| Salt and Sacrifice | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Ska Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Ska Studios |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Action role-playing, metroidvania |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Salt and Sacrifice is an action role-playing video game developed and published by Ska Studios. As the sequel to Salt and Sanctuary , the game was released on May 10, 2022, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows.
Similar to its predecessor, Salt and Sacrifice was inspired by the Dark Souls series of games. Instead of having one large map, the game's world is split into five separate zones. To progress in the game and unlock new areas players must devour Mage hearts and initiate Mage Hunts, in which the player character must chase down and defeat various boss characters. [1] Each defeated mage will drop unique armor and weapons which can be used by the players. Each weapon has its own unique skills and movesets. While the player is exploring the game's world, they will encounter hidden tomes which can be used to initiate Fated Mage hunts, hunts players can play through repeatedly in order to collect specific upgrades. [2] The game features elements commonly seen in Metroidvania games. Previously out-of-reach areas can be accessed once the player collects the necessary traversal items. They will gradually discover different shortcuts that allow them to transverse quickly, though the game does not have a fast travel option. [3]
Unlike Salt and Sanctuary, the game has online multiplayer. Players can join different multiplayer factions. [4] The Shroud Alliance will invade another player's session and hunt them down, while Blueheart Runners can summon enemies known as Haze Burnt to kill the hosting player. The invaded players can also recruit the help from Oathbound Watchers and Sheriff Inquisitors, who will assist them in combat. Using a private passcode system, two players can complete the game's campaign cooperatively without being invaded. [5]
Salt & Sacrifice is the sequel to Salt and Sanctuary, a game developed by the husband and wife team Ska Studios, James and Michelle Silva. While the game was in production James Silva showed screenshots of the game to his friend, Shane Lynch, who suggested that it should have online multiplayer; multiplayer was also the most requested feature for Salt and Sanctuary's players. [6] Within weeks Lynch was able to produce the netcode necessary to run a multiplayer game. According to Silva the team developed the game "from the ground up as a multiplayer game", and ensured that players can join other players' session in a more accessible and seamless way. [7] While Silva originally envisioned the game as a more linear experience which consisted of several short missions, Lynch convinced him to change the scope of the game to focus more on exploration. Monster Hunter was also an important source of inspiration for the team. [8]
Salt and Sacrifice was announced in June 2021 by Ska Studios. [9] The game was released for Windows via the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on May 10, 2022, and was released for Nintendo Switch and Windows via Steam on November 7, 2023. [8] [10]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | (PC) 72/100 [11] (PS5) 73/100 [12] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Game Informer | 7/10 [13] |
| GameSpot | 7/10 [14] |
| Hardcore Gamer | 4/5 [15] |
| IGN | 7/10 [16] |
| Push Square |   [17] |
| Shacknews | 8/10 [18] |
| The Games Machine (Italy) | 8.3/10 [19] |
Salt and Sacrifice received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. [11] [12]
John Carson of Game Informer gave the game a 7 out of 10 and praised the game's exploration and atmosphere and heavily panned its crafting and progression mechanics while comparing the title unfavorably to its predecessor. [13] Richard Wakeling of GameSpot commended the labyrinthine world, tense boss battles, enemy difficulty, and responsive combat while lamenting the absence of a fast-travel system and overly punishing combat. [14] Mitchell Saltzman of IGN noted that the bits that Salt and Sacrifice inherited from its predecessor were its strongest points and praised its attempt to infuse the 2D platforming genre with soulslike design and Monster Hunter -esque combat. [16] Ozzie Mejia of Shacknews praised the platforming, combat, variety of classes, skill tree, metroidvania elements, and co-op while taking minor issue with its resource-driven healing and janky controls. [18]
Tribes 2 is a first-person shooter multiplayer video game developed by Dynamix and published by Sierra On-Line in 2001 as a sequel to Starsiege: Tribes.
Hunter: The Reckoning – Redeemer is a 2003 hack-and-slash shooter video game developed by High Voltage Software and published by Vivendi Universal Games for the Xbox. It is based on the tabletop role-playing game Hunter: The Reckoning, and is part of the larger World of Darkness series. It is the third Hunter video game, following Hunter: The Reckoning (2002) and Wayward (2003).
Hunter: The Reckoning is a 2002 hack-and-slash third-person shooter video game developed by High Voltage Software and published by Interplay Entertainment for the Xbox and GameCube. It is based on the tabletop role-playing game of the same name, and is part of the larger World of Darkness series. Two sequels, Wayward and Redeemer, were both released in 2003.
Hunter: The Reckoning – Wayward is a 2003 hack-and-slash shooter video game developed by High Voltage Software and published by Vivendi Universal Games for the PlayStation 2. It is based on the tabletop role-playing game Hunter: The Reckoning, and is part of the larger World of Darkness series. It is a sequel to the 2002 video game Hunter: The Reckoning, and was followed by Redeemer in 2003.
