History VideoGame / SoulSacrifice

* GuestFighter: Updates to ''Delta'' added monsters from ''[[VideoGame/GodEater God Eater [[VideoGame/GodEater2 2]]'', ''VideoGame/FreedomWars'', and ''{{VideoGame/Toukiden}}'' as bosses.

** From a gameplay perspective, being good (saving more than sacrificing) makes you tougher and harder to kill, but your attack power will suffer and fights will take longer and longer to finish, so if you find yourself with a Divine arm, you're probably a glutton for punishment.

** Thankfully {{Averted}} in Delta, where not only can you join Sanctuarium to save Archfiends [[spoiler: without any punishment]], you can earn awesome offerings and sigils to drastically improve your damage and natural bulk from mission rewards without killing a soul.[[note]]Except for the Lizardmen, but sacrificing them is pretty much a MercyKill anyways.[[/note]]
* BeingEvilSucks: On the other hand, people who sacrifice someone/something they cherished in order to obtain what they want often realize too late that making DealWithTheDevil never ends well. Even sorcerers who sacrifice monsters ultimately succumb to all the souls they absorbed while hunting for monsters, which leads to transformation into the very monsters they fight and execution by other sorcerers.

** The way that some monsters and Archfiends are created.

* RousseauWasRight: This is Sanctuarium's philosophy. They believe that all Archfiends can be redeemed, so they put their efforts in saving the Archfiends after defeating them. Turns out, they're right (most of the time, but not because GoodCannotComprehendEvil), because the saved Archfiends can be recruited as allies for the PlayerCharacter, especially if the saved Archfiends [[HeelFaceTurn join the faction]]. The only Archfiends that cannot be saved are [[LizardFolk Lizard Men]], as they can only be [[CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption Sacrificed]] upon defeat (although doing so is a MercyKill), [[CyberneticMythicalBeast Dionaea]] (for some unknown reason other than being a machine), [[spoiler: Romulus and Cert (for being creator {{Jerkass God}}s who are too powerful for the mechanic, and [[BonusBoss Odin]], who simply escapes upon defeat. While [[AliceAllusion Alice]] can technically be saved, she can't be recruited, as she's trapped in the maze.]]

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: The game starts ''very'' deeply in the cynical end of the scale, thanks to a CrapsackWorld setting filled with {{Eldritch Abomination}}s [[spoiler: caused by [[GodIsEvil malevolent gods]], and one of the gods [[DealWithTheDevil entices]] mortals to make horrific sacrifices for their desires]]. Then little by little, notions like [[TrueCompanions companionship]], [[ThePowerOfFriendship friendship]], and [[HopeSpringsEternal especially hope]], make their way into the plot, finally becoming a powerful force by the ending. As of ''Delta'', [[spoiler: the game finally climbs its top to the idealistic end, as [[ScrewDestiny humanity triumphs over the Gods]] and frees the world from the EternalRecurrence, all thanks to the PlayerCharacter, Magusar, and Similia. While the game steps back a little from the idealistic end with a HopeIsScary message, [[HopeBringer the idea of hope]] and [[AWorldHalfFull changing the world for the better]] are ultimately the game's themes.]]

A combination sequel-UpdatedRerelease, ''Soul Sacrifice Delta'', released in Japan on March 6, 2014, and in the US and EU on the UsefulNotes/PlaystationNetwork on May 13 and 14 of 2014, respectively. Boasting receive overhauled graphics, systems, and AI, ''Delta'' also includes a number of new spells, more areas, monsters, and archfiends based on [[Creator/TheBrothersGrimm the Grimm Fairy Tales]]. Players will be able to choose between the two old factions and the third new one: Avalon, {{Knight Templar}}s who seek to destroy all monsters, no exceptions; Sanctuarium, a splinter group of sorcerers [[RousseauWasRight who believe that monsters can and should be saved]]; and the new faction the Order of Grim, a cult started by a sorcerer who noticed the EternalRecurrence of the Twin Gods' feud and whose followers bring hope to both sorcerers and non-sorcerers alike, in hope of somehow [[ScrewDestiny ending the vicious cycle]]. Which organization the player chooses to join will change what mission rewards and types of magic they can gain.

