Gaming’s House of Halloween Horror: Soul Sacrifice

PlayStation Vita, as we know, has been taking rather a leisurely approach to success. Leisurely in the sense that, in a video game NASCAR race, it would be the pensioner on the mobility scooter; cruising along the track with no ‘effs given to the fact that he has been lapped approximately 17,000 times. Good for you, you fictitious yet gutsy old bastard.

Or, in less demented words, sales have been craptacular. Much of this can be attributed to the console's dearth of ‘killer apps,' those essential exclusives able to sell them thar game-boxes singlehandedly. One release in the Vita repertoire that does kinda sorta fit that description is the brilliantly macabre, all-kinds-of-creepy Soul Sacrifice.

This is a Monster Hunter-esque action RPG from Marvellous AQL. Our protagonist is an anonymous slave, imprisoned and condemned to be sacrificed by the dastardly and bastardly sorcerer Magusar. Hidden in his cell is... an entirely inexplicable talking book. Named Librom. With a giant eyeball in the cover. Nothing screwy so far, then.

Within the pages of this freakish man-book is the melodramatic tale of another warlock and their partnership/travels/afternoon picnics in the countryside (except not that last one) with Magusar. As you follow the narrative, you are transported into its pages, and the demon-slaying anecdotes it comprises take a far too realistic, claws-to-the-crotch sort of turn.

Soul Sacrifice's sorcerers are the most badass ‘police' since John McClane. Their role is to vanquish archfiends (humans mutated by their sins who are now vast, hideous and powerful abominations from the depths of the Devil's ass) in battle and sacrifice them, therefore serving justice. Your opponents, quite understandably, aren't thrilled by the whole situation. Which is where the fight --and the player-- comes in.

Gameplay takes the form of a series of arena battles, interspersed with some stunning, poignant, gruesome and tragic storytelling. As you play, you will accrue a huge arsenal of magic spells, of which you can equip only six. These are your attacks, which will range from magical swords and axes to projectiles and other more unconventional shenanigans. Triumphing over opponents will see them revert to their piteous human form, and allow you to opt to either sacrifice or save them.

Saving will gain you life levels, which bolster your defense and recovery. Sacrifices increase the strength of your magic. The balance between the two is yours to decide, and alongside the many spells to choose from makes for a endlessly customizable experience.

And, most importantly this Halloween week, quite a horrifying one. After sustaIning enough damage in battle, you can unleash a Black Rite, a last-ditch attack of phenomenal power which will maim the body of your sorcerer. Not many games are badass and/or creepy enough to allow you to rip out an eyeball in exchange for a big ol' petrifying beam of injury and death, after all.

Soul Sacrifice's lore section provides a series of short stories, detailing the sins that caused each archfiend's transformation. These, too, are the stuff of crazy-ass nightmares. In one, an insane palace cook removes her tongue and stews it for her king, in a desperate bid to escape death by pleasing him with a dish he has not yet eaten. He develops a taste for human flesh, which... well, you know where this one's going.

For some original, demonic and compelling gaming (from the demented mind of Keiji Inafune, Mr. Mega Man) this Halloween, look no further than Soul Sacrifice.