Borderlands is a 2009 action role-playing first-person shooter video game developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K. It is the first game in the Borderlands series. The game was released worldwide in October 2009 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows, with a Mac OS X version being released on December 3, 2010 by Feral Interactive. The game's story focuses on a group of four "Vault Hunters", who travel to the distant planet of Pandora to search for the "Vault", which is rumored to contain advanced alien technology and other priceless riches. The hunters piece together clues to find the Vault while battling the savage wildlife of Pandora and the bandits and outlaws that populate the planet, ultimately banding together to prevent the Atlas Corporation and its privately funded paramilitary forces from reaching the Vault first.
Ska Studios is an independent game development studio founded by James Silva in 2007 after winning a contract to publish The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai to Xbox Live Arcade. Ska Studios has released four Metacritic-aggregated console games since then, more than any similarly sized studio. Ska Studios currently consists of James Silva.
Monster Hunter Tri is the third console installment in the Monster Hunter franchise, developed by Capcom and released for the Wii in Japan on August 1, 2009. Monster Hunter Tri was released on April 20, 2010, in North America, April 23 in Europe, and April 29 in Australia.
The Lord of the Rings: Conquest is a 2009 action game developed by Pandemic Studios and published by Electronic Arts. It is derived from The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, and borrows many gameplay mechanics from Pandemic's Star Wars: Battlefront games. The game allows the player to play as both the forces of good and evil.
Borderlands 2 is a 2012 action role-playing first-person shooter video game developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K. Taking place five years following the events of Borderlands (2009), the game is again set on the planet of Pandora. The story follows a new group of Vault Hunters who must ally with the Crimson Raiders, a resistance group made up of civilian survivors and guerrilla fighters, to defeat the tyrannical Handsome Jack before he can unlock the power of a new Vault. The game features the ability to explore the in-game world and complete main missions and optional side quests, either in offline splitscreen, single-player or online cooperative gameplay. Like its predecessor, the game features a procedurally generated loot system which is capable of generating numerous combinations of weapons and other gear.
Dungeon Hunter: Alliance is a hack and slash action role-playing video game developed and published by Gameloft in 2011. The game is a remake of the 2009 iPhone game Dungeon Hunter, with the addition of a multiplayer mode and support for the PlayStation Move controller.
Evolve is a first-person shooter video game developed by Turtle Rock Studios and published by 2K. Announced in January 2014, the game was released worldwide for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in February 2015. Evolve uses an asymmetrical multiplayer structure, where five players—four playing as hunters and one as the monster—battle against each other on an industrialized alien planet called Shear. The hunters' gameplay is based on the first-person shooter design, while the monsters are controlled from a third-person perspective. The hunters' goal is to eliminate the monster, while the monster's goal is to consume wildlife and evolve to make themselves stronger before either eliminating the hunters, or successfully destroying the objective.
Final Fantasy Explorers is an action role-playing video game for the Nintendo 3DS. It features character job-oriented combat against classic Final Fantasy monsters and summons. It was released in Japan in December 2014, and in North America and Europe in January 2016.
Salt and Sanctuary is a 2D action role-playing video game developed and published by Ska Studios. The game was released on March 15, 2016 for the PlayStation 4, with later releases for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. It is heavily inspired by the Dark Souls series by FromSoftware.
Dragon Quest Heroes II is a hack-and-slash game developed by Omega Force and published by Square Enix for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch, and Windows. It was released in Japan in May 2016, and worldwide in April 2017. The game is a sequel to Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below.
Elden Ring is a 2022 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware. It was directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki with worldbuilding provided by fantasy writer George R. R. Martin. It was published for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on February 25 by FromSoftware in Japan and Bandai Namco Entertainment internationally. Players control a customizable player character who is on a quest to repair the Elden Ring and become the new Elden Lord.
Spelunky 2 is a 2020 platform video game developed by Mossmouth and BlitWorks. It is the sequel to Spelunky (2008) and was released for PlayStation 4 and Windows in September 2020, for Nintendo Switch in August 2021, and for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S in January 2022. The game received critical acclaim upon release.
A Soulslike is a subgenre of action role-playing games known for high levels of difficulty and emphasis on environmental storytelling, typically in a dark fantasy setting. It had its origin in Demon's Souls and the Dark Souls series by FromSoftware, the themes and mechanics of which directly inspired several other games. Soulslike games developed by FromSoftware themselves have been specifically referred to as Soulsborne games, a portmanteau of Souls and Bloodborne. The "Soulslike" name has been adopted by a number of critics and developers. However, there have also been questions whether it is a true genre or a collection of shared mechanics.
GigaBash is a brawler game developed and published by Malaysian independent studio Passion Republic Games. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on August 5, 2022. It was also released for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on August 4, 2023.
High on Life is a comedic first-person shooter game with action-adventure and Metroidvania elements. It takes place in a science fiction world which features talking guns. It was created by Justin Roiland, and developed and published by Squanch Games. The game was released on December 13, 2022 for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. It was later ported to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on July 22, 2023. The game received mixed reviews from critics, who were divided on its humor, while criticizing the technical issues upon launch.