Salt and Sanctuary Reviews
All told, Salt and Sanctuary is just about what you'd expect it to be: it's more or less a 2D Dark Souls, but with a little more emphasis on less. Salt and Sanctuary does an admirable job of hitting all the right beats that it needs to provide a challenging and fun action adventure that will no doubt provide a solid bang for your buck, but it doesn't do a whole lot to stand on its own two legs; this is a game that can only thrive on the scraps generated by the overwhelming popularity of a much better game series. We'd give this one a recommendation to any Dark Souls fans - this is a decent way of capturing that game's spirit - but those who've never been interested won't find much new here to entice them.
Salt and Sanctuary may be inspired by the Dark Souls series, but that doesn't necessarily mean every Dark Souls fan is going to love this game. The big problem with creating an entire game inspired by a well-loved franchise is that people's expectations are going to be sky high. As someone that loves Dark Souls, I can say I enjoyed aspects of Salt and Sanctuary, but comparing the two games side by side seems incredibly unfair. Similarly to the Souls games, Salt and Sanctuary requires time and patience for players to reap its true rewards. While that may be attractive to some, it doesn't quite have the same level of depth and finesse that would warrant it as a worthy substitute for one of the greatest RPGs ever created.
Only suffering from minor problems, Salt and Sanctuary proves that not all 2D platform games are for children.
Salt and Sanctuary is an excellent love-letter to the Dark Souls franchise while still managing to provide a distinctly unique experience. As far as game design goes, this is a splendidly polished example of the Soulsborne mechanics appropriated correctly, and I eagerly anticipate playing all the way through NG+7 and beyond, just not on the Switch. Unfortunately, the dark screen and glaring performance issues in this port detract from the overall experience, docking points. On steam, however, I'd likely give this an 8 or a 9.
Salt and Sanctuary is a good 2D conversion of the Souls formula, but its experimental nature invites more than a few flaws. If you don't mind difficult-to-see graphics and sometimes cheap combat, then you'll happily come back for more.
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...
I enjoyed my time with Salt and Sanctuary, and if you enjoy challenging 2D games or just games with fantastic horror art design, you probably will too.
Salt & Sanctuary comes to the PlayStation Vita. Maybe not quite intact in comparison to the PlayStation 4 version, but it still manages to be fun for those looking for an experience that was still unseen for the portable.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Salt and Sanctuary takes the Souls-like formula to 2D and almost perfectly executes upon it. While it may not win points for originality, Ska Studios has done a fantastic job of transitioning the Souls style of combat into 2D while simultaneously mixing in elements of platforming and level design found in Metroidvania games. If you still haven't given one of these kinds of games a shot yet, Salt and Sanctuary is a great starting point for novices of the genre.
However, for new and returning players alike, Salt and Sanctuary is challenging, rich in lore, lovingly detailed and a very enjoyable experience.
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
Instead of surviving Salt and Sanctuary's horrors by obsessively dissecting them, liberation comes as a result of being able to execute ever more deft acrobatics with a few simple twitches. In this way, the game helps us learn to shed the burden of realism by flattening it, reducing its physical and emotional details into obstacles that can be overcome with the flick of a button.
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
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.
It stands on its own as an excellent addition to the genre while also bringing flavours of its own.
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.
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.
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.
Salt And Sanctuary is a great, 2D Side-scrolling RPG with Dark Souls-level difficulty. Here are my first impressions upon getting the game.
Salt and Sanctuary is dark. It's just how it is. And being honest, it's all the better for it. On the Switch's small screen though, the darkness of most of the environments coupled with the zoomed out camera makes it hard to see certain enemies and their attacks.