This reviewer will admit that he’s not a big fan of
FromSoftware’s Souls series, despite the adulation among mainstream videogame
critics, and was appalled that many other developers would bother imitating its
masochistic formula. Thus, he was hesitant at first to attempt Ska Studio’s Salt and Sanctuary, which too received
critical acclaim, although he ultimately discovered it had two-dimensional
instead of 3-D gameplay, accounting for a markedly different experience on
account of the divergent dimensionality. It’s not perfect, given some shared negative
aspects with the Souls franchise, but this game was a welcome surprise.
When starting a new game, the player can select one of many
starting classes for their character, which mostly determines starting equipment,
although players can branch out to other occupations as the game progresses.
Character development depends upon the titular Salt acquired from defeated
enemies, which players can use, once they’ve acquired enough, at the cotitular
Sanctuaries to advance a level, which provides them one point they can use
across a Final Fantasy X-esque grid
to acquire a stat increase or unlock weapons and armor to equip, some of which necessitate
more than one point.
As in the Souls games, there is risk associated with the
acquisition of Salt, as when the player’s character dies due to losing all HP
or a long fall (with lesser but lengthy falls costing some hit points), they
lose all Salt and revive at the Sanctuary where they last recovered health,
stamina, and health and stamina-restoring items (with some Sanctuaries only
allowing for recovery but no level advancement). The player can recover their
lost Salt by defeating the enemy that killed them or by slaying a special
bat-like foe that spawns due to death after a long fall.
Death again after the loss of Salt means that players permanently
lose that which they acquired due to their prior demise. As in the Souls games,
this can add a semblance of fake difficulty, although fortunately, Salt and Sanctuary is a tad less brutal
than FromSoftware’s masochistic efforts, likely due to the fact that gameplay
occurs only in two dimensions, whereas in three, the player has to worry about
things like a camera that stays close to their character and leave them blind
from behind. The biggest strike against the gameplay is perhaps its
inconsistent difficulty, with this player, for instance, dying more due to
regular foes and falls than to bosses, most of which, including the final, he beat
his first try. Even so, the gameplay is actually surprisingly bearable.
As in the Souls games, furthermore, there are no in-game
maps, which too seems to add a semblance of artificial challenge, inexcusable
since games from many generations ago such as Super Metroid had this feature, although again, things are more bearable
in two dimensions rather than three. However, Salt and Sanctuary like the Souls games doesn’t allow players to
pause (although putting the Vita into sleep mode seems to rectify this).
Exploration, though, can actually be somewhat enjoyable, and as in RPG
Castlevania titles, there are a few new abilities that enhance exploration. One
minor quibble is that the player can only view playing time when loading their
game, but even so, the game actually interfaces quite decently with players.
Like the Souls games, however, Salt and Sanctuary sports minimalistic storytelling, with a blank-slate
protagonist, although there are different endings depending upon the player’s
creed and NPCs talked to through the contiguous 2-D world.
Another shared shortcoming with the Souls games is the
stingy use of music, with the exception of a few ambient rocky tracks that
really don’t fit the fantasy setting, although the sound effects slightly fill in
the aural gap.
However, Salt and Sanctuary
definitely excels from a visual standpoint, with a gorgeous hand-drawn style
containing fluid animation, although there is slight choppiness at times.
Finally, the game will last players one to two days’ worth
of total playtime, with plenty of side content and a New Game+ to pad out
playtime.
Overall, coming from someone who didn’t care much for the
Souls games, Salt and Sanctuary
proved a welcome surprise, with the FromSoftware franchise’s mechanics seeming
to work far better in two dimensions rather than three, the multiple endings
depending on creed, the enjoyable visual style, and actual motivation to go
through the game again, given the tolerability of the gameplay. It does,
however, share a few flaws with the Souls series, such as the unbalanced
difficulty, the total lack on in-game maps, and the minimalistic storytelling
and aural presentation. Even so, this game would probably be ideal for those
that enjoyed RPGs such as the Castlevania titles.
This review is based
on a playthrough starting as a paladin.
The Good:
+Enjoyable Metroidvania gameplay.
+Multiple endings.
+Nice visual style.
+Plenty replay value.
The Bad:
-Inconsistent difficulty.
-Maps would have been welcome.
-Undeveloped plot.
-Minimalistic musical presentation.
The Bottom Line:
Better than the Souls games, but not flawless.
Score Breakdown
Platform: PlayStation Vita
Game Mechanics: 8/10
Controls: 7/10
Story: 6/10
Music/Sound: 5/10
Graphics: 9/10
Lasting Appeal: 10/10
Difficulty: Unbalanced
Playing Time: 1-2 Days
Overall: 7.5/10
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