A combination sequel-UpdatedRerelease, ''Soul Sacrifice Delta'', released in Japan on March 6, 2014, and in the US and EU on the UsefulNotes/PlaystationNetwork on May 13 and 14 of 2014, respectively. Boasting receive overhauled graphics, systems, and AI, ''Delta'' also includes a number of new spells, more areas, monsters, and archfiends based on [[Creator/TheBrothersGrimm the Grimm Fairy Tales]]. Players will be able to choose between the two old factions and the third new one: Avalon, {{Knight Templar}}s who seek to destroy all monsters, no exceptions; Sanctuarium, a splinter group of sorcerers who believe that monsters can and should be saved; and the new faction the Order of Grim, a cult started by a sorcerer who noticed the EternalRecurrence of the Twin Gods' feud and whose followers bring hope to both sorcerers and non-sorcerers alike, in hope of somehow ending the vicious cycle. Which organization the player chooses to join will change what mission rewards and types of magic they can gain.

* GuestFighter: Updates to ''Delta'' added monsters from ''[[VideoGame/GodEater God Eater 2]]'', ''VideoGame/FreedomWars'', and ''{{VideoGame/Toukiden}}'' as bosses.

* InsistentTerminology: Librom is quick to remind you that the Lachrima are ''[[BerserkButton not]]'' his tears. So stop asking if they are.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: ''[[TheScrooge Carnatux]]'', of all people, turns out to be one towards the end of his quest chain.

%%* OurMonstersAreWeird.

* SceneryGorn

* {{Crossover}}: ''Delta'' with ''VideoGame/FreedomWars'', ''VideoGame/GodEater'', ''VideoGame/{{Toukiden}}'', and to a lesser extent, ''VideoGame/GravityRush'' and ''VideoGame/WildArms''. The crossovers included new boss fights against the [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Dionaea]] [[HumongousMecha Abductor]], the [[SavageWolf Marduk]] [[StarfishAlien Aragami]], and the [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Chthonian and Abyssal Fiend]] {{Oni}}s. The crossover [=DLCs=] also include vaious outfits based on characters from those games, such as the Sinners' outfit, the God Eaters' outfit, the Mononufus' armor, Kat's costume, Rudy's outfit, Lady Harken's armor, and even Knight Blazer's armor! There are also offerings from the respective boss monsters, such as the Sinner's Thorn and Skydrake Dragonwing from Dionaea, the Red Lupine Ruby/Wing from Marduk, the Chthonian Claws from Chthonian Fiend, and the Abyssal Bead/Arm from Abyssal Fiend.

** One of the unique offerings you can obtain from Marduk, a boss from [[VideoGame/GodEater God Eater 2]], creates a weapon that resembles a God Arc. Not only is it quite powerful in its own right, but its charge attack has the weapon [[ShapeshiftingWeapon grow a huge jaw]] and [[CannibalismSuperpower take a bite out of whatever is standing in your way to give you a boost to attack power]], much like what the God Arcs can do in their home series.

* OurDragonsAreDifferent: [[spoiler:Magusar's dragon form.]] It is not so much a dragon as it is [[spoiler:a dragon-shaped mountain of bone and corpses]]. Ditto with [[spoiler:God Magusar's dragon form]] in ''Delta''.

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: The game starts ''very'' deeply in the cynical end of the scale, and then little by little, notions like companionship, friendship, and especially hope, make their way into the plot, finally becoming a powerful force by the ending. While the game doesn't get really idealistic, those tones lessen the grimness of the setting.

* VideoGameCaringPotential: In Delta, players who joined Sanctuarium gain points by saving monsters. Not only that, but saving common fiends such as orcs and gnomes refresh your offerings (sacrificing them boosts your damage while letting fate decide speeds you up). You can even gain points by ''being saved by a fellow sorcerer, which also benefits him if he's on the same faction''.

