8/3/2023 0 Comments Enchanted portals ps4![]() ![]() ![]() Stabbing and slicing your way through hordes of enemies is inherently satisfying-as spurts of blood follow each wounding blow-and although it lacks heft, each battle offers an engaging challenge. Your attacks and movement are notably snappier compared to the previous game, lending each fight a fast pace that belies its stamina management. Salt and Sacrifice adopts a fluid combat system that consists of light and heavy attacks, dodge-rolls, parries, and blocks. ![]() The art direction and creativity on show is a delight, and each enemy type keeps you on your toes with unique attack patterns and potential weaknesses to exploit. They range from your standard goblins and archers right through to skeletons with insect pincers protruding from their shoulders and towering sentries armed with electrified hammers. It's fortunate, then, that the sheer breadth of enemy types is numerically impressive. This also means you'll be fighting the same monsters multiple times as you venture through familiar locations. There's a lot of repetitive backtracking that just doesn't need to be here, and it detracts from the rest of the game. Having to re-find a door you discovered hours earlier but can only open now adds an element of tedium that shouldn't exist, and this is compounded by the fact you can't fast-travel between obelisks or choose which one you spawn at when entering a region. This wouldn't be an issue if it was still a conventional and fairly linear Souls-like, but when you consider the game's Metroidvania roots, it's an especially odd omission. The problem with these intricately designed regions is that, somewhat bafflingly, Salt and Sacrifice has no map. The regions are visually diverse, too, whether you're slowly inching through the tight confines of an underground mine or searching the innards of a wooden ship perched atop a snowcapped mountaintop. You'll spot glimpses of out-of-reach areas you'll need to return to later on when you have the necessary traversal tool, uncover satisfying shortcuts that lead back to obelisks you can rest beside, and scale imposing cliffsides with precise platforming. Splitting the game world into separate zones-similarly to Demon's Souls-does lose some of the interconnectivity of the first game's sprawling map, but each region is still fairly large and labyrinthian in design, with all the hallmarks of a classic Metroidvania. After dealing enough damage, you'll eventually trigger a final showdown and transition into a traditional boss battle where you can finally finish the Mage off for good.Įach region has a set number of Named Mages that must be defeated in order to progress through the game and open the sealed doors blocking your access to new areas. You need to fight them a handful of times as they roam across the region, summoning themed mobs to slow you down as they go. Much like Monster Hunter's beasties, Mages aren't confined to a single boss arena. By exploring a region, you'll discover evidence that will kick off a Mage Hunt, creating a particle trail for you to follow directly to your prey. Each one is home to numerous Mages that must be hunted down and killed, serving as Salt and Sacrifice's core gameplay loop. It's also here where you'll find the Mirrorgate-an enchanted portal that allows you to teleport to different regions across the kingdom. After creating a character and getting routinely demolished by an overpowered boss in true Souls-like fashion, you awaken in Pardoner's Vale, a hub area where you can converse with various NPCs, level up your character class, craft and upgrade new weapons and armor, and pet an adorable cat with antlers. Given the option of either execution or a life of Mage-hunting, you choose the latter, becoming a Marked Inquisitor sent to track down these dangerous Mages and devour their hearts to ensure the kingdom survives. Monstrous creatures now roam the lands, with the source of all this defilement tracing back to the nefarious Mages who now stalk each region. Salt and Sacrifice casts you as a condemned prisoner in a kingdom corrupted by malignant magic. While it does feature satisfying combat and progression, many of its risks don't always pay off and this curious concoction falls just short of realizing its full potential. Salt and Sacrifice isn't just another 2D Souls-like it still retains many of the genre's fundamentals, yet its allusions to Metroidvania and, crucially, Monster Hunter, are much more pronounced. Instead, the two-person studio has done the opposite, pulling from an amalgamation of influences to create a game that differs vastly from its predecessor. After the success of 2016's Salt and Sanctuary, indie developer Ska Studios could've rested on its laurels when designing a sequel to the 2D Souls-like. ![]()
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