Salt and Sanctuary

 Switch
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 63 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 47 out of 63
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 63
  3. Negative: 10 out of 63
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. AllySky
    Dec 20, 2018
    7
    A 2D Dark Souls.

    Dark souls fans may love it or hate it, because while it is another dark souls like game, so much so that fans of the series could go in blind and know what to do, but the game also just falls short. It's nothing special but it can scratch that itch. The platforming is good enough, it feels a little awkward, but there's nothing wrong with it. The combat, such as    A 2D Dark Souls.

    Dark souls fans may love it or hate it, because while it is another dark souls like game, so much so that fans of the series could go in blind and know what to do, but the game also just falls short. It's nothing special but it can scratch that itch.

    The platforming is good enough, it feels a little awkward, but there's nothing wrong with it.
    The combat, such as attacking and rolling also feel awkward, but again, gets the job done.

    Some issues I find with the game, however, isn't so much the graphics, but the filter and color pallets. It makes it hard to see sometimes, and it becomes even worse when enemies blend too well into the background.

    All in all the game is really a hit or miss, and for me it's just an okay game.    … Expand
  2. Wooky
    Nov 13, 2018
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First off I would like to say that I liked this game. I‘m a huge fan of the Souls-borne-franchise and was glad to see that it translated so well into a 2D-Metroidvania-game. The combat system has nearly everything I wanted out of that experience: Parrying, shield-blocking and roll-dodging are all bound to a stamina-system and attacks can‘t be canceled so you have to be careful in what you do. It is just fun to fight against a boss, fail a couple of times while learning his attack patterns and destroying him in the end. Not only the bosses but the normal enemies are fun in combat too and have a lot of variety in their design.
    The RPG-like progression system is based on salt (souls or blood echoes respectively) that you can use for leveling while individual parameters like strength are boosted in a complex character tree. That‘s something I’m glad to see here. What I dislike is that you lose your salt much quicker in this game because of unfair level design so that you have to grind sometimes.
    What do I mean by unfair level design? First off: traps. This game has a lot of traps which can instantly kill you. Imagine you have only a few HP left, hacking through all the enemies with ease but get killed by a battering ram that was hidden under leafs. Now imagine that happening to you all the time. Or ambushes by enemies who spawn out of nowhere. Deja vu? Yeah, Dark Souls does this too but Dark Souls is also a 3-dimensional world where you can see traps beforehand when you‘re a good observer. In Salt and Sanctuary not so much.
    Which gets me to my main problem with this game: Not quite understanding what Dark Souls was all about. Dark Souls is a hard game but not because it is unfair, it is hard because you have to understand what you do, not R1-Spam your way through the game. You have to observe your surroundings and be more patient the next time around. You need to be strategic to progress.. This game on the other hand just wants to punish you. Think Bed of Chaos was unfair? Try Tree of Men, an infamous boss that pushes every obstacle down your throat it can:

    flame thrower (x),
    death pits on all sides (x),
    fall damage (x),
    180 degree fire burst (x),
    breakable plattforms (x),
    multiple enemies with their own health bar and attacks (x),
    A deadly, really hard to avoid strike (x).

