When you think of angels, you probably think of halos, eagel like wings, and harps that tinkle melodically. Of course, if you were looking at SACRED 2: Fallen Angel, you'd see these Seraphim are anything but that, with their laser wings, battle ready faces, and armed to the teeth with sword and shield. However, there's much more to the game than just butt-kicking angels. We talked with SACRED 2's Project Lead - Peter Kullgard - to find out what else the game has in store for players.

We've also got some exclusive screenshots of the game, which you'll only be able to find right here.

What's the central story behind SACRED 2?

The powerful T-Energy has been flowing through Ancaria since time immemorial. It is the beginning of all life, the source of all magic and the origin of all thought.

For a long time, the Seraphim have been watching over the T-Energy and, thus, the fate of the world. Then, they decided to pass on their knowledge to the High Elves. Soon, the realm of the High Elves began to prosper, making it the reigning culture in Ancaria.

However, there was soon a heated debate among the High Elves, as to how and to what means the T-Energy was to be used. The debate turned into a conflict; the conflict turned into a war. The aftermath was terrible. The entire elven empire collapsed. Other races surged forward, ready to seize the power of the T-Energy for themselves, but worse yet: the T-Energy went out of control.

The once creative power of the T-Energy changed into something negative. Creatures mutated beyond recognition, entire regions were devastated, cities and villages were destroyed.

Eventually, the elves managed to regain control over the high-elven empire, trying to regain control over the T-Energy. And once again, they invoked a war… a war that was much larger than all previous ones.

Two thousand years before Shaddar, the cry for heroes arises to avert this war and to regain control over the T-Energy. Will those heroes be the ones who strive to prevent the world from lapsing into final chaos, or those who hasten its descent?

Can you go into the characters of the game a bit and who players will be able to play as? And beyond picking your character, what else will players be determining? For example, will players be able to determine their appearance; are there classes or sub-classes in the game, etc.? And if so, can you talk about them a little?

Well, there are going to be six different characters to choose from. The characters are very different, so a player will get a totally different experience depending on their chosen character. Every character does have three aspects which represents a unique playing style. The player can concentrate on one aspect or can combine them for a style all their own.

There are a lot of customization opportunities for the characters. Besides an incredible variety of different armour and weapon items, the characters can also be modified in their appearance (e.g. by changing the hairstyle).

Each player’s game experience will not only be determined by their character, items and playing style, but also by the god and the path he has chosen. Both decisions are made during character creation.

Also, from a technical and visual standpoint, we are going to be groundbreaking. We are spending a lot of extra time (and budget) on one specific character which is going to set a completely new level throughout the industry.

SACRED 2 will also have a dual-running storyline, where players will be able to partake of the "Light" side of things or the "Shadow" side of things. What difference will the moral scale of the player have on the game, story, and what types of quests and goals they'll have, that the other side of the moral scale won't?

Both paths will have a set of side-quests especially designed for them with special awards and special twists. On the path of shadow, you will encounter quests that you can’t solve without a certain "evil" attitude. There is an entire set of morals behind both aspects, which -- when taken as a whole -– make perfect sense. Sadly, that’s too deep into the main storyline to describe here.

Of course, both paths will shape the course of the world. The NPCs will respond to you according to your attitude, either with a mixture of respect/admiration or respect/fear.

Based on videogames, combat in SACRED 2 was quite fluid and fast as well. What's the interface going to be for combat? Is it going to be the straight point-and-click (because based on videos there looks to be charged attacks as well)? Also, what combat will be available outside of melee, and will it handle any differently?

Sacred is always focused on straight action gameplay. Most of the characters have strong close combat abilities and every character has something magical to fight with. Each of the three aspects of each character offers a special combat style. Some are more offensive; some are more tactical.

Our combat moves all work with close combat and ranged weapons. It will be a tactical decision of the player that determines how he wants to fight.

Sacred 2 will also strongly support team gameplay. There are combat arts that work perfectly for assisting in a tactical team.

On the SACRED 2 website it talks about an “innovative emotional system”. Can you tell us what that means and how it affects the gameplay itself?

The enemies will not just mindlessly attack the player character, but will fight individually and even show gestures and emotions during a fight. This will give enemies in Sacred 2 more personality and depth.

The Gore Feedback also sounds quite interesting - what's behind its purpose in the game and how it will reflect the strength of the player?

This will be a little secret of our Game. We can’t talk about it right now… You’ll just have to check it out!

There's also a ton of armour varieties (over 100) and 40 weapon types. Perhaps this applies more to the weapons, but will there be changes in the way they handle (such as increased range or different combat animations) or are they more paint changes so players can find a new look? In other words, are all the different varieties each unique or more cosmetic in appearance?

Each weapon has a characteristic attribute based on the special tactical usage of its type. The damage of a weapon differs depending on the size of the weapon, and there are weapons like magic wands that have individual abilities.

Also, the armour is much more than just a different look. The material defines the amount of protection it gives and how durable it is. Each armour part, like gloves or shoes, has special bonuses that are specific to the type of clothing. Certain armour types are more suitable to certain playing styles.

Can you talk about some of the technical points of the game, such as the vast lighting effects in the game and the physical reactions players will have with the world and all that it encompasses?

Our engine is really cool. It is a complete real-time light & shadow technology which includes a day and night cycle. Everything is real-time and nothing will be pre-calculated, which makes things look really nice from a visual point of view. Also, we are trying to give the player as much physical feedback as possible. This includes physics-simulated objects and stuff like grass that is sensitive and reactive to the movement of characters.

A special thanks to Peter Kullgard for taking the time to answer our questions.