Smoke and Sacrifice Reviews

Smoke and Sacrifice is ranked in the 48th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
2.5 / 5.0
May 29, 2018

Smoke and Sacrifice is certainly different from any other game I’ve ever played, but whether this worked out in its favor is questionable.

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9 / 10.0
Jun 1, 2018

Smoke and Sacrifice is fantastic. It's not often where a game comes along and uniquely pieces together elements quite well both visually and from a gameplay standpoint in a genre not occupying much of the gaming scene at the moment. It's beautiful and fun to play. Dozens of hours can be had. There are clever ideas implemented such as how the crafting system is handled. Both character progression and enemies are rightfully balanced. There's a lot to take away from Smoke and Sacrifice when it comes to what we should expect in the future. The only slight issue players have to deal with is the inventory, but if you can handle that then the rest is pure excellence.

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Essential
Feb 5, 2019

The game uses a similar style of art to Don't Starve, only there's colour, and a whole slew of gorgeous animations to go with it. It's a gorgeous, if somewhat bleak (due to the Underworld) game packed with lots of nice little touches and a beautiful hand-drawn/animated art style. What begins as a simple exercise in survival turns into a story about a parent and her child, and the love a mother has for her son. Sure, there are survival elements and the need to craft and create bigger/better things so that you can extend your ability to survive as well as explore more places to unravel more of the plot. But there's a real heart here to the game, and this is where Smoke and Sacrifice shines the brightest.

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8.5 / 10.0
May 31, 2018

In the end I really appreciate what Smoke and Sacrifice set out to do and how well it generally executed that vision. While survival games typically have played out, for me, as being merely for their own sake the added purpose behind your character’s survival being for the sake of finding the truth about the fate of her child I found compelling. Each step I’d take to get closer there would be more demands and the drive to overcome those obstacles felt much more personal than it typically does. While there’s some tedium, which is somewhat common to the genre, and handheld mode isn’t ideal it is still a compelling game that plays quite well.

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7 / 10
Jul 12, 2018

Smoke and Sacrifice is yet another worthy entry in the survival genre. While it isn’t the best one, it certainly has a lot going for it and is a still a cracking little title. It has an impressive overarching story which is rare in the genre.

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7 / 10.0
Jun 28, 2018

Smoke and Sacrifice is a title I am conflicted about. I love the art direction and foreboding atmosphere with clever crafting mechanics, but the poor combat gameplay and unforgiving difficulty are frustrating. If you're intrigued by the premise though, it is definitely worth checking out.

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Evan Norris
Top Critic
6 / 10
Jun 11, 2018

Go to hell and back to save your son in this gorgeous, flawed story-driven survival game.

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7 / 10
Jan 22, 2019

Smoke and Sacrifice is a visually splendid survival RPG that has a strong narrative and a well designed and implemented resource system. The PS4 version is also a great port of the PC version, the control system feeling natural and intuitive. The repetition and bland fetch quests, coupled with hit and miss combat (pun intended) however, mean that getting to the games best moments can occasionally feel like a slog.

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3 / 5.0
Jan 15, 2019

There’s nothing ground breaking about Smoke and Sacrifice. That said, it takes some tried and tested tropes and ties them together in an effective and entertaining package.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jan 16, 2019

Smoke and Sacrifice is a beautifully drawn survival game with an emphasis on its interesting story. For me, it felt like a ‘survival-lite’ game, as it didn’t have any intense survival aspects other than finding components and crafting your way to victory, but that was great for me as I prefer them like this. At times, the game may feel like it’s ramped up the difficulty, especially if you go off the recommended path, but nothing felt unfair or impossible – You just have to master the controls and upgrade your gear. It truly is a stunning game which will challenge you and have you coming back for more, regardless of how many times you perish to the horrific creatures within the smoke!

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8.5 / 10.0
May 30, 2018

Looking for a survival action-RPG that has an excellent story? You really don’t need to look any further than Smoke and Sacrifice. With eye pleasing graphics, excellent sounds, and an engrossing atmosphere you just can’t go wrong. Will you be so kind as to help Sachi find her child and possibly save her world in the process? If you do, you may just feel like a better version of yourself!

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2.5 / 5.0
Jan 22, 2019

With a more unique crafting system or stronger combat or more emphasis on the story Smoke and Sacrifice could have really been something special. As it stands, though, it’s a fun little adventure.

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XGN.nl
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Jan 24, 2019

Smoke and Sacrifice is a surprisingly complete game. It offers a ton of crafting options and challenges you on every step you take. The story is interesting and plays out in a wonderful hand drawn world. It is not perfect, but definitely worth your time.

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7.5 / 10.0
Feb 12, 2019

Otherwise, if you can get past the fact that you need to “craft” rather than “combat” your way to the finish line, Smoke and Sacrifice is a pleasant experience that will keep you occupied for 15-20 hours.

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GameGrin
Top Critic
5 / 10.0
Mar 13, 2019

There are good ideas here, but I wouldn't say the game is worth playing. Even if you are a survival game nut or seriously invested in long, drawn out stories, I'd probably recommend against grabbing this one.

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7 / 10.0
Mar 27, 2019

Overall, Smoke and Sacrifice ends up feeling like a little bit less than what it was advertising, but it's still a fun experience.

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80%
May 30, 2018

It's hard not to fall in love with Smoke and Sacrifice, simply because it is a beautiful game.

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9 / 10.0
May 31, 2018

Smoke and Sacrifice is like a fine cigar, a slow burn from start to finish. It can be very challenging at times, but the reward is worth it once you complete a quest that seems impossible. The intricate crafting and compelling story only compliments the beautiful art direction. Smoke and Sacrifice is a single game that beckons to becomes a series.

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B-
Jun 6, 2018

Despite some of the aggravations, Smoke and Sacrifice is a fascinating entry into the Switch lineup, and is worth a look for players pining for a crafting-based action RPG on that system.

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8 / 10
Jun 22, 2018

Smoke and Sacrifice is a tough and challenging game with lots to do to be able to survive. The difficulty curve might get in your way here and there at some points, and the lack of tutorials is definitely not for everyone, but if you give this one a chance I'm sure you will not be disappointed.

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