    So that‘s what I call bad, unfair design. So unfair in fact that It seems that every boss in this game is some form of a sadistic copy of its original even though the bosses aren‘t all that hard in the first place (and also fun to fight btw). They definitely have attack patterns and phases but sometimes the RNG is just so awful that you can‘t dodge (like with two magical attacks one after the other in the case of Murdiella Mal).
    Also this games needs a map because walking around in a Metroidvania without one is just too confusing.
    Anyway I still recommend Salt & Sanctuary for any Dark-Souls-fan if you can stand some of the more ******** moments.    … Expand
  3. JAG7
    May 16, 2022
    5
    Just finished beating this game! This game is a total mixed bag. The devs are lunatics. They have made a game trying to copy Dark Souls but using cheap and cruel difficulty. I love DS and have played it NG+ but this is not DS..in many many ways. I’ll list my points:
    1.Map: inexistente. No map . The world is huge and connected but you get lost sometimes and without direction. It’s confusing    Just finished beating this game! This game is a total mixed bag. The devs are lunatics. They have made a game trying to copy Dark Souls but using cheap and cruel difficulty. I love DS and have played it NG+ but this is not DS..in many many ways. I’ll list my points:
    1.Map: inexistente. No map . The world is huge and connected but you get lost sometimes and without direction. It’s confusing 2. Abilities/Brands: the game doesn’t tell you how to button-control specific abilities, so you have to figure it on your own and Die a lot.
    3. Plataforming: it’s mediocre. You fall many times and die. For some boss fights you have to fall from a high edge losing health (intentionally design) Bravo devs!!
    4. Bosses: some bosses are ok , others are cheap: Homing bullets/misil, one shot kills, and disappearing from the screen…I mean come on!!!
    Also they are hit-sponges. You got to used a two handed weapon in order to do some damage. Some are just ridiculously difficult.
    5. Rolling: even if you upgrade , can’t roll with armor . It’s heavy and slows too much your roll. Go naked
    6. Enemies: some are as hard or harder than the bosses. Very unfair. There’s way too many and unavoidable .
    7. Transactions: once you are dead you lose all your salt. But a mysterious cleric respawns you for some gold. The quantity is random : sometimes 0 gold, sometimes 1,000 gold. It’s a ripoff.
    8. Items: most of it it’s useless. I never used magic . Rings are ok. 9. Balanced: it’s a very unbalanced game. From the beginning the progression it’s bad. The second boss it’s way too hard: Queen of smiles. Not for casual players.
    The list goes on and on. In conclusion if you are a DS die hard fan who likes to be extremely punished (Like me) and don’t mind mediocre mechanics, go ahead. It’s a so so game. But if you like “”mellow” -relax- casual games don’t even think about it. Don’t buy or play it. You have to be a DS fan. This is why I got it. But sadly I didn’t enjoy this one.    … Expand
  4. Milidante
    Sep 25, 2019
    7
    Best soulslike-metroidvania on switch bkz there is no death's gambit here on switch. Whole game is cool and really loyal to bloodborne and dark souls but there are some problems.
    1. Not challenging enough
    2. Level design become boring after times. It could be more various and alive. 3. Bosses are not hard and i kill many of them on first attempt 4.story is nonsense and really have nothing    Best soulslike-metroidvania on switch bkz there is no death's gambit here on switch. Whole game is cool and really loyal to bloodborne and dark souls but there are some problems.
    1. Not challenging enough
    2. Level design become boring after times. It could be more various and alive.
    3. Bosses are not hard and i kill many of them on first attempt
    4.story is nonsense and really have nothing to add to the game
    5. Music is fantastic metal but why we just cant hear this awsome music many time!!    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

64
#64 Best Switch Game of 2018
100
#100 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Worth Playing
    May 21, 2019
    80
    While Salt and Sanctuary is truly its own game, with themes and elements appealing to fans of the genre, there were moments when it was too similar to its predecessors, and some unnecessary mechanics were added in an attempt to separate itself from the pack. Sometimes, paying homage to something can get caught up in the fine line of copying. However, it is a title that fits well with a "pick up/put down" pace and gives players a lot of choice in how they wish to play. Salt and Sanctuary provides ample replay value in a fun title that is fast-paced and challenging enough for anyone seeking a "Souls-like" game.
    Read full review
  2. DarkStation
    Sep 13, 2018
    80
    I can recognize that Salt and Sanctuary is a well-constructed game and that there’s a lot of depth and challenge here for those that crave such things from their entertainment. It just isn't for me and I don’t think it ever will be, as I'm not the target gamer here. From that perspective, I can't give this game any less than 4 stars. It delivers on everything a fan of the Souls series would crave, and does so with style. If that's your thing, dive right in there and go conquer some brutally tough fights.
    Read full review
  3. Universo Nintendo
    Sep 10, 2018
    90
    Salt & Sanctuary is great in many aspects, with very few weaknesses such as dialogue and story. The game is excellent and it utilizes its references well, delivering a competent game.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »