Developer Background
Red Square Games, a Polish indie developer and publisher, was founded in 2020 and is composed of over 20 industry veterans. Many of its team members bring experience from acclaimed studios such as CD Projekt RED, Techland, Riot Games, Flying Wild Hog, and CI Games. With a strong foundation in game development, the studio leverages its diverse expertise to create immersive and high-quality gaming experiences.
Gameplay & Design
Sancticide has an intriguing concept, and I couldn’t deny that. That curiosity led me to try it in early access, but it quickly became clear that not every game benefits from an early access release. The game runs fine—it’s not broken or unplayable—but nothing about it truly stands out.
Combat has its moments, particularly during ambushes or boss fights, where it feels fast paced and engaging. However, one-on-one encounters with regular enemies completely lack challenge. You’re practically untouchable, which undermines the "soulslike" combat the game claims to offer.
One feature that initially caught my attention was the "kosher" mechanic, an honor system where your choices determine whether you're seen as kosher or unkosher in the eyes of the Gods. In theory, this adds depth to the game, but in practice, it barely influences anything beyond a few dialogue changes (which I'll get to). The game does offer a solid variety of weapons, from single-handed and two-handed melee weapons to firearms. Guns, while useful, are considered unkosher, supposedly affecting how the world perceives you. However, since the kosher system doesn’t seem to have a meaningful impact, I found no reason to avoid using firearms whenever I had ammo.
Now, about the dialogue—it’s rough. Every conversation felt so lifeless that I wanted nothing more than to skip through it and get back to combat. And that’s disappointing because I want to see indie studios succeed. But in this case, the writing misses the mark, feeling more like something AI-generated than a carefully crafted narrative. The voice acting doesn’t help either, sounding generic and uninspired. To be fair, this is still early access, so it’s possible the dialogue and performances are placeholders for now. But as it stands, it’s just bland, post-apocalyptic chatter that adds little to the experience.
Feedback
For the Kosher mechanic to truly enhance the gameplay, it needs to have real consequences. As a sin hunter, my actions should carry weight—if I embrace sin, there should be a reckoning. One way to make this system more impactful is by introducing a major consequence for reaching a high level of unkosher status. Imagine if, when reaching a certain level of unkosher you were immediately forced into a grueling boss fight against an Angel named the Kosher Corrector, or something like that. The world should also react more aggressively. Instead of just being scolded for disappointing Them at the Top, kosher-aligned NPCs could turn hostile, making morality a gameplay factor rather than just a dialogue change.
Speaking of dialogue, sitting through it is a struggle. The writing feels uninspired, and the voice acting doesn't do it any favors. If the story is going to play a significant role, the developers should either trim down the dialogue or invest in better writing and voice performances. Right now, it’s just background noise I’m eager to skip past
Verdict
Sancticide has an intriguing concept, but its early access release highlights more flaws than strengths. The combat shines in chaotic ambushes and boss fights but falls flat in one-on-one encounters, making the supposed "soulslike" challenge nonexistent. The Kosher mechanic has potential but lacks meaningful consequences, reducing it to little more than a label. Dialogue and voice acting are forgettable at best, making the story a slog to sit through. While there’s a solid variety of weapons, the game ultimately feels unpolished. If it refines its mechanics and narrative, it could be something special—but for now, it’s just another post-apocalyptic action game struggling to stand out.
Sancticide is available now in Early Access on PC via Steam.
