Salt and Sacrifice

MAGE SYSTEM: terribly boring, you clear half the area just to run into a mage statue which then respawns everything and on top of that you have to chase the mage back through all the ♥♥♥♥ you already traversed.... boring as hell. MAP: idk how they went from a nice simple map design to a map that looks like something i would've made on Minecraft when i was 11. platformer map design with a million different directions to go, and have fun remembering which way you've already gone because there's no map to view. ENEMY SPAWNS: After each mage alter you activate and complete that mage will now randomly spawn around the map, so after you've done 3 to 5 alters you can imagine how annoying it would be to have to run around the map full of trash mobs (too many imo) but also have to deal with mages stacked on top of each other all spamming a bunch of corny ♥♥♥♥ that will 2 tap you. ITEM DROPS: killing trash mobs is basically pointless because all the important items come from farming mages so you end up running past all the trash mobs for that reason and the fact that you know damn well you're going to run into a mage alter and have to kill them all again. COMBAT: this is one of the area…

9/10 I went into Salt and Sacrifice with pretty low expectations because of all the mixed reviews and comparisons to Salt and Sanctuary. After getting 100% achievements, I honestly think it's underrated. The biggest change is the mage hunt system. I actually liked the idea because it gives the game its own identity instead of just being Salt and Sanctuary 2. It does get repetitive towards the end when every area is full of mages, but that's also the core mechanic of the game. Whether you enjoy it or not will probably decide how much you like Salt and Sacrifice. The art direction is amazing. Every area feels different, the mage designs are really cool, and I enjoyed exploring the interconnected world and coming back to old areas after unlocking new hunter tools. I played with a two-hander build and found the game fair. Coming from Salt and Sanctuary, I actually found it a bit easier and beat most bosses on my 1st try. My favorite fight was Barix, First of the Marked from the free DLC. The fight was fast, challenging, and probably the most fun in the game. I still prefer Salt and Sanctuary. It's a 10/10 game for me. But I also appreciate that Salt and Sacrifice tried something d…

[h1]It took me about 30 hours to complete the game. [/h1] The disparaging reviews blown way out of proportion and are coming from an expectation for this to just be Salt and Sanctuary again. This game is NOT Salt and Sanctuary, but what it does attempt, I do think is more than competent. In short, this is a 2D Monster Hunter game instead of a Metroidvania. You still have the usual suspects of the soulsy aspect of the previous game of a big area with shortcuts interconnecting everything, stamina management, parrying, weapon upgrading, etc. In a lot of ways, the mechanics are made a lot better than the previous game. The weapon variety has also greatly increased. In general, everything is smoother and more focused. The multiple "biomes" are no longer connected, but are accessed through a Dark Souls 3 style hub area with a portal to teleport to each area. While this game still has gated progression for each area based on the tools you acquire, the map design is the main reason why I don't consider this a true Metroidvania game like the previous game. In terms of the main mechanic of the game, it's the mage-hunting mechanics. It more or less acts like Monster Hunter. You find the ma…

I can see how this wouldn't be for everyone-- and it's a Dark Souls 2 situation where it is VERY different from Salt and Sanctuary-- but I REALLY enjoyed my time with it. It's more of a Monster Hunter like than a Soulslike, which was fun. I get how it'd be tedious for some, but I didn't have any issue with the mage chase sequences; I got most of the upgrade materials I needed via doing the story missions and exploring, so I didn't need to repeat too many of them. One of those games where you'll either bounce off immediately, or it'll really click with you, so you have to try it out for yourself to know for sure. One of my recent favorites!

I was a big fan of the precursor, Salt and Sanctuary, but I was hesitant to try Salt and Sacrifice due to the negative reviews. Ended up getting it on sale, and it turns out I owe the devs an apology: I really love this game and I wish I had given it a chance sooner! Is it perfect? No... some of the criticisms are valid: multiple mages fighting each other while you are on a hunt can be frustrating, as can mages showing up in inconvenient areas (e.g. places where there isn't enough space to maneuver, or where you can be easily knocked off a cliff to your death). That said, most of the time multiple mages just add to the chaos of the experience, and don't really detract that much from the over-all fun of the game - at least in my opinion. Is this Salt and Sacrifice II? No, it's its own thing, but if you enjoyed the first title I think you owe it to yourself to give this one a try (especially if you can get it on sale).

The game is fun at first, but it becomes very very repetitive by the midgame. Then u will be suffered from tedious backtracking even after u have unlocked shortcuts.