Soul Sacrifice creator Keiji Inafune explains the game's brutal choices

It's natural to cringe a little at the thought of sacrifice. But developer Keiji Inafune has different ideas about the word and what it can mean for gamers.

In an interview with the PlayStation Blog, Inafune talked about his newest project, Soul Sacrifice. The game, which is described as a "reality blended experience," is a co-op action game for PlayStation Vita that banks on choosing what's most important to you. Players must make sacrifices in order to use powerful magic — an offering that can be as small as a trinket or as grisly as your own organs. But according to the developer, sacrifice isn't just a brutal way to gain power. It's a way of opening new dialogue.

"...It creates a reason to come up with new ways to fight. It could lead to different kinds of heroism; you could save a bad situation by sacrificing yourself or a friend, or ask your friend to sacrifice himself for the good of the group," said Inafune. "I don't know that it's always 'fun,' but it's a new kind of entertainment."

The game is heavy in its choice making. Players can opt for small offerings, like rocks or rats, but the power payoff is less. Still, the game's enemies aren't faceless creatures to be cheerfully slaughtered.

"One of the things I want to illustrate is a feeling of guilt, a feeling of complexity," said Inafune. "So there is sacrificing, but there is also saving. Those are the two extreme choices, the dilemma that you'll face every time. I want you to make sacrifices, but I also want you to think about saving."

Soul Sacrifice will release in both Japan and North America for the PlayStation Vita. No release date has been announced.