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CU LTU R E
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In March of 2016, many in the gaming
world waited'expectantly for the release of
the newest installment in the Dark Souls
series. Between Dark Souls and its sequel,.
released several years before, the series
had taken the gaming world by storm and
many titles were being released that were
heavily influenced by what was quickly
becoming an iconic franchise.
On M arch 15, ju st days before the
Japanese release of Dark Souls III, one such
game was quietly,released by Ska Studios,
a small game developer comprised of only
two members- James and Michelle Silva.
Called Salt and Sanctuary, the game was a
love letter to the larger series, with many
gameplay elements heavily based on the
Souls gameSi
Featuring a 2D fo rm at, Salt and
•Sanctuary plays very sim ilarly to both
the Souls games as w e llas some of the
recent handheld titles released in the
Castlevania franchise. Visually, the game
sports a dark aesthetic with beautifully
hand drawn visuals.
The majority of the games’ combat
is designed very sim ilarly to the Souls
series with the player having the choice
uh
to use a variety o f weapon types. Though
the majority o f the weapons are close
range martial weapons, including daggers,
spears, greatswords and reapers (scythes,}!
th e game also includes bows, p isto lsjj
wands and staves for those that seek
ranged alternatives.
Although developed by a small team,
each of the weapon types feature unique
and surprisirigly deep combat with each
type granted its own stren gth s and
weaknesses. The player is able to equip
two weapons simultaneously switching
between the two with a press of a button:
As the player explores the games’
various regions, they w ill encounter a
huge variety of enem ies ranging from
sm all, so ld ier-like enem ies to g ia n t
monsters that act as some of the games’
brutal bosses. Like Dark Souls, many of
the boss fights ask the player to memorize
attack patterns in order to defeat them - a
process that is likely to require a death or
two before defeating some of the game’s
more difficult enemies.
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D eath too is handled in a way;
reminiscent of the Souls franchise. As the
player progresses and defeats enemies,
they acquire the gam e’s currency, salt,
which is used the same way souls are
used in Dark Souls, allowing the player
to redeem saltto level up or alternatively
to purchase > e w ite m sa n d gear from
vendors. If you die, though, your salt is
dropped where you fall, allowing you to
reclaim your tost c u rre n t™ you can make
it back to that spot. If you die once more
on your way to retrieve the salt. However,
it is lost for good.
Perhaps' not the m ost noticeable
aspect o f the game, the background music
perfectly captures the desired tone adding
positively to nearly every scene.
For any that enjoy the difficulty or
aesthetic o f the Souls gam es, Salt and
Sanctuary is a must play. The depth of
combat, dark aesthetic and the potential
for rage-inducing losses all come together
to form the perfect love letter to the Souls
franchise.
Top: Salt and Sanctuary poster and art from official game art.
Bottom: Hyper Light Drifter poster and sprite from official game art.
-a. ■I
STORY BY MASON CRAWLEY
Made as a love letter to Nintendo fans, this
kickstarter darling is not for everyone, and
I think that’s a good thing. This game pays
homage to the Gameboy era of classics
like Link to the Past, and Metroid: Zero
Mission, while still bringing a whole lot of
innovation and style.
You play as a Drifter, who’s capable of
ninja-like dashes and flurries of sword and
gun combos. This Drifter is ill with a strange
disease, and the only way of curing it is to
venture to the most dangerous parts of a
dream-like futuristic world with the intent
of reactivating long forgotten technology.
This game touts an amazing soundtrack,
gorgeous pixelart and animation as well
as fast and intense gameplay. This game
isCnot easy. You will die. A lot. However,
as you begin to practice the mechanics of-
dashing, sword combos and gun play, and
weaving it altogether, Ih e experience i n
unlike any other.
The difficulty is brutal. However t h e
Drifter is given' many
and
mastering them takes hoursof gameplay.
Once you find your groove, slicing, dicing,
shooting, and explodinglnonsters on a
quest for survival has neverfelt better.
The story of Hyper Ligljt^nfter is sparse,
as there is no dialogue at all. Imagery is used
to conve Ja lm o s ^ e r y th in g in the world
and this m ay be off-putting for some. I
played thgdne almost purely for gameplay,
although the loose narrative did leave me
with some interesting thoughts to ponder
and interpret on my own.
I would recommend this to anyone
looking for a challenging, nostalgic and
original gaming experience.
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May 9,