There's nothing odd about a stranger branding you with a hot iron, right?įor some perspective, it took me a few hours shy of twenty to complete the whole adventure and obtain the platinum trophy. The only thing that's missing is a full voice cast, but the brilliance displayed here more than makes up for any absent elements. You'll hear electric guitars building on top of the atmospheric ambience which creates a more visceral soundscape.

When it comes to audio, the effects sound like they're lifted straight from a Souls game while the music is much grittier. The animation is stunning as you observe every friend and foe move with pure fluidity. Everything from the characters to enemies to environments is rendered beautifully. What sets Salt and Sanctuary apart is its gorgeous artwork. Salt acts as souls, sanctuaries act as bonfires, and your fully customizable character is whoever you want them to be.Īs with the Souls series, Salt and Sanctuary maintains a pitch-perfect mysterious and eerie vibe throughout complete with minimalist story and bits and pieces of lore. Basically, whatever you imagine a 2D Dark Souls being is what this game is. I don't want to talk about the gameplay in-depth because there are so many factors that this review will end up sounding more like an instruction manual. This mixture of gameplay works wonderfully and will have any fan of either of the two genres hooked until they complete it, then they'll probably play it some more. So, what makes Salt and Sanctuary this good? To put it simply, it takes the existing Souls formula and adapts it to a 2D Metroidvania format. As someone who doesn't give a hoot about trophies, you know that a game has to be something special for me to even care about unlocking all of them.

Nothing is more satisfying than unlocking shortcuts in a complex worldīefore I begin, let me take a second to brag and say that I earned Salt and Sanctuary's platinum trophy. However, Salt and Sanctuary translates the established formula into two dimensions which makes it quite the intriguing experiment. It's no secret that this latest Metroidvania title borrows heavily from the Souls series of action RPGs. Salt and Sanctuary is also available for PS Vita, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch Maciejewski playing a PS4 on March 18, 2016

Salt and sanctuary