*** "Saved" boss monsters unlock AI-controlled [=NPC=] comrades for the single-player version of the campaign.

* {{Crossover}}: ''Delta'' with ''VideoGame/FreedomWars'', ''VideoGame/GodEater'', ''VideoGame/{{Toukiden}}'', and to a lesser extent, ''VideoGame/GravityRush'' and ''VideoGame/WildArms''. The crossovers included a new boss fight against the [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Dionaea]] [[HumongousMecha Abductor]], the [[SavageWolf Marduk]] [[StarfishAlien Aragami]], and the [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Chthonian and Abyssal Fiend]] {{Oni}}s. The crossover [=DLCs=] also include vaious outfits based on characters from those games, such as the Sinners' outfit, the God Eaters' outfit, the Mononufus' armor, Kat's costume, Rudy's outfit, Lady Harken's armor, and even Knight Blazer's armor! There are also offerings from the respective boss monsters, such as the Sinner's Thorn and Skydrake Dragonwing from Dionaea, the Red Lupine Ruby/Wing from Marduk, the Chthonian Claws from Chthonian Fiend, and the Abyssal Bead/Arm from Abyssal Fiend.

* {{Crossover}}: ''Delta'' with ''VideoGame/FreedomWars'', which included a new boss fight against the Dionaea Abductor, Sinner, and Accessory outfits, and the Sinner's Thorn spell, which can bring down enemies to stun them.

* ArtifactOfDoom: [[spoiler:The grail, which also doubles as a JackassGenie and, arguably, the BiggerBad for a majority of what all has happened.]]

* WholePlotReference: [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica It revolves around horrific creatures that were once men (and animals) born from profane magic, which is spread by a shining, wish-making, innocent-looking entity who comes at people at their weakest moment. The only way to kill said monsters is to use said magic, which will end up transforming YOU into a monster eventually for others to kill in an endless cycle. Souls, despair, and hope are all central to the story, as despair is what triggers the transformation from man to beast. The main storyline also involves a HoYay-filled relationship between two sorcerers, one of which locks himself into an endless loop in order to save his 'dear friend'.]] [[RunningGag Yeah, it's that kind of game]].

A character sheet is under construction [[{{Characters/SoulSacrifice}} HERE]].

* AGlitchInTheMatrix: The sheer existence of [[spoiler:the Grim faction is one, since ''nobody'' was supposed to notice the Twin Gods' Feud and the EternalRecurrence]].
* ArcWords: "This is where your story begins."

* ArtifactOfDoom: [[spoiler:The grail, which also doubles as a JerkassGenie and, arguably, the BiggerBad for a majority of what all has happened.]]

* BloodMagic[=/=]BloodyMurder: One of the possible offensive magics, available in two flavors: the blood spray or a melee claw flurry. While these are powerful, they are CastFromHitpoints, meaning you have to watch out for your health.

* ButThouMust: You '''must''' [[spoiler:sacrifice Nimue/Sortiara when you face her. Attempting to save her will bring her back and make the fight against her continue. This is also true of the assassins sent after you for saving Archfiends. In both cases, however, you ''need'' to save them the first time if you want to get their Life soul.]]

** Also, [[spoiler:the grail]] functions similarly to [[Manga/{{Berserk}} behelits]] in that [[spoiler:it appears before mortals who are in a state of total despair and grants their wish for a horrible price]].
*** It also has many similarities with [[spoiler:[[PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Kyubey]]]].

* GodAndSatanAreBothJerks: Technically a spoiler, but given that both the "good" and "evil" gods appear as DLC bonus bosses, and the state of the world, it'd be more surprising if it ''wasn't'' true. [[spoiler:Come Delta, and they upgrade from super-hard DLC bosses to the {{Bigger Bad}}s, whose feud has caught humanity in the middle and drives the EternalRecurrence, and thus the plot.]]

* IAmAHumanitarian: Notably exemplified by Harpy, although there are other monsters who indulge in this as well.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Unsurprisingly, Magusar isn't really happy to be immortal while being forced to sacrifice monsters non-stop to fuel that very immortality.

* LimitBreak: At low health, you can perform ultimate sacrificial spells called Black Rites. While they are powerful, they have negative side effects that do not go away until you fix them with Librom's [[strike:tears]] [[InsistentTerminology Lacrima.]]

