Salt and Sanctuary

Really enjoyed playing this game a lot. It's a really fun soulslike but in 2D, so definitely recommended for anyone that is into metroidvanias or any soulslike games in general. The combat is pretty fun and the designs is really nice as well. The music is also very underrated but it has some of the best soundtracks in the game as well. The game has a lot of content for its price so definitely worth it and checking out if you are into soulslike games.

I don't know if this game is slept on or if I'm the one dreaming, but in my heart this is the best, most replayable metroidvania game (i played hk, silksong, blasphemous, ender lilies, dead cells, nine sols, wuppo, unworthy, yoku + maybe more and I have a strong preference for souls-like games) Some games are basically perfect, and I would recommend them to anyone. This one is not among them. But even though it's arguably a 'worse' game, I have played salt and sanctuary over 4 times and I still come back for more. It probably won't be your favorite game, but if you like souls-likes and metroidvanias please do play this.

My greatest criticism is that, for some reason, they decided to make a completely different genre of game for the sequel.

PS已白金 很有魂味的小作品，画风很对口味，跳跳乐还好主要是有个誓约要跳很久，游戏前期可能劝退，拿到黄金酒之后就难度直线下降，什么boss难？跟我的黄金酒说去吧。 地图玩到后期才发现东西是连通的，但是设计了很多无意义捷径，没啥鸟用，剧情忘差不多了，就记得有多结局。

🍚 First and foremost, this is NOT a metroidvania, as it literally lacks the key elements of the genre. It's a 2D Souls game, nothing more. The visual is good and it's full of what people love about Souls-likes, but if you're not a fan, there's nothing to do here. While it doesn't impose insane difficulty barrier and offers a ton of interesting content to explore, try, collect, and so on, it's quite repetitive. It's monotonous wandering through similar platforming labyrinths (w/o a map, of course), equip has stats, but they're not noticeable, the lore is another vague interpretation of something, but perhaps it'll make more sense later on, all battles are: block or dodge, poke, repeat. And I understand that scary and dangerous enemies add satisfaction to the subsequent imaginary feeling of overcoming an obstacle, but when exploring locations is simply a waste of time, even without trial and error, why bother? This isn't a problem with the game, but with the Souls genre, whose frustrating elements are sometimes exploited more than necessary.

[h2]人类的本性是嫉妒。 [/h2] [h3] 农民嫉妒邻居拥有美丽的妻子，邻居嫉妒拥有大片领地的领主，领主嫉妒掌握整个国家的国王，而国王，嫉妒拥有无限生命的神明。而神明，嫉妒他永远不可能拥有的、烛火般的灵魂。 这条链条的顶端站着一个空缺，一个永远无法被任何神填满的位置。 [/h3] 世界数百年来饱受战争摧残，但无比珍贵的和平即将到来。你的任务是护送公主去往大海另一端的王国，这次联姻会拯救所有人，至少你是这么相信的。直到船舱被火焰点燃，直到亲眼目睹曾经只存在于水手口中的克拉肯爬上甲板。 你从海岸醒来时手里只有一把剑，还有口袋里的几粒盐。 海滩上散落着零散的瓶子。半埋在沙里，被潮水推来推去。你捡起一个，拔开塞子，里面写着一个死去之人留给你的话。没有署名，没有日期。这样的瓶子遍布整座岛。有时在尸骸旁，有时在圣所外的岩石缝里，有时在某个即将要你命的陷阱前几步远的地方。像前人留下的遗言，又像这座岛在借这些瓶子说话。 这座岛的形状不画在地图上，而是用你的死亡刻印。你从海滩出发，往深处走，每一步都在和上一步的尸体重逢。没有人会替你解释这座岛在发生什么。只有腐朽的木门，断裂的梯子，被盐蚀侵蚀的旧桥，在黑暗中等待着你。 而你能做的，只有不断变强，然后走得更深。直至找到你的公主，找到离开这座岛的办法。 岛上到处是曾经的人。你走过挂着尸体的吊架，走过跪在神像前死去的骑士，走过宫殿里只剩一颗头颅还在念诵旧日荣光的王。你砍倒他们，从灰烬里捡起盐，继续往深处走。 圣经里有一句话，耶稣对门徒说：你们是世上的盐。盐若失了味，怎能叫他再咸呢？你们是世上的光，城造在山上是不能隐藏的。 [b]盐与光之间，隔着一道深渊。[/b] 盐是凡人的质地。可以被称量，被撒下，被遗忘。烛火是另一种存在，它燃烧的时候，便是触手能及的光。 无名神是最后一个。他也曾经是人。岛上的神都曾经是人。他们只是以为，只要被足够多的人信仰，就能从盐变成烛火。 所以这个岛上从来没有真正的神。只有一群被信仰反噬的人，以为自己跨过了深渊，实际上只是站在了这一侧，远远眺望着对面。你对抗的，不是怪物，不是堕落的骑士，不是诞生自深渊的造物。你对抗的是一个关于信仰的谎言：以为被人信仰就能成为真实，以为在跪拜你的人眼里，就能摆脱自己本来的质地。 于是疑问诞生了。 [b] 先有人，还是先有神？ [/b] 岛本身就是答案。先有人。然后有了嫉妒。然后人按照自己的样子创造了神。 他们嫉妒光，便以为自己可以成为光。但嫉妒是盐的质地，不是火的。它不能点燃任何东西，只能让人不断往上爬，直到顶端才发现，尽头不过是另一个人的脚底。 这就是信仰的双面性。它带来救赎，也让人浮沉。它让人成为了神，也让神变成了这座孤岛上的囚徒。 那条嫉妒的链条，从农民一直延伸到神明，然后在某个点上停下来。 最后一段是你。 你可以爬上去，也可以转身。岛给了你所有相信神的理由，却在每个岔路口也给了你另一条路：把盐还给海，把灵魂握在自己手里。 人类的本性是嫉妒。但人类的本性也可以是在深渊里点燃自己的勇气。 即便身坠深渊，也不把自己的灵魂托付给这座小岛。

