Salt and Sanctuary

Ska Studios continually impresses with the ambition of its games, which are always defined by an impeccable attention to detail and tight moment-to-moment mechanics. That reputation for clean design continues unabated with Salt and Sanctuary. This nightmarish island is well worth a visit, even if you’ve never confronted the challenging games that engendered the adventure.

With just a little more spit, polish and imagination, Salt and Sanctuary could have been a timeless classic. As is, it's very obviously a fan-made tribute act, but what a tribute act it is. Given that Dark Souls 3 may signal the end of that franchise and Koji Igarashi's Castlevania successor Bloodstained is still a long way off, Salt and Sanctuary provides a thoroughly enjoyable imitation in the interim. Worth one's salt, then.

I wasn't bothered or distracted by Salt and Sanctuary's uncanny resemblance to the Souls games during my playthrough, because I was too busy gleefully exploring, or locking my controller in a vise grip while trying not to die. There's nothing crass about how those elements have been adapted, because they have also been celebrated, resulting in a stellar adventure with enough moments of surprise and excitement to rival even its own source material.

While it hits many of the marks on the Soulsevania checklist, Salt and Sanctuary seems hellbent on being an homage to those series, rather than forging its own path. If you are a fan of the genre, you will enjoy its misty ruins and dark atmosphere but...