Salt And Sanctuary: Soulvania

We had a chance to check out Salt and Sanctuary at PAX Prime 2014, and it’s looking impressive. From the two person Ska Studios team that gave us Charlie Murder, it’s inspired by two wonderful things - Castlevania and the Souls series.

The build we got to play was a lush 2D animated romp where the player takes on enemies in precise combat, collects items and loot, and progresses to big bosses. Weapons have different movesets, consumables like potions and ranged weapons help in a pinch, rolling, dodging, and parrying are all essential.

As you trounce enemies and advance through stages, you’ll undoubtedly collect plenty of salt, which can be used to upgrade your character in a number of various ways.

When you die, you lose any unspent salt, but it can be recovered by going back to your point of death. Sanctuaries provide bases of operation that you can use as checkpoints and portals, essentially the title’s version of the Souls bonfire. The controls are fast and responsive, and the 2D backdrops are surprisingly seductive.

Salt and Sanctuary is expected to launch next year on PS4 and Vita.