Impressions: Salt and Sanctuary

Since about 2013 (around the release of Naughty Dog's genre-defining survival story The Last of Us) I've found more video games that I actually enjoy in the independent releases, rather than the big-budget publishers.

Maybe it was because the clever justification of the player's actions through the narrative of The Last of Us just hasn't been improved upon since. Maybe it's the new generation of consoles and the big-budget developers haven't properly settled in yet. Maybe I'm getting picky as I grow up.

In any case, one exception to this rule has been the Dark Souls series and related titles that From Software has been steadily cranking out (I was late to the party by a few years but I'm catching up with Dark Souls III's release last week). I haven't finished them all, due to their punishing trial-and-error difficulty and monstrous length, but I've put enough time in that I can confidently say I really enjoy their atmosphere, monster design and show-don't-tell style.

Salt and Sanctuary is a tribute to the Dark Souls games, one of several that will release in 2016 including Eitr and Below. It is developed by an independent couple whose previous games I haven't played. Thanks to what I've played so far of this one, they've earned a place on my radar.

For starters, Salt and Sanctuary is without a doubt Dark Souls in 2D. Covenants, messages on the ground, giant bosses, mystery and a helping of horrifying undead are all present and accounted for. The controls are rearranged for the side-scrolling perspective, and jumping on platforms (reminiscent of classic SNES games) ironically adds another dimension to mobility. This is important to keep the positioning challenge that would otherwise be lost in the move from 3D to 2D.

Some aspects don't seem as well translated in the early parts of the game. The game world tries to keep the melancholy and subtle lore of Lordran but also mixes in the more American styles of heavy metal and adult (graphic and gory) animation. Though it's a distinct look and feel, it just isn't as memorable.

So far though, I'm really enjoying the familiar cadence of learning an area, then learning a boss, trying again and again to beat it and being rewarded with a brand new area and even weirder bosses. All of the important parts of this engine still work, even in a smaller, flatter package.