Salt and Sanctuary Reviews

this is the closet metroidvania to soulslike i have played, i love the combat and the atmosphere of the game. there are some bosses that are wacky but overall the game is lit!

Perfect execution of the soulslike formula in my opinion, aswell as a nice blend with metroidvania. In fact, the game has a sort of "OG Dark Souls" vibe to it, specifically. One of the most enjoyable experiences i've had with the genre, can recommend to souls fans with 100% certainty. The gripes i do have with it, are very minor. Such as the shortcuts being kind of useless, both because of their placement, and the fast travel system (they contribute a lot to worldbuilding though). Or maybe the placement of some of the sanctuary's, apart from that though, not really anything else. So again, huge recommendation from me.

Good but easy if you have played Dark Souls games, yet still some hard fights. Game looks great, plays great and has cool mechanics.

It takes a while for you to find your footing in this game. Don't expect it to play like Elden Ring or Dark Souls. But the gameplay is dynamic, rewards curiosity (as well as making you work to satisfy it), and has a lot of stuff that even I missed on my first run. If you want an engaging, semi-grindy, challenging yet doable game that has a great atmosphere, this is the game for you.

Intimidating at first, but an absolute pleasure to play once you begin to understand and comprehend what type of title it is. Complicated but thrilling. And being able to remote in with a 2nd player is a blast!

Salt and Sanctuary is basically Dark Souls if it were a 2D hand-drawn nightmare. It nails the Souls-like formula—brutal combat, deep lore, eerie atmosphere, and plenty of ways to die—while adding its own unique flair with fast-paced platforming and a massive skill tree. The world is dark and dripping with mystery, full of grotesque bosses, hidden secrets, and lore that slowly unravels as you explore. Combat is tight and weighty, rewarding precise dodging, parrying, and punishing mistakes. And the RPG elements give you endless ways to customize your playstyle, whether you’re a sword-swinging brute or a spell-slinging glass cannon. If you love the challenge of Dark Souls but want something fresh, Salt and Sanctuary is a beautifully brutal indie masterpiece. Just don’t get too attached to your salt—you will lose it.

This game is the soulslike most directly similar to dark souls 1 that I have played. It is the mechanics/inventory/logic of dark souls translated 1 to 1 in a 2D metroidvania. It also has more modern conventions that give it some better QOL than dark souls, like earlier better fast travel, seamless perfectly implemented co op, a skill tree instead of a DS1's level up system. The co op is the main pull for me with this game as I am always looking for RPGs or complex games that have "perfect" local co op, meaning a complex game where both players can do everything, and this game fits the bill 100%. I am playing the game in full co op and it is perfectly implemented. Both players make a character and then one invites the other to their world. Both players can level up, change inventory, buy upgrades, get items etc. If the host dies the co op partner can keep playing and there is no resummoning nonsense. This system can definitely be exploited to make the game easier and it is really fun. Ranged and magic builds seem 100% viable and more accessible than dark souls. I think they are especially good in co op where 1 player plays traditional melee and tanks, and then the other puts out ranged DPS. This makes bosses a lot easier and is a good way to go if either player is not good at soulslike combat. The 1 to 1 with dark souls also means there are familiar dark souls frustrations that may turn people off. The runbacks and bonfire placement are probably the worst part of the game and what will turn people off the most. There are much less bonfires like in DS1 so you often have to do runbacks to bosses. There is one section earlier in the game where you have to do a runback through what is effectively a poison swamp w/archers, and then complete a simple timed platforming segment. If I was playing single player I might have quit the game at this section. The game is also very dark and grey and it is sometimes very difficult to see enemies and trap, especially on your first run through an area. I have only played a little bit of the game so far, (defeated first 2 bosses) but I think I can 100% recommend as a fun co op experience. If you are only playing single player I think the game would be much more frustrating and difficult and you should probably have some soulslike exp already.

Would've been so much more enjoyable if they had added a map, but still, this feels like a lesser version of DS1&HollowKnight, and that is actually a compliment.

Many people call it a "2D Dark Souls," and it truly feels like Dark Souls has been directly translated into 2D. On the downside, the 2D world makes navigating the world and its map design much more intricate than expected. On the upside, it's impossible not to have fun. 2D 다크소울.

