Depending on our choice, he gives the player a small totem used to create sanctuaries in abandoned places of worship. We encounter an old man on the shore, and he asks us to pick a deity to worship. This gameplay twist is what gives Salt and Sanctuary a personality of its own, when the meat of the title relies heavily on established themes and mechanics.Īfter failing to save the princess from pirates, our ship sinks, and we find ourselves washed ashore in a strange land. Jumps and ledge grabs, along with environmental techniques, allow for free traversal that isn't felt in other Soulsbourne games.

While these mechanics are standard within the genre, Salt and Sanctuary takes its side-scrolling seriously by allowing players to platform.

The dodge mechanic works in a similar fashion, even utilizing invincibility frames to a degree. As players learn the controls, fans of the Souls series will encounter familiar gameplay. This event serves as the tutorial by having us fight our way to the top of the ship. It was a dark and stormy night, and the ship has been boarded by pirates. We're on a mission to protect a traveling princess, and she's become a target of evil forces. Our character awakens on a ship that's out at sea. Starting out, Salt and Sanctuary gives players character creation options by allowing us to choose basic features like class, eye color, hair color and even race. While the title isn't as mechanically proficient as a Souls game, it takes the basic formula and incorporates the quick pace of a side-scrolling platformer.

Salt and Sanctuary takes the Souls formula and translates it into a 2D, side-scrolling, hack-and-slash adventure worthy of controller-throwing frustration. The latest title looking to take up the mantle, Salt and Sanctuary, comes to us from developer Ska Studios. There are quite a few games that manage to hit the mark by taking the Soulsborne formula and adding their own flavor to the mix. There have been attempts to re-create the frustrating magic behind FromSoft's genre-defining IP, with many falling short by trying too hard to be exactly like those original titles. Since the inception of Demon's Souls in 2009, the explosion of the 'Soulsborne' genre has been seen in almost every format.

Salt and sanctuary