Deep Silver pulled back the curtain on Sacred 3 today. The third iteration of the action role-playing franchise, developed by keen games, pivots on the evil Zane Ashen, despot of the Ashen Empire. His intentions to retrieve the powerful Heart of Ancaria, hidden by Seraphim, must be thwarted by a group of heroes, controlled by who else, you and up to three friends.

Publisher Deep Silver pulled back the curtain on Sacred 3 today with a set of new screenshots. The third iteration of the action role-playing franchise, developed by keen games, pivots on the evil Zane Ashen, despot of the Ashen Empire. His intentions to retrieve the powerful Heart of Ancaria, hidden by Seraphim, must be thwarted by a group of heroes played by you and up to three friends.

Zane Ashen is the best villain name of recent memory, sounding like a cross between a Pokémon trainer and your perma-stoned roommate from college. "I swear, Zane could really turn his life as a malicious ruler around if he just cut back on Call of Duty and got out of the dorm every once in awhile. What a waste of a perfectly good destroyer of worlds."

When you're not crashing Zane's party of death, you and friends will have the option to battle one another, flaunting the abilities unique to each class. Deep Silver says their will be a "Safiri Warrior" and an "Ancarian Lancer," the latter of which sounds like someone who pops boils. Perks, equipment, and "Combat Arts" will also help the noble fighters of Zane.

Sacred 3 is planned for release on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC in 2013. A "prelude to the story told in Sacred 3," a side scrolling action brawler called Sacred Citadel, will also release in 2013 on PSN, XBLA, Steam and other digital platforms." Check out the trailer for Sacred Citadel below.