Ska Studios, developers behind Xbox‘s The Dishwasher series and more recently Charlie Murder, is bringing its next game, Salt and Sanctuary, exclusviely to PlayStation 4 and PS Vita in 2015.
Described as a “stylistic, brutal action RPG platformer,” the game is filled with “visceral, satisfying combat, deep, diverse character builds,” and some of the studio’s best-made bosses. It is inspired by the studios’ previous games, as well as classics like Castlevania DS, and new hits like the Souls series.
“Salt and Sanctuary casts you as a sailor shipwrecked on a strange, purgatorial island, insulated somehow against a backdrop of centuries-old worldwide perpetual war,” Ska Studios said on the PlayStation Blog. “What hope remains is isolated in Sanctuaries: protected dwellings where travelers band together under common creeds to take shelter from the hostile world outside.
“The emphasis in Salt and Sanctuary is stylistic sidescrolling combat: weapons have movesets, air attacks have hang time, and rolling is king. There’s a huge amount of depth to the combat in Salt, however. Weapons can be one-handed and paired with shields or offhand crossbows for versatility, or wielded two-handed for added power — and every configuration has its own unique moveset.
“There are staffs for magic, bows for ranged combat, and belt-slotted consumables like throwing daggers and weapon-buffing Pitchfire. Of course, loadout weight affects your movement, rolling speed and stamina regen, so a good balance of defense and agility is key. Basically, it combines two things we love: fast, precise 2D combat and super strategic RPG depth. Also, there are curb stomps.”
Watch the debut trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery.
