Saltsea Chronicles Reviews
A crew searches a watery world for a missing friend in this evocative game of exploration and conversation.
At certain points, I couldn’t help but feel like this game was trying to do a little too much. Dealing with themes of climate change, generational trauma, community, and loss is a lot to pack into one game. It also presented an ambitious number of character perspectives for players to navigate. Still, life today with all its woes also feels like a little too much, and I respect a team that unflinchingly sails into the headwinds of the weighty issues that have come with life in 2023.
A beautifully written tale about loss, friendship and the ties that bind us together, set in a sumptuous oceanic post-apocalypse. It might not quite stick the ending, but it's the many journeys you'll take getting there, not the final destination, that really make Saltsea Chronicles sing.
Involving narrative game reveals little by little the complex relationships of a ship's crew seeking their kidnapped captain
There's a lot to like about Saltsea Chronicles. It has a clever structure, low-pressure gameplay, and even a neat minigame to play in each location. Add on top an eye-catching style and meaningful decision-making, and you have a pleasant, ship-shape adventure.
Saltsea Chronicles is a poignant nautical adventure about the distances between us and what we gain from crossing them.
A relaxing exploration of a fictional world in which characters discover themselves as much as they do each other.
Saltsea Chronicles, put more simply, is triumphant. It’s up there (amongst very tough competition) for the best game I played this year. I found its measured and realistic portrait of the collectivist society it portrays extremely hopeful. It pushes the medium forward, as cliche as that may be to say, in its insistence on theorizing the specifics of a social and political philosophy to its conclusion.
Saltsea Chronicles is unequivocal proof that Die Gute Fabrik is an unstoppable force in the industry. A team blazing brand new trails, wholly their own, with stories that are radical and thoughtful in equal measure and told in unexplored ways that only video games could deliver.
My experience with Saltsea Chronicles was a very conflicted one. It’s unlike anything I’ve played before and I appreciated its genuine uniqueness. It boasts an intricately crafted world with an intriguing investigative system, colourful characters and seemingly endless choices. But as much as I liked the narrative conceit, the way it unfolded felt long-winded in a way that struggled to keep a firm hold of my attention.
With an unusual art style and stable of characters you’ll embark on a very story-driven journey with plenty of choices to be made
I thoroughly enjoyed playing Saltsea Chronicles and will happily play through it again. I’m interested in finding out what else the story holds based on decisions I didn’t make in my first run. I loved meeting new characters and learning about their backgrounds—it’s so easy to root for them and their happiness. If you’re a fan of narrative games with an unpredictable yet heartwarming story, then Saltsea Chronicles is perfect for you. It’s a must-play cozy game and feels like a perfect bedtime story. I loved my time with the game, and it is so worth your time and attention.
As the fanciful tale starts winding down and the end is in sight, Saltsea Chronicles’ metaphysical mysteries begin taking shape. It is a deeply moving story of love, loss, and understanding that no matter who you are or where you come from, that rooted sense of helping your fellow neighbor will always be there, and it is important to act and cause a positive change in your society.
Saltsea Chronicles crafts a striking storybook world and populates it with deeply human characters on a fantastical journey into the unknown.