*** If you [[spoiler:defeat Magusar before finishing all the main story chapters in Librom, the game ends immediately after Magusar's defeat, with the protagonist musing about how his/her actions have saved himself/herself, but the future of the world is still uncertain.]]
*** If you [[spoiler:complete all the main story chapters and choose to ''sacrifice'' Magusar in the final battle, then the grail fulfills your wish and returns the world to its original form; however, the protagonist is left with the curse of Magusar and his right arm, unsure of what the future holds for him or the world but still believing that hope can change it for the better.]]
*** If you [[spoiler:complete all the main story chapters and choose to ''save'' Magusar, the protagonist begins a cycle of defeating and saving Magusar over and over, while the line between the protagonist and Librom becomes blurred and they become one. They fight with Magusar for years until the protagonist's body breaks down and can no longer fight. Like the original Librom, they sacrifice their body to become a book that will pass on both their story and Librom's tale to the next prisoner that can take on Magusar.]]
** The two added in ''Delta'', which require you to [[spoiler:complete a certain series of quests, unlocking the TrueFinalBoss: the God-Dragon, Magusar possessed by the Twin Gods and turned into a tyrant.]]
*** If you [[spoiler:choose to save God-Magusar, the wills of the Twin Gods are destroyed and Magusar still holds their power. He becomes a benevolent guardian deity of humanity, watching over them to help combat the madness to come.]]
*** If you [[spoiler:choose to sacrifice God-Magusar, the wills of the Twin Gods are destroyed and the protagonist achieves apotheosis. Magusar and Librom have a heart-to-heart over what will become of the world.]]

** KingArthur: A number of (renamed) characters from the Arthurian mythos, Avalon and Camelot, and the Holy Grail appear. Excalibur is even one of the Black Rites.

* PointOfNoReturn: Subverted in ''Delta''. You can always go back to the pre-NewGamePlus content by [[spoiler:erasing your character's name from the marker inside their cell.]]

* PowerAtAPrice: Almost all monsters, especially ones who [[WasOnceAMan were once humans]], sacrificed something/someone they cherished in order to be granted a tremendous power.

* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: One of the biggest aspects of the game is sacrificing your comrades in battle. It may be a [[SubvertedTrope subversion]], however. While sacrificing your comrade will take him out of the fight, it will not only give you a very powerful attack spawned from his sacrificed carcass, but at the end, he'll get bonus rewards for being sacrificed, so it's a win-win situation.

* VideogameCrueltyPunishment: Zig-zagged. The game may deal a lot of punishment to moral choices, while giving easier outcomes and rewards to those who choose selfishly (in the vanilla game; Avalon-affiliated players still gain points by sacrificing), but there are some genuine perks to salvation. If you save a team-mate, half of your health goes away to heal him. If you choose to sacrifice him instead? Your spells get a nice recharge, and a very powerful attack erupts from the sacrificed, instakilling all normal enemies and harming quite a bit the bosses. Still, there are upsides to having multiple people splitting the Archfiend's attention, while the health loss can be dealt with on both sides with a quick healing item/terrain effect.
* VideoGameCaringPotential: In Delta, players who joined Sanctuarium gain points by saving monsters. Not only that, but saving common fiends such as orcs and gnomes refresh your offerings (sacrificing them boosts your damage while letting fate decide speeds you up). You can even gain points by ''being saved by a fellow sorcerer, which also benefits him if he's on the same faction''.

* XMeetsY: ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' meets ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls''/''VideoGame/DarkSouls''.
** With a little bit of ''VideoGame/PhantomDust'' thrown in.

A combination sequel-UpdatedRerelease, ''Soul Sacrifice Delta'', released in Japan on March 6, 2014, and in the US and EU on the UsefulNotes/PlaystationNetwork on May 13 and 14 of 2014, respectively. Boasting receive overhauled graphics, systems, and AI, ''Delta'' also includes a number of new spells, more areas, monsters, and archfiends based on [[Creator/TheBrothersGrimm the Grimm Fairy Tales]]. Players will be able to choose between the two old factions and the third new one: Avalon, {{Knight Templar}}s who seek to destroy all monsters, no exceptions; Sanctuarium, a splinter group of sorcerers who believe that monsters can and should be saved; and the new faction the Order of Grim, a cult started by a sorcerer who noticed the EternalRecurrence of the Twin Gods' feud and who's followers bring hope to both sorcerers and non-sorcerers alike, in hope of somehow ending the vicious cycle. Which organization the player chooses to join will change what mission rewards and types of magic they can gain.

* AGlitchInTheMatrix: The sheer existence of [[spoiler:the Grim faction is one, since ''nobody'' was supposed to notice the Twin Gods' Feud and the EternalRecurrence.]]