You begin as a sailor shipwrecked on the Isle of Salt. You're on a mission to save some princess. Naturally, there's lore and characters talking in riddles, yet that's all you need to know. I took a liking to this game immediately due to its responsive controls - that's something a trailer can't convey. Loved it shortly. Love at first... not sight, I didn't even like the look before playing... at first goresplosion - definitely! Blood splatters and enemy torsos flying off their legs after I hit them with a gigantic morning star have sold me right off the bat. The executions are delightful, too! Soon, I learned to appreciate the grimy setting as it revealed its sights macabre. From rundown villages and foggy heights of abandoned fortresses to pitch-black dungeons with stairs going down for days, I relished in Salt's atmosphere and its epic music. Its style is unsophisticated yet uniform. Sure, the puppet-like animation is budgetary, but good particle effects and punchiness offset it. Various equipment that displays on your character's model never gets old, yet somehow I still looked like a bum by the end. As for the issues, I sometimes experienced baffling framedrops. Too slight to be bothered, too weird to ignore. Ooh, how dare they have mild technical problems. That's the extent of my rage, let's move on. [h3]Heights[/h3] Genre-wise, think Hollow Knight with Dark Souls' deliberation. It's a metroidvania first, involving mandatory abilities required to progress. You're gonna obtain a slick moveset by the end, being able to walk on ceilings in certain areas, wall jump, air dash. It's also a soulslike since you get your sanctuaries for bonfires, salt as souls you can level up with or lose on traditionally quick death, upgradeable gear as an incentive for exploration, and stamina-based combat with a trusty roll as your saving grace. Not the only one, for some attacks are best avoided by jumping. When it comes to your means of offence, there are plenty of weapons, some sporting interesting combos or special moves. Not as intricate as Dark Souls, but let's face it: there, the battles are also 2-dimensional with rare exceptions, quite literally. You could fight in DS from a top-down perspective, couldn't you? While it's obvious that the metroidvania aspect took the wheel, Salt's combat is good enough. It's not that easy to master. And when you do, you still never feel safe. I mostly mean normal enemies who can put you in a world of pain if you aren't careful. At times, there's no escaping a wombo-combo, a tricky ability, or a malicious placement. I respect such an encounter design that makes you think before attacking. Also, f#ck them unicorns with a blowtorch. But nothing killed me as often as heights. Since the game is a platformer at its core, expect many frustrating falls. However, as I've said before, the controls are responsive enough to make traversal and fighting fun ordeals to master. I enjoyed platforming the most because it spiced up the main course, that being the exploration of this game's vast interconnected world. Filled to the brim with secret walls, shortcut porn, and branching paths, typically leading to several bossfights you can tackle in your preferred order. The biomes they inhabit are curiously themed if not that spectacular visually. Just check out the names: The Festering Banquet, Red Hall of Cages, Mire of Stench... Don't you wanna be there right now? A reductionist would claim these are just sets of the same old platforms in different colour schemes, but I think the authors managed to imbue each area with a unique charm. More importantly, unique monsters. Considering how sprawling and intricately looped locations can be, I could surely use a map to orient myself. Alas, there's none, so I had to rely on the rare landmarks and my own mental chart. As accurate as a treasure map drawn by a blind child. Following that map, I lost my souls left and right, getting killed in every dark corner of the world I couldn't always find again. [h3]Dips[/h3] And I enjoyed my freedom to do so! Both in terms of RPG elements and the joys of enduring the hardships of a free-roaming adventure. The former are rather basic, so I won't even stop at them for too long. You get your boring skill tree where you invest in nodes that give you stats and class upgrades, allowing you to use better stuff. No interesting perks or anything. Mage, str, faith, dex builds. Flexible, if standard. Be wary, respec points are rare. I played as a paladin, using no shield, relying on one-handed weapons and cleric buffs. Not weak, nor peak. The progression system is nothing to write home about, yet the rest is regulated by plentiful gear and consumables, making it serviceable. Powerful gear, magic, and game-changing rings are dispensed at just the right intervals. Finding a well-hidden stash never ceases to be a cause for celebration. Good stuff. Two things that hinder exploration are wounds and stamina fatigue. Between the bonfires, your health and stamina bars caps lower the more you swing your weapon or take damage. I wouldn't say that dubious addition is crippling since it can be easily mitigated. Just worthless. Much like the real stinkers of the show. Yeah, we're going for the bosses. Most bosses were a cakewalk even for a scrub like me. I was waiting for them to get punishing, forcing me to learn my class and enemy patterns. It didn't happen, they only got tankier. Some had adds, some had instakill combos, but nothing interesting. There's a ton of bosses, alas, most of them have blurred from my memory. Their mechanics are paper-thin, they all sport extremely limited patterns, being weak to attack spam. At least killing them rewards you with ashes you can use for transmutation. A fancy word for converting your stick into a boss stick. I used it once or twice. In rare cases, you'll see badass designs like the Tree of Men. It is what it says it is, only less sexy. Some wear dubious names. Who called the Disemboweled Husk that? He was so much more than this! A pirate and... well, a pirate. And how can you forget some ghosts with an axe or a... big... brown... guy? Eventually, I stopped remembering their names. The Witch of the Lake was the first one to give me (bullet) hell. Her fight slapped. So did the final boss! And the dragon before him looks badass. But too little too late. Mere 3-5 out of 20+ bosses are decent. The rest popped like bubbles. But hey, not everyone plays to sweat and it makes for a good gateway drug. [h3]Not Just Hollow Souls[/h3] Bad bosses and bland progression stop Salt two steps away from greatness. Two and a half if you count the lack of a map. That said, for the dimensions and budget Ska Studios had, some design flaws were to be expected. I think the game played to its strengths competently enough to look past its shortcomings. It's varied and gratifying in other regards, with exploration clearly being the top priority. Seeing how much thought went into building Salt's world, it doesn't seem to be a soulless cash-in on the trend I mistook it for initially. Instead, to me, it was a better substitute than most soulslikes I've seen. Or is it a wannabe? Can't say for sure, it depends on your preferences. I realise that it won't scratch the itch if bosses are the most important ingredient of Souls for you. I have respect for your position, it's understandable. But if you go in looking for a quality metroidvania with light soulslike elements and all the pleasant hustle packed in that combination, Salt and Sanctuary would be a bang for your buck. After all, I enjoyed the game for what it was, and I couldn't put it down for long until I was done. In my easily distracted world, such an engaging loop calls for a strong recommendation. All things considered, Salt is a hollow soulslike. But it's a rock-solid metroidvania. My curator [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/35305390-Big-Bad-Mutuh/?appid=262060]Big Bad Mutuh[/url]