- Inicie o Jogo - Escolha uma Classe Porradeira - Fique Peladão - Gaste algum tempo tentando solar o Boss Inicial - Com a XP do Boss upe até o Level 13 - Atropele o comecinho do jogo - Suba o nivel de Habilidade até Espadachim Classe 5 focando 35 pontos em Pura Força - Pegue o Esapadão do Guts - Esmerilhe "TODOS, Ok?" até a metade do jogo - Troque a Arma pelo Tesourão - Upe o Vigor até ficar acima dos 200.0 - Upe a Resistência até a Carga de Equipamentos ficar em 75.5 - Se torne o Deus da Bumba Meu Boi Build - Estraçalhe o jogo até o Final - Faca o Nameless God virar sua Cadelinha - Desça até o Poço e interaja com o Espantalho - Parabéns, Meu Nobre. Você Triunfou!

«Этот мир — лишь пепел, брошенный в пасть бесконечного океана». Ты очнешься на берегу. Твои легкие полны соли, а в руках — лишь обломки твоей прошлой веры. Salt and Sanctuary — это не просто игра, это литургия отчаяния, запечатленная в грубом двухмерном рисунке. Оскверненные земли Здесь каждый шаг — это сделка со смертью. Мир Острова соткан из тумана и крови, где архитектура шепчет о забытых богах, а враги — это ожившие кошмары, рожденные из соли и греха. Ты будешь карабкаться по скользким стенам замков и падать в бездны, где свет — редкая милость. Соль и Кровь Твое спасение — Соль. Она — опыт, она — валюта, она — твоя надежда. Потеряй её, и ты станешь лишь еще одной тенью в тумане. Бой — это танец на плахе. Каждое движение весомо. Массивные мечи дробят кости, а заклинания выжигают саму суть бытия. Но помни: усталость — твой верный палач. Святилища — твои редкие вздохи. Здесь ты возносишь молитвы, призываешь союзников и пытаешься склеить свою разбитую душу. Приговор Это суровое подражание великим Souls-играм, ставшее чем-то большим. Мрачная, вязкая атмосфера и глубокое древо талантов заставят тебя возвращаться к жизни снова и снова, пока ты не поймешь: выход не в победе, а в принятии своей участи. Смерть — это не конец. Это лишь новая порция соли для жадной земли.

_Achievement Review: Difficulty: 4/10 Approx. Time Invested: 25h (15h with save files) MP Achievements: No, but the game can be played entirely in co-op Misc. / Activities / Collectibles: No Missable Achievements: No, as long as you don't progress too far before cleaning up remaining achievements In typical Souls-like fashion, I couldn't really tell you what the story was about. Did I care much about it? Not really. It also wasn't the first time I had started the game only to quit after a couple of hours. This time, however, things were different. Once the game finally clicked, I had a great time with it. Salt & Sanctuary is a true Souls-like presented in a 2D Metroidvania style. It took me a little while to adjust to the format, but the level design was excellent and did a great job conveying the game's atmosphere. _Gameplay: After remapping the controls to a more traditional Souls-like setup and getting used to the enemy behavior and boss encounters, the experience became surprisingly smooth. At no point did I feel frustrated by either the level design or the gameplay loop. The gameplay is straightforward: explore an area, fight your way through enemies, and defeat the area's boss. The combat mechanics are solid, and the variety of weapons and spells is impressive. Special mention goes to the scythe, which finally has a moveset that feels genuinely fun to use. _Immersion: Even though a 2D perspective can sometimes limit immersion and atmosphere, Salt & Sanctuary does a great job overcoming that challenge. Each region feels distinct, with its own visual identity, enemy types, and hidden secrets waiting to be discovered. _Boss Design: The bosses were one of the highlights of the game. Only one encounter felt a bit more gimmicky than I would have liked, but otherwise every boss was well designed, appropriately challenging, and equipped with a fair and varied moveset. None of the fights felt unfair. Learning attack patterns and making proper use of the dodge roll was usually enough to overcome any obstacle. _Recommendation: I would recommend Salt & Sanctuary to anyone who enjoys Souls-like games, especially those looking for a shorter experience that isn't overly difficult. As long as you pay attention to enemy patterns and mechanics, the game offers a satisfying challenge without becoming frustrating. By the time the credits rolled, I was genuinely pleased with the experience. The achievement list was equally enjoyable to complete and felt rewarding from start to finish. Rating: 7/10