Saltsea Chronicles

 PC
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. Eurogamer
    Oct 12, 2023
    100
    A crew searches a watery world for a missing friend in this evocative game of exploration and conversation.
  2. Edge Magazine
    Nov 2, 2023
    80
    This isn't a game about saving the world, but rather achieving some peace within it. [Issue#391, p.114]
    All this publication's reviews
  3. GameSpew
    Oct 12, 2023
    80
    Your search for your missing crew member will take you to some intriguing places in Saltsea Chronicles. This narrative-focused adventure will hook you with its gorgeous art and its expertly-written prose. Action-heavy this is not, but with the choices you make having real weight and the mystery of the story keeping you on your toes, there’s a good chance you’ll find it impossible to tear yourself away. And when you’re done, you’ll probably want to jump straight back in to experience it all again, seeing what other paths you could have gone down.
  5. Guardian
    Oct 12, 2023
    80
    Saltsea Chronicles will doubtlessly win over players of cozy indie games and tabletop RPGs this autumn. The story is involving, challenging and builds out the tale of a missing leader – and partner, and friend – with elegance. The sunken, oceanic world runs on radios and astral plane sailing for technology and prayer - the characters simply do not always get on, despite their shared quest. This is a sophisticated adventure, taking the medium of the narrative game to new horizons.
  6. RPG Fan
    Dec 12, 2023
    70
    Saltsea Chronicles was a bizarre experience for me. I admired the quality of the writing, maturity in language, and world the developers sought to craft, but I was frequently bored and eager for something to happen. I couldn’t even call this game slice-of-life, which one could argue is a genre where nothing ever happens by definition, but at least slice-of-life stories are poignant and heartfelt. Saltsea Chronicles just felt flat to me, but I am certain this game will hit some beautiful notes for folks who are tired of melodrama and intensity.
  7. Digital Trends
    Oct 12, 2023
    70
    Saltsea Chronicles is a poignant nautical adventure about the distances between us and what we gain from crossing them.
  8. Gamereactor UK
    Oct 12, 2023
    70
    While I won't deny that Saltsea Chronicles has a slow pace that often leaves a little to be desired, this indie adventure game does have its moments.
  9. Adventure Game Hotspot
    Mar 18, 2024
    67
    Even with a bit of open exploration, Saltsea Chronicles is essentially a visual novel – a character-driven, story you read on screens of charmingly beautiful backgrounds. It’s a stress-free piece of interactive media that invites players to help write the unfolding tale, but those looking for deeper gameplay won’t find any swashbuckling, seafaring action in these calm seas.
This publication does not provide a score for their reviews.
This publication has not posted a final review score yet.
These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation.

In Progress & Unscored

?
  1. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Oct 12, 2023
    There is so much I adore about Saltsea Chronicles. The characters, the setting, the look of the damn thing. It's all absolutely wonderful, and I would gladly make several more roundtrips with the De Kelpie crew without batting an eyelid (although I will make a stop at cat island Los Gatos every. Damn. Time. Mark my words). It's just… that ending. It's a sticking point I can't quite resolve, causing that dreaded FOMO net to creep back in and loom eerily around my shoulders. Perhaps that's the point. Perhaps my desire for a heroic and triumphant final flourish simply doesn't fit within the confines of what this ragtag bunch of ordinary folk can realistically achieve. Perhaps, it's a story for another time.