E3 06: The Sacred Rings Preshow Impressions

The Sacred Rings (a sequel to Aura: Fate of the Ages) was first announced just before the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2005, and for its second appearance at E3 2006, The Adventure Company has revealed a few new details on the game's plotline. In The Sacred Rings, you play as a character called Umang, who begins the game by waking up in an unfamiliar world. Although you possess the Sacred Rings, which grant you "unlimited power and immortality," you're going to need more than that to avoid your enemies. A rival clan to your own has followed you in your journeys and will attempt to steal the Rings for its own purposes. Your goal? Protect the rings and return them to their proper owners, the Keepers.

Players of the original Aura: Fate of the Ages game will recall the Keepers and the hero Umang from that game and will remember Aura as a game that did a better job presenting you with challenging puzzles than it did captivating you with an in-depth storyline. While The Sacred Rings features an upgraded version of the Aura engine, along with 40 minutes of cutscenes, we're hoping that the final game does a better job of emphasizing the story than its predecessor did. Regardless, we'll let you know more details about the game as it approaches its September release date.