Salt and Sanctuary Reviews

Salt and Sanctuary is ranked in the 91st percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Worth your time
Apr 15, 2019

A 2D RPG platformer that Souls veterans will absolutely love!

Review in Greek | Read full review

8.2 / 10.0
Aug 18, 2018

Salt and Sanctuary is purely a Dark Souls clone for the 2D style of gaming. It's not a carbon copy, but it offers rewarding combat and exploration. With an open-ended world and varied enemies & bosses, a decent character progression system, secrets to find, numerous weapon types and a grim atmosphere, it's easy to be sucked in and master being a better fight than you were since your last death. This isn't a game about impossibility, but rather adapting and honing your skills. For that alone, Salt and Sanctuary is one of the best 2D action-RPG's available.

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Recommended
Aug 8, 2018

Recommending Salt and Sanctuary comes with a hefty amount of baggage. It is not just an action-combat RPG, it takes some of the best parts of a number of different series and combines them to create what could be called a 2D Dark Souls equivalent. However, that is a discredit to all of the smart design and punishing challenge the the developers have implemented in order to make that oppressive feeling work without an additional dimension. A patient video game enthusiast with some experience with this kind of game may get the most mileage out of it, but even newcomers will appreciate the crash course of mechanics and difficulty that Salt and Sanctuary features, especially with the fabled Dark Souls remaster eventually coming to Switch. If you’re looking to get your teeth kicked in by a well-made title, this is definitely the one for you, otherwise you might end up grappling with your Switch a bit too much.

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85%
Apr 15, 2016

Salt and Sanctuary is a great action RPG that will definitely satisfy hardcore gamers. It's very similar to the Souls series and combined with favorable price tag, it's a must have video game.

Review in Slovak | Read full review

Aug 29, 2018

Salt and Sanctuary not only manages to encapsulate the games in which it took liberal inspiration from, but then confidently build upon them, ensuring a complete, unique package that demands your attention at all times.

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Chinh Tran
Top Critic
Unscored
Mar 29, 2016

An ode to the Souls series as well as an excellent Metroidvania game in its own right.

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81%
Apr 6, 2016

This game went a lot quicker than I would have expected and did feel easier than the Souls and Bloodborne games. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. For people who are maybe less interested or more wary of the Souls series, this game might be an option to try out. For those who love those series already this game is a fun time spent that could be less grueling than running through the Souls game for another New Game+.

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8 / 10.0
Aug 17, 2018

Salt and Sanctuary for the Switch is a great port. Everything is smooth and it works just as I had expected it to be. There are no slowdowns, the graphics look just as good, the audio is just as chilling as ever, and the adventure is still an awesome one to be had. If you haven't already had the chance to dive into this comber, and woeful tale, you should. It's worth it.

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Unscored
Aug 29, 2018

In size and scale, Salt and Sanctuary has a lot to offer for a 2D platformer -- but it is the attention to the small things that really gives the game its awesome stature. An amazing feat of imagination.

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7.8 / 10.0
Aug 11, 2018

Salt and Sanctuary is the most similar game in the market to a 2D Dark Souls. It's a very enjoyable metroidvania, with a journey with a lot of platforms in which we can found a demanding combat, but not unfair. Probably you die a lot of times, but, if you can win, the victory taste could be really nice.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Geeks Under Grace
Lucas Miller
8.5 / 10.0
Aug 15, 2018

If you enjoy Souls-like games you need to play Salt and Sanctuary. The art style, music, and level design are unique and a joy to experience.

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8.5 / 10.0
Sep 12, 2018

Salt and Sanctuary wears its obvious inspiration on its sleeve. It takes the magic ingredients from the Souls franchise and makes something of its own on a 2D plane. All of its individual aspects gel well to create an ultra-hard side-scrolling adventure through the dark and dreary. The Switch port is well done and makes it the perfect way to die horribly wherever it is convenient.

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Sep 26, 2018

When the game first released, it came out around the time of Dark Souls 3 so it shared some of that same space with a game that already has an established base. With the Switch port of Salt and Sanctuary, I feel like this is as good a time as any to pick this one up and give it a shot. If you enjoy these styles of games you can’t do much better in 2D than Salt and Sanctuary.

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8.5 / 10.0
Feb 5, 2019

If you’re looking for a challenging 2D RPG and love everything that From Software has created over the past ten to fifteen years, you’ll love Salt and Sanctuary.

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8 / 10.0
Aug 15, 2018

It stands on its own as an excellent addition to the genre while also bringing flavours of its own.

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3.8 / 5.0
Feb 5, 2019

However, for new and returning players alike, Salt and Sanctuary is challenging, rich in lore, lovingly detailed and a very enjoyable experience.

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8 / 10.0
Feb 4, 2019

All in all, Salt and Sanctuary was a challenging and interesting experience through an atmospheric world, full of dreadful monsters, and labyrinthine levels. If that sort of challenge is what you are looking for in a 2D platformer than Salt and Sanctuary might be the game for you.

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80 / 100
Oct 9, 2018

Salt and Sanctuary is a proposal that does not hide where most of its ideas come from, although it manages to make us feel that we are in front of a title with its own personality. It maintains the virtues of the Souls saga and only tarnishes its overall artistic direction.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

XGN.nl
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
Feb 20, 2019

Salt and Sanctuary is a compelling game because of the enormous world and the many challenges it offers. The game kills you with every mistake you make and you want to keep coming back for more. This is a must buy.

Review in Dutch | Read full review

7.5 / 10.0
Aug 2, 2018

All in all Salt and Sacrifice delivers what it set out to do admirably, and for myself the comparisons to the Souls series are a positive since they mostly overlap what I appreciate in roguelikes...

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