Sacred Fire is a "psychological" RPG where manipulation and emotions are key

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The game is set in ancient Caledonia under threat of Roman invasion.

Sacred Fire is an upcoming RPG set in ancient Scotland that uses a system based around psychological decisions and emotional development in gameplay. Players will manipulate their allies and enemies' motivations to succeed you're encouraged to "control your emotions and outsmart your opponents to turn the odds into your favor." 

And yes, that's the voice of Doug Cockle on the trailer. He's also known for playing Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher series.

The main conflict of the game revolves around an invasion of Scotland—called Caledonia at the time—by the Roman Empire. Sacred fire's story focuses on freedom of choice, and is due to have five different endings. Some decisions in the game look like they'll have to be made within a time limit. It's the kind of narrative-focused RPG that games like Disco Elysium and The Banner Saga have exemplified. 

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(Image credit: Poetic)

Screenshots of the game emphasize choice-based conflicts where options are presented with a chance of success based on your character's skills. The player character is customizable, with statistics like Agility or Endurance contrasting with Empathy or Ideals. Characters will be able to have "Blocks" as well, which give them problems like trauma, rage, guilt, or addictions. The description implies that success will hinge on not just prowess in battle, but on ability to win allies through relationships and conflict resolution.

Sacred Fire, announced today at GamesCom, is developed by Poetic and published by Iceberg Interactive. Sacred Fire is set to release in 2021. You can check it out on Steam or on the official website. 

Jonathan Bolding
Contributor

Jon Bolding is a games writer and critic with an extensive background in strategy games. When he's not on his PC, he can be found playing every tabletop game under the sun.