressive audiovisual elements to create an experience that stands out in the crowded landscape of retro gaming. Sasha Darko has taken a major step in realizing his vision of bringing a horror graphic adventure to the stock Genesis, and Sacred Line II offers players not just a game but a captivating journey into a world of horror and redemption. Whether you are a long-time fan of the series or a newcomer, Sacred Line II promises an adventure that is perfect for Halloween and a fresh option for Genesis owners looking for something different to add to their libraries. The game ends on a cliffhanger, so hopefully, we’ll see this series reach its full potential in the next installment.