This fighting game is based on the Saint Seiya franchise and follows the “Gold Saint Saga” of the Saint Seiya television series. Saint Seiya: The Sanctuary was released in 2011. The player assumes the part of Saint Seiya, a warrior who is tasked with preventing the death of Athena, the Goddess of Peace. In order to accomplish it, he must travel to twelve different temples that are representative of the astrological signs.
The objective of each level’s gameplay is to first reach the palace, and then to vanquish the Gold Saint that stands in your way. The first game is a classic hack-and-slash title, in which the player engages in combat against waves upon waves of foes. Regular strikes, dodging, blocking, and special attacks are all part of his move repertoire. He also has certain special attacks at his disposal. The latter requires a set amount of power stored in a special energy bar, which depletes with each special attack but refills when the player takes damage. As soon as you enter the temple, the gameplay transforms into a one-on-one brawler. The gameplay itself does not change, but if the player fills up their special energy bar all the way to the top, they will be able to unleash an exceptionally strong attack, which will then be followed by a standard anime cutscene. However, it does not come without drawbacks, since the adversary can dodge the strike by learning how to do a quick-time event (pressing a button in the exact moment it appears on screen). Then, he begins an equally powerful counter attack, which results in a sequence when both players need to mash buttons. The effectiveness of the counter attack is dependent on which player is faster than the other. When the life force of one of your opponents is depleted, a scenario very similar to this one will begin.
The one-on-one type of combat is the only option for the multiplayer component of the game.
