Salt and Sacrifice

What to Know

60%

Total Reviews: 15

VSG Recommendation: Skip It

Critics Consensus: Salt and Sacrifice is an impressive attempt at a 2D Soulsborne, with beautiful art and rewarding exploration. But it’s held back from some frustrating design decisions – e.g., the controls – and it struggles to feel enjoyable in today’s saturated market.

Skip It

Critics Recommend

Critic Reviews: 15

Critics Consensus

# Reviews: 15

Salt and Sacrifice is an impressive attempt at a 2D Soulsborne, with beautiful art and rewarding exploration. But it's held back from some frustrating design decisions - e.g., the controls - and it struggles to feel enjoyable in today's saturated market.

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Critic Reviews for Salt and Sacrifice

Critic Reviews

15

Reviews

Distribution

High Score - 90/100

90%

Average Score - 77/100

77%

Low Score - 60/100

60%

Skip It

7/10

Mitchell Saltzman (IGN)

Salt and Sacrifice is an ambitious sequel that attempts to integrate Monster Hunter mechanics into an already crowded Metroidvania/Soulslike formula. It’s not a great mix, but the strength of its core combat, customization, and refreshing co-op still make it worth at least a look.

May 10, 2022 |

Full Review

Another impressive attempt at a 2D Soulsborne but a less entertaining game than Salt And Sanctuary, with some frustrating combat that doesn’t always feel entirely fair.

May 9, 2022 |

Full Review

6/10

GameCentral (Metro GameCentral)

9/10

Mick Fraser (God is a Geek)

Salt and Sacrifice may not be the best Metroidvania ever made, but as a 2D distillation of the Soulslike formula, this is pure gaming alchemy.

May 9, 2022 |

Full Review

Mitchell Saltzman (IGN)

7/10 - (Read Review)

GameCentral (Metro GameCentral)

6/10 - (Read Review)

Another impressive attempt at a 2D Soulsborne but a less entertaining game than Salt And Sanctuary, with some frustrating combat that doesn’t always feel entirely fair.

Mick Fraser (God is a Geek)

9/10 - (Read Review)

Salt and Sacrifice may not be the best Metroidvania ever made, but as a 2D distillation of the Soulslike formula, this is pure gaming alchemy.

**Read all 15 critic reviews on the desktop version of VSG.

Read the Reviews (15 total)

Outlet	Author	Score	Date	Quote	Read
But Why Tho?	Arron Kluz	7 / 10	05-09-2022	Salt and Sacrifice is still a very worthwhile sequel to the original. While some of the elements don’t work as well as others, the game’s combat and build variety offer players a great sandbox to play around in.	Read review
COGconnected	Mark Steighner	90 / 100	05-09-2022	Occasional minor frustrations with the controls aside, it’s hard to find fault with Salt and Sacrifice’s challenging combat and level design. The original was one of the best 2D Soulslikes, and this follow-up has a more appealing style and plays even better, with more varied mechanics and deeper choices. While recent FromSoftware games have encouraged more assertive approaches to enemy encounters, Salt and Sacrifice has an old-school vibe that demands patience, determination, a willingness to grind and the ability to find satisfaction in doing so. Fans of the original won’t be disappointed, and more recent Souls converts will find a new addiction as well.	Read review
Fextralife	Fexelea	8.8 / 10	05-09-2022	Salt and Sacrifice is a passion project that seamlessly merges aspects of much larger games and delivers a focused and unique experience. Humbly priced, its addictive gameplay and multiplayer aspects will leave you feeling like you got a great bargain and asking for more.	Read review
GameSkinny	John Schutt	8 / 10	05-09-2022	Salt and Sacrifice is a labor of love, one that will scratch any Souls veteran's itch for more mysterious worlds to explore, even if it doesn't succeed at everything.	Read review
GameXplain	Adam Conner	Not Recommended	05-09-2022	Video Review	Read review
God is a Geek	Mick Fraser	9 / 10	05-09-2022	Salt and Sacrifice may not be the best Metroidvania ever made, but as a 2D distillation of the Soulslike formula, this is pure gaming alchemy.	Read review
Hey Poor Player	Kenny McKee	4.5 / 5 stars	05-10-2022	Salt and Sacrifice isn’t just a great game, but a great sequel. It’s the result of building upon the things that worked so well in the first game, tweaking the things that might not have worked so well, and cleverly taking the occasional mechanical risk here and there in order to ensure that Salt and Sacrifice truly felt like its own game instead of just “Salt and Sanctuary 2.” It’s fun, frantic, and frustrating in all the right ways, and I’m incredibly happy with what Ska Studios has given us. Salt and Sanctuary was able to build such a large community around it and stick around for such a long time because of how high-quality it was at the time of its release. I’m sure that Salt and Sacrifice will manage to surpass those heights.	Read review
IGN	Mitchell Saltzman	7 / 10	05-10-2022	Salt and Sacrifice is an ambitious sequel that attempts to integrate Monster Hunter mechanics into an already crowded Metroidvania/Soulslike formula. It's not a great mix, but the strength of its core combat, customization, and refreshing co-op still make it worth at least a look.	Read review
Metro GameCentral	GameCentral	6 / 10	05-09-2022	Another impressive attempt at a 2D Soulsborne but a less entertaining game than Salt And Sanctuary, with some frustrating combat that doesn't always feel entirely fair.	Read review
Rock, Paper, Shotgun	Rymarr Williams	Recommended	05-09-2022	A sidescrolling metroidvania with beautiful art and rewarding exploration, kept just shy of greatness by some frustrating design decisions	Read review
Shacknews	TJ Denzer	8 / 10	05-09-2022	Salt and Sacrifice does a lot of cool things on top of the Soulsborne 2D action-platforming system created for the first game. The focus on hunting mages is a cool twist and getting their components and making new gear was the stuff that’s made Monster Hunter a blast for decades. Even then, there’s plenty to explore in each biome between the mage hunts. I’m not fond of collecting berries for my healing flask and I feel it can get unfair when mages team up on me. However, getting stronger and coming back with enough might that not even multiple mages could stop me made Salt and Sacrifice’s 2D Soulsborne exploration and mage fights an intoxicating quest to wield the very power I was hunting.	Read review
The Games Machine	Marco Bortoluzzi	8.3 / 10	05-09-2022	Despite some flaws here and there, much like its predecessor Salt and Sacrifice is a solid soulslike that will keep fans of the genre diving into it, one "obliterated" after the next. Everyone else should be wary of its often unforgiving enemies, though.	Read review
Twinfinite	Zhiqing Wan	4 / 5 stars	05-09-2022	As it stands, Salt and Sacrifice continues to nail down all of the moving parts and elements that go into creating an impressive Souls-like game. For most players –especially those just discovering the genre for the first time– this is an easy recommendation. But for the rest of us, it’s not quite enough anymore.	Read review
We Got This Covered	David Morgan	3 / 5 stars	05-09-2022	Salt and Sacrifice is a Souls-like that would've made a killing a decade ago. Failing to learn from its contemporaries, it struggles to feel enjoyable in today's saturated market.	Read review
WellPlayed	Jordan Garcia	6.5 / 10	05-10-2022	Salt and Sacrifice makes a number of changes to its general design and structure that are absolutely not worth the cost, and while the game is still enjoyable, it ultimately feels like a step backwards from the charming 2016 original.	Read review

Game Info

Game Description / Storyline:

Explore a new era and region, as well as a new role: a Marked Inquisitor. A Marked Inquisitor is a criminal condemned, yet spared the hand of justice in exchange for a lifetime of service in the unending war against Mages: twisted, irredeemable creatures of elemental malice.

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