* AfterTheEnd: "Several Years Later" reveals that [[spoiler:the world suffered a disastrous cataclysm 13 days after the Sorcerer you play as in the Phantom Quests became Magusar's partner, and the now-insane Magusar came to rule what remains of the world.]]

* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: In two of the endings, [[spoiler:depending on whether you choose to sacrifice or save Magusar in the final battle, you will either become the new Magusar or the new Librom.]]

* AxCrazy: Sortiara [[spoiler:ends up being a {{Deconstruction}}.]]
* BecomingTheMask: When sorcerers sacrifice monsters, they absorb the souls of those monsters. In process, they also gain emotions and memories of those whom they sacrificed. As a result, sorcerers start losing their sense of self.
* BeingGoodSucks: You're told outright from the very beginning that Avalon considers the Rite of Salvation to be an act of heresy, and those who use it too much risk suffering "serious consequences". These consequences include reduced quest rewards, getting yourself crippled while simultaneously giving the boss a free power up, and, eventually, [[spoiler:pissed off bounty hunters]].
** From a gameplay perspective, being good (saving more than sacrificing) makes you tougher and harder to kill, but your attack power will suffer and fights will take longer and longer to finish, so if you find yourself with a Divine arm you're probably a glutton for punishment.

* BigBad: [[spoiler:Magusar for the single player campaign]].
* BiggerBad: The Gods who created the setting's world. While the older believes in order, the other likes chaos and greed, and that's why he created the chalice and gave sorcery to his people (the druids). [[spoiler: And that's why the world is in a constant state of destruction and restoration, because he engineered for an especially greedy individual to destroy the world.... the ''same person who was chosen by the other god to be devoid of greed and be able to save it.'' The pure stubborn refusal of either of these Gods to give an inch in their feud drives the EternalRecurrence.]]
** [[spoiler: Finally able to be faced. In the original game, you only got a free DLC that let you face the two in a pair of Forgotten Pacts. ''Delta'' lets you fight God-Magusar, who is possessed by the Twin Gods, as the TrueFinalBoss.]]

* BonusBoss: While it's not exactly harder than, say [[spoiler:Double Illecebra]], the Leviathan you see in tutorial can only be encountered in the tenth Avalon pact's group, where all combats are extremely hard.

** Odin is one of the few Archfiends that gets a 15 star pact with no additional conditions or backup from other Archfiends. It's easy to see why: [[spoiler: [[OhCrap Open wide and say 'Infernus Black Rite'!]]]]

* CosmicPlaything: [[spoiler:What the chosen saviors amount to. The older god chooses a person completely devoid of greed, then that sorcerer is forced to face the apocalypse caused by a crazed magician. The sorcerer wins and sacrifices the magician to restore the world... ''in that point becoming tainted with the same curse that causes the previous end of the world''. With luck they may fight the greed that consumes them since their victory, and avoiding losing their very identity, but even if they'd be able to win against it, it'd only mean than another crazier sorcerer would take their place, forcing for a new savior to come and repeat the process.]]

* {{Crossover}}: ''Delta'' with ''VideoGame/FreedomWars'', which included a new boss fight against the Dionaea Abductor, Sinner and Accessory outfits, and the Sinner's Thorn spell, which can bring down enemies to stun them.

** One of the unique offerings you can obtain from Marduk, a boss from [[VideoGame/GodEater God Eater 2]], creates a weapon that resembles a God Arc. Not only is it quite powerful in it's own right, but it's charge attack has the weapon [[ShapeshiftingWeapon grow a huge jaw]] and [[CannibalismSuperpower take a bite out of whatever is standing in your way to give you a boost to attack power]], much like what the God Arcs can do in their home series.

** The only paid DLC in ''Delta'' are the Japanese audio tracks and "memory clods", which let you create more Blank Pages. Of course you can always create blank pages using Lacrima, so why bother?

* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: It took an UpdatedRerelease, but in contrast to the original release, Delta's {{True Ending}}s are both, barring the token warning about HopeIsScary, unambiguously happy. Considering what the characters go through (and how insanely hard the game is at that), they are planted firmly in this territory.]]
* ElementalRockPaperScissors: [[KillItWithIce Ice]] cools [[KillItWithFire fire]], which burns [[GreenThumb venom]] which erodes [[DishingOutDirt stone]], which in turn grounds [[ShockAndAwe lightning]] who finishes the circle by cracking the [[KillItWithIce ice]].

** Also, [[spoiler:the grail]] functions similarly to [[Manga/{{Berserk}} behelits]] in that [[spoiler:it appears before the mortals who are in the state of total despair and grants their wish for a horrible price]].

* FracturedFairyTale: Most of the new monsters added in Soul Sacrifice Delta are based on fairy tales.

* FusionDance: Done in rather grotesque fashion as many monsters are amalgam of beasts and men.

* GodAndSatanAreBothJerks: Technically a spoiler, but given that both the "good" and "evil" gods appear as DLC bonus bosses, and the state of the world, it'd be more surprising if it ''wasn't'' true. [[spoiler: Come Delta, and they upgrade from super-hard DLC bosses to the {{Bigger Bad}}s, whose feud has caught humanity in the middle and drives the EternalRecurrence, and thus the plot.]]
* GuestFighter: Updates to ''Delta'' added monsters from ''[[VideoGame/GodEater God Eater 2]]'', ''VideoGame/FreedomWars'' and ''{{VideoGame/Toukiden}}'' as bosses.

* IAmAHumanitarian: Notably exemplified by Harpy although there are other monsters who indulge in this as well.

* LimitBreak: At low health, you can perform ultimate sacrificial spells called Black Rites. While they are powerful, they have negative side effects that do not go away until you fix them with Librom's [[strike: tears]] [[InsistentTerminology Lacrima.]]

*** If you [[spoiler:complete all the main story chapters and choose to ''sacrifice'' Magusar in the final battle, then the grail fulfills your wish and returns the world to its original form, however the protagonist is left with the curse of Magusar and his right arm, unsure of what the future holds for him or the world but still believing that hope can change it for the better.]]
*** If you [[spoiler:complete all the main story chapters and choose to ''save'' Magusar, the protagonist begin a cycle of defeating and saving Magusar over an over, while line between the protagonist and Librom becomes blurred and they become one. They fight with Magusar for years until the protagonists body breaks down and can no longer fight. Like the original Librom, they sacrifice their body to become a book that will pass on both their story and Librom's tale to the next prisoner that can take on Magusar.]]
** The two added in ''Delta'', which require you to [[spoiler: complete a certain series of quests, unlocking the TrueFinalBoss: the God-Dragon, Magusar possessed by the Twin Gods and turned into a tyrant.]]
*** If you [[spoiler: choose to save God-Magusar, the wills of the Twin Gods are destroyed and Magusar still holds their power. He becomes a benevolent guardian deity of humanity, watching over them to help combat the madness to come.]]
*** If you [[spoiler: choose to sacrifice God-Magusar, the wills of the Twin Gods are destroyed and the protagonist achieves apotheosis. Magusar and Librom have a heart-to-heart over what will become of the world.]]

** Literature/TheBible: The city of Babylon, Noah's Desert, the fallen kingdom and Archfiend both know as Leviathan, the Caverns of Goliath.

* OurDragonsAreDifferent: [[spoiler:Magusar's dragon form]]. It is not so much a dragon as it is [[spoiler:a dragon-shaped mountain of bone and corpses]]. Ditto with [[spoiler:God Magusar's dragon form]] in ''Delta''.

* RedRightHand: A sorcerer's right arm become corrupted by "the blight" due to the magic they wield. It gets worse the more they sacrifice monsters and better the more they save them.

** In Delta, with the introduction of Grim, now you have to keep to the ideas of the Faction to gain Relationship points and not piss them off. This is used due to the fact that some Neutral Arm characters (such as Magusar, Radux and Sortiara) do not approve of you saving Archfiends, despite them usually uncaring about your choices.
* {{Retcon}}: This is actually a game mechanic. By using Lacrima, you're able to alter certain events and aspects the journal, which include undoing the status buffs caused by Black Rites and resurrecting fallen Allies.

* TogetherInDeath: Illecebra's goal is to die with Magusar. [[spoiler: Later Librom and Magusar are united like this in the sacrifice ending.]]
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: One of the biggest aspects of the game is sacrificing your comrades in battle. It may be a [[SubvertedTrope subversion]] however. While sacrificing your comrade will take him out of the fight, it will not only give you a very powerful attack spawned from his sacrificed carcass, but at the end, he'll get bonus rewards for being sacrificed, so it's a win-win situation.
** Monsters may be "saved" or "sacrificed" when you get them near death. Saving them turns them back to a normal creature (a housecat, a civilian, whatever), it heals you and boosts your defense. Sacrificing them increases your attack power and recharges your offensive spells. Leaning too heavily on one or the other is a potentially powerful strategy that could really unbalance you if you're not careful.
*** As of Delta, you need to do your faction's favoured action (save for Sanctuarium, sacrifice for Avalon and fate for Grim) to recharge your offerings.

* WeirdCurrency: The book occasionally cries moisture from its eye, and wiping away the tears is how you get your currency. It insists they're not tears, and calls them "''[[GratuitousLatin lacrima ]]''," but that's just a fancy word that means "tears" anyway.

* WholePlotReference: [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica It revolves around horrific creatures that were once men (and animals) born from profane magic, which is spread by a shining, wish-making, innocent-looking entity who comes at people at their weakest moment. The only way to kill said monsters is to use said magic, which will end up transforming YOU into a monster eventually for others to kill in an endless cycle. Souls, despair, and hope are all central to the story, as despair is what triggers the transformation from man to beast. The main storyline also involves a HoYay -filled relationship between two sorcerers, one of which locks himself into an endless loop in order to save his 'dear friend']]. [[RunningGag Yeah, it's that kind of game]].

* LostForever: Averted. Even if you sacrifice someone the first time through a mission, you can replay that mission to save them, or vice-versa. This is in fact required to achieve OneHundredPercentCompletion in the forgotten pacts, as you'll need to play through some branching questlines more than once to access all the missions.

* OldSaveBonus: Importing a save file from the demo adds the Spirits' Heart spell.
** You can import your save from the original ''Soul Sacrifice'' into ''Delta''.

* OurDragonsAreDifferent: [[spoiler:Magusar's dragon form]]. It is not so much a dragon as it is [[spoiler:a dragon-shaped mountain of bone and corpses.]]
** Ditto with [[spoiler:God Magusar's dragon form]] in ''Delta''.
* OurMonstersAreWeird: Dear lord...

* PreOrderBonus: Quite the list: two exclusive costumes (one male, one female) and three exclusive magic spells (Spirits' Flamespike, Spirits' Blightstone, and Spirits' Fulgurwood). It also includes the Japanese audio for free.
** Buying ''Delta'' within the first four weeks of release grants you a number of unique costumes.

* WholePlotReference: [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica It revolves around horrific creatures that were once men (and animals) born from profane magic, which is spread by a shining, wish-making, innocent-looking entity who comes at people at their weakest moment. The only way to kill said monsters is to use said magic, which will end up transforming YOU into a monster eventually for others to kill in an endless cycle. Souls, despair, and hope are all central to the story, as despair is what triggers the transformation from man to beast. The main storyline also involves a HoYay -filled relationship between two sorcerers, one of which locks himself into an endless loop in order to save his 'dear friend'.]] [[RunningGag Yeah, it's that kind of game.]]

* WholePlotReference: [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica It revolves around horrific creatures that were once men (and animals) born from profane magic, which is spread by a shining, innocent-looking entity who comes at people at their weakest moment. The only way to kill said monsters is to use said magic, which will end up transforming YOU into a monster eventually for others to kill in an endless cycle. Souls, despair, and hope are all central to the story, as despair is what triggers the transformation from man to beast. The main storyline also involves a HoYay -filled relationship between two sorcerers, one of which locks himself into an endless loop in order to save his 'dear friend'.]] [[RunningGag Yeah, it's that kind of game.]]

* WholePlotReference: [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica It revolves around horrific creatures that were once men (and animals) born from profane magic, which is spread by a shining, innocent-looking entity. The only way to kill said monsters is to use said magic, which will end up transforming YOU into a monster eventually for others to kill in an endless cycle. Souls, despair, and hope are all central to the story, as despair is what triggers the transformation from man to beast. The main storyline also involves a HoYay -filled relationship between two sorcerers, one of which locks himself into an endless loop in order to save his 'dear friend'.]] [[RunningGag Yeah, it's that kind of game.]]

''Soul Sacrifice'' is a video game developed by Marvelous AQL and Japan Studio for the PlayStationVita. The concept was created by Creator/KeijiInafune, best known for being the co-designer for the ''VideoGame/MegaMan'' franchise.

A combination sequel-UpdatedRerelease, ''Soul Sacrifice Delta'', released in Japan on March 6, 2014, and in the US and EU on the Playstation Network on May 13 and 14 of 2014, respectively. Boasting receive overhauled graphics, systems, and AI, ''Delta'' also includes a number of new spells, more areas, monsters, and archfiends based on [[Creator/TheBrothersGrimm the Grimm Fairy Tales]]. Players will be able to choose between the two old factions and the third new one: Avalon, {{Knight Templar}}s who seek to destroy all monsters, no exceptions; Sanctuarium, a splinter group of sorcerers who believe that monsters can and should be saved; and the new faction the Order of Grim, a cult started by a sorcerer who noticed the EternalRecurrence of the Twin Gods' feud and who's followers bring hope to both sorcerers and non-sorcerers alike, in hope of somehow ending the vicious cycle. Which organization the player chooses to join will change what mission rewards and types of magic they can gain.

A combination sequel-UpdatedRerelease, ''Soul Sacrifice Delta'', released in Japan on March 6, 2014, and in the US and EU on the Playstation Network on May 13 and 14 of 2014, respectively. It will receive overhauled graphics, systems, and AI. There will be an enhanced focus on co-op play, a number of new spells, more areas, monsters, and archfiends based on [[Creator/TheBrothersGrimm the Grimm Fairy Tales]]. Players will be able to choose between the two old factions and the third new one: Avalon, {{Knight Templar}}s who seek to destroy all monsters, no exceptions; Sanctuarium, a splinter group of sorcerers who believe that monsters can and should be saved; and the new faction the Order of Grim, a cult started by a sorcerer who noticed the EternalRecurrence of the Twin Gods' feud and who's followers bring hope to both sorcerers and non-sorcerers alike, in hope of somehow ending the vicious cycle. Which organization the player chooses to join will change what mission rewards and types of magic they can gain.

* [[spoiler:AGlitchInTheMatrix: The sheer existence of the Grim faction is one, since ''nobody'' was supposed to notice the Twin Gods' Feud and the EternalRecurrence.]]

* [[spoiler:AfterTheEnd: "Several Years Later" reveals that the world suffered a disastrous cataclysm 13 days after the Sorcerer you play as in the Phantom Quests became Magusar's partner, and the now-insane Magusar came to rule what remains of the world.]]

* [[spoiler:AndThenJohnWasAZombie: In two of the endings, depending on whether you choose to sacrifice or save Magusar in the final battle, you will either become the new Magusar or the new Librom.]]

* [[spoiler:ButThouMust: You '''must''' sacrifice Nimue/Sortiara when you face her. Attempting to save her will bring her back and make the fight against her continue. This is also true of the assassins sent after you for saving Archfiends. In both cases, however, you ''need'' to save them the first time if you want to get their Life soul.]]

** [[spoiler:OurDragonsAreDifferent: It is not so much a dragon as it is a dragon-shaped mountain of bone and corpses.]]

* [[spoiler:StableTimeLoop: Heavily implied in the ending.]]

* PublicDomainArtifact: [[spoiler:The Holy Grail appears as a sentient entity who appears to humans [[DespairEventHorizon who are at their lowest]], promising to grant their deepest desire in return for "an offering". In reality, however, it ends up turning the human into an Archfiend.]]

* VideogameCrueltyPunishment: Actually this trope could be ''inverted'' since the game constantly punishes moral choices, while giving easier outcomes and rewards to those who choose selfishly (in the vanilla game; Avalon-affiliated players still gain points by sacrificing). In one boss battle, choosing to save your enemy will not only drag the battle, but ''drain half of your current health on the spot, giving it to your enemy.''
** Multiplayer isn't much better, if you save a team-mate, half of your health goes away to heal him. If you choose to sacrifice him instead? Your spells get a nice recharge, and a very powerful attack erupts from the sacrificed, instakilling all normal enemies and harming quite a bit the bosses. If you have a lot of life levels, even the reward for saving enemies will be much less interesting than sacrificing them. A bit of healing? At that point your healing skills will do a ''lot'' more in one go.

* LimitBreak: At low health, you can perform ultimate sacrificial spells called Black Rites. While they are powerful, they have negative side effects that do not go away until you fix them with Librom's tears.