Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Momo and Okarun share a close moment in Dandadan

    Momo And Okarun: The Gold Standard For Shonen Romance

    07/03/2025
    Ironheart Episodes 4 6 But Why Tho 1

    ‘Ironheart’ Explained: Explore MCU’s Bold New Chapter

    07/01/2025
    Buck in 9-1-1

    ‘9-1-1’ Has To Let Buck Say Bisexual

    06/29/2025
    Nintendo Welcome Tour promotional image of the maraca mini-game

    The One “Game” That Justifies The Nintendo Switch 2 Purchase

    06/25/2025
    Destiel Confession in Supernatural - Castiel (Misha Collins) and Dean (Jensen Ackles)

    The Destiel Confession: The Lasting Importance Of Supernatural’s Greatest Ship

    06/22/2025
  • Squid Game
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
  • Summer Game Fest
But Why Tho?
Home » PC » REVIEW: ‘Salt and Sacrifice’ Is a Worthy, if Uneven Sequel (PC)

REVIEW: ‘Salt and Sacrifice’ Is a Worthy, if Uneven Sequel (PC)

Arron KluzBy Arron Kluz05/09/20225 Mins ReadUpdated:05/25/2022
Salt and Sacrifice Review 2
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Salt and Sacrifice is a sequel to Salt and Sanctuary that is impressively developed by the one-man team at Ska Studios. The game is a 2D souls-like that has all the traditional trappings of the genre, for better and for worse. 

The game begins with a cryptic introduction about hunting mages that have begun corrupting the land. Then, players get to make their characters. There are a handful of customization options for each category while also allowing you to pick a starting item and class. The classes and items don’t have much in the way of definitions, but that is a standard for the genre that feels at home here.  Once your character is made, players progress through a brief tutorial introducing the game’s combat mechanics before pitting them against a boss designed to kill the player to progress the plot. 

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

If this sounds like standard fare for a souls-like, that’s because, well, it is. In this regard, Salt and Sacrifice doesn’t do much to make itself stand out from its peers, but it does serve to communicate what to expect from the coming journey as it stays faithful to what fans of the genre expect.

After being killed by the first boss, players are introduced to the camp that acts as their base of operations, where they can upgrade gear, purchase supplies, and level up. The camp also expands as the player progresses, unlocking different vendors and NPCs that have unique roles to play, like opening up map areas.

Expanding one’s camp is an excellent addition to the gameplay loop of Salt and Sacrifice, both in rewarding the player for their actions and as a progression system. From the camp, players also travel out to areas through a portal by entering the right runes in a simple menu. 

This system works well enough, but it is a tad disappointing that the game’s map isn’t one extensive interconnected system, even though each smaller area has its own branching paths. While exploring each area is interesting and fun in its own right, the smaller scope prevents the exploration and discovery from being as satisfying as it was in Salt and Sanctuary.

Splitting the map into more clearly segregated sections also makes progressing through them feel less natural. Rather than weaving back through previously cleared areas, there is rarely a reason to go back once you’re done with an area.

Salt and Sacrifice Review 1

However, Salt and Sacrifice’s co-op mechanics are fantastic. Players can either randomly summon other players to assist them or team up with friends by matchmaking with a matching short code. Then, even when a player dies, they can be revived and are never kicked back to their own game until they want them to be. 

Salt and Sacrifice is also a big success in its combat. There are numerous ways to build your character with various weapons, types of armor, and abilities. In addition, each weapon class has a unique stable of moves that allow players to customize their playstyle and tackle the game’s challenging encounters and enemies. 

The cast of enemies in the game is also highly varied, with each enemy type having its own personality and move set. However, none of the enemies in the game are that difficult to deal with until much further into the game. It is nice that Salt and Sacrifice gives players time to learn its mechanics before throwing hard enemies at them, but in this case, the difficulty curve could have been increased a bit to keep it from getting too stale early on.

The ease of dispatching the game’s enemies also stands in stark contrast with the difficulty of the game’s bosses and mages. Salt and Sacrifice has bosses that are found in specific arenas throughout the game’s world as well as mages that have to be tracked down by following their trail through areas. Finding regular bosses tends to come as a surprise as they aren’t marked, for example, with a door of fog. This can be a bit jarring at times, but the boss fights themselves have a lot of variety and interesting fight patterns. 

Tracking down mages to fight is often more of a bother, as the player has to retrace their path to track the mage to their arena. However, the mages are all very different, making finding a new one just as interesting as any of the other bosses. 

Salt and Sacrifice Review 2

Unfortunately, the frustrating hitboxes can spoil both the boss and mage fights. It is pretty common for players to visually dodge a projectile but still get hit by it. These instances are particularly frustrating with how much damage bosses and mages can deal just from a single hit. 

Salt and Sacrifice also carries forward the leveling system introduced in the first game. As players level up their character, they get resources to spend on a web of incremental stat boosts and the ability to equip higher ranking gear. The system is sufficient but tends to make leveling up feel unexciting and not impactful. This is because the incremental stat increases are often too small to feel exciting, and the entire web of skills looks imposing but ends up being very repetitive after the first level-up or two.

When all of these pieces come together, 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. So, if you are a fan of the original or the genre, Salt and Sacrifice is a decent contender for your time and effort, but it won’t make you love Souls-likes if you don’t already.

Salt and Sacrifice is available May 10 for PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.

Salt and Sacrifice
  • 7/10
    Rating - 7/10
7/10

TL;DR

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. 

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Captain America: Symbol of Truth,’ Issue #1
Next Article ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Moon Knight: Black, White & Blood,’ Issue #1
Arron Kluz

Arron is a writer and video editor for But Why Tho? that is passionate about all things gaming, whether it be on a screen or table. When he isn't writing for the site he's either playing Dungeons & Dragons, watching arthouse movies, or trying to find someone to convince that the shooter Brink was ahead of its time. March 20, 2023

Related Posts

Persona5: The Phantom X promotional image
9.0

REVIEW: ‘Persona 5: The Phantom X’ Captures The Persona Spirit

07/05/2025
Battle Train promo art
8.5

REVIEW: ‘Battle Train’ Provides Laughs and Strategic Wins

06/19/2025
Key art from FBC Firebreak
5.5

REVIEW: ‘FBC: Firebreak’ Is A Good Concept Bogged Down By Tedious Gameplay

06/17/2025
Gundam Seed Battle Destiny Remastered promotional art from Bandai Namco
6.0

REVIEW: ‘Gundam Seed Battle Destiny Remastered’

06/14/2025
The Alters
9.0

REVIEW: ‘The Alters’ Is the Journey of Several Lifetimes

06/12/2025
Date Everything!
7.5

REVIEW: ‘Date Everything!’ Delivers Connections Without Limits

06/12/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Taecyeon and Seohyun in The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8
7.5
TV

REVIEW: ‘The First Night With The Duke’ Episodes 7-8

By Sarah Musnicky07/03/2025

The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8 spends welcome time in pre-domestic bliss before new developments stir up trouble.

Together (2025) still from Sundance
8.0
Film

REVIEW: Have A Grossly Good Time ‘Together’

By Kate Sánchez01/27/2025Updated:07/04/2025

Dave Franco and Alison Brie’s Together (2025) is disgustingly funny, genuinely ugly, and just a good time at the movies.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and 4 Alcatraz
9.0
PS5

REVIEW: ‘Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 + 4’ Gives Old Games New Life

By Kyle Foley07/07/2025

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and 4 is another example of how to breathe new life into a classic without losing touch of what makes